Another UFO for Halloween


In keeping with the UFO theme, here is my Baby Sweater on Two Needles by Elizabeth Zimmermann. It is also commonly known as the "February Baby Sweater" and therefore I guess I should make it my goal to, at the very latest, finish it by February... we'll see. This is what Elizabeth Zimmermann had to say about handknit garments for babies:

"Although babies rarely, if ever, express their pleasure at being dressed in wool, it is surely manifest when you dote on a small plump person soundly and contentedly asleep, swaddled in woollen sweater, woollen leggings, and a soft wool bonnet, snugly tucked under a fine warm wool blanket."

The pattern for this sweater can be found in "Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac". If you knit, and don't own the book, you need to get up and buy it right now! It is easily the greatest five bucks you will ever spend on a knitting book.



If you're out browsing the web today, make sure to check out Behind the Wool Shack. It is the blog counterpart for Australia's most innovative Internet knitting store, The Wool Shack. They have just started a knit-a-long of my French Press Felted Slippers. This passed weekend I had a huge influx of Australian pattern orders and went searching for the culprit. Many people have signed up for the KAL and will be sending photo updates as they go. I'm excited to see the resuts and totally flattered!

A Lonely, Partial Mitten


Since it's the week of Halloween, I figure it's a fitting time to post some UFOs. I'm not usually the type to have UFOs lying around. Typically when I start a project I get so focused that things like house cleaning, hygiene, and nutrition get pushed aside until my project is completed. But, with holiday orders pouring in (already!?), I have had little time for anything besides slipper making. The next couple days I will share some projects that I started before I 're-opened' my Etsy shop last month.

The first is a mitten from the book 'Selbuvotter, Biography of a Knitting Tradition'. I'm not usually big on reading, but when this book arrived on a Friday afternoon, the evening was made! I sat with a large mug of hot Chai tea and learned all about the history of Selbu knitting. It was that same evening that I started this mitten.




As you can see, I did not go with the traditional black on white, but instead went with a slightly different color palette. You see, I made the mistake of ordering a Knit Picks Palette Yarn Color Card a while back. One of the many things I love about knitting is being able to come up with new amazing color combinations. With color cards in hand, I feel pretty unstoppable. These are all fingering weight Palette Yarns from Knit Picks that I plan to create from in the near future:



In other news, my French Press Felted Slipper pattern is now one of the top ten Ravelry "New and Popular" patterns- yay! If you are on Ravelry, you can see it here. You will have to click on 'more' because it is lowly number 10 (but making a steady climb!).

One of my Favorite YouTube Videos (Yes...I am a Knitting Nerd!)

It's been a crazy week here. Christmas orders are already flying out the door- I can't believe it's time for Christmas already. I am also wondering if I will be able to keep this pace up until the holidays...we'll see.

I have ideas for new patterns that I really want to start knitting up, but in reality I will probably not get a chance until after Christmas. Until then, I will continue to draw pictures in my sketch book and figure them out when the time comes!

I don't know if it's because it hints at my childhood, or just because the words are so true... but I love this video. One thing I do know: after a long week...and a very long day- this video can cheer me up. I love it!