FO: Selbu Mittens

Project: Selbu Mittens (aka The Mittens of Shame)

Pattern: Rigmor's Selbu Mittens 

Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice

Needles: US size 3

For: my long-suffering mother

Cast On to Cast Off: a little over 13 months (Dec 2011 to January 2013)

Notes:

AAAAAAAHHHHH!

First and most importantly: The issues that I had with this project are NOT a reflection on the pattern itself or the designer. I over-reached and the project bit me hard.


I figured that with the little tiny bit of color work I had done in the past I was totally ready to attack a bigger color work project. And I *was* ready, but not as a last minute Christmas gift. Not sure where my brain was when I attempted that one (Well, I do actually. I was pregnant, and pregnancy brain only gets worse with subsequent pregnancies).


Anyway.


As I wrote in the notes on my ravelry project page, if something could go wrong with the project it did. Mistakes in my reading of the chart (again NOT mistakes in the pattern, mistakes in my failing to read the chart as it was written) led to ripping again and again. These mittens spent the better part of the year in timeout because I would banish them every time they needed to be ripped back and then I'd avoid them for a few weeks because I knew working on them again would mean ripping back before knitting more.

Then for awhile I was hung up on the thumbs because every time I tried to get them started I had issues with tension on that small of a circle.

So as I worked on setting my fiber goals for this year I had a little moment where I finally got stern with myself and decided I would definitely finish these mittens so that I could finally knit with true freedom on other projects- the guilt of these mittens was just too much hanging over me!

I set a deadline for January 31 and last Thursday night I grafted the second thumb tip and cried out, "I'm done! I'm done!" And I reached in my bag for the other mitten and put them side by side.

My stomach dropped.

All that joy fizzled out and I stared in horror at two mittens that were not the same size.

I have always had a very consistent gauge, no matter the type of yarn or needle. However, my gauge changed significantly on this project- I suspect it's because I got better at managing the two yarns and treating the stranding on the back more consistently.

The difference is like the difference between a small and a medium.

I called my mom to tell her the horrible news, and she reassured me that it was probably not that bad. She had a look at craft night Saturday night, we all had a really good laugh as I threatened to take them out back and burn them, but Mom declared them completely wearable and took them home with her.

And now I'm knitting her a cowl to make up for the LOOOOOONG wait for mittens that don't even match each other.



Things I Learned: 

1} Don't plan to gift a project that involves new techniques until after the object is complete and worked out just fine.


2} Don't let knitting hang over my head. There are much bigger things to worry about.


3} Pay closer attention to my gauge consistency when a project involves new technique. This one thing could have saved the whole project.

Overall: 

The pattern itself was great. My reading comprehension not so much overall this project was a giant bust for me, but I'm glad it's finished and that my mother doesn't mind one of her hands appearing to be larger than the other.

This Week

{To help me pull my thoughts together on the many areas 

we pursue through the week I'm borrowing from the day book format. 

I'll plan to post on Fridays about the many goings on around this little place.}

This week found our schedule a little more jam-packed than usual, so there just wasn't a lot of craftiness to speak of. Ellie's cold is still lingering, and I'm trying desperately not to catch it (and not very successfully).

After all, when Mama goes down, it's a sad state of affairs at our house.

On the Needles...

All my progress for the week went into the  first of my yearly socks. I finished the cuff and turned the heel one night and knit about an inch on the foot before bed another night.


I finished the body and hit the first sleeve of my Shapely Boyfriend Cardigan, and you know how I feel about sleeves. I'm trying not to jump ship- I really want this cardigan to be finished (including two sleeves) and in action as soon as possible. But I haven't even gone forward on the Vertebrae sleeves, so it's not looking good right now. I need some energy to plow through sleeves for one week to just. get. them. done.

I read... 

I started reading Ree Drummond's book Black Heels to Tractor Heels. I've had a long run with some bad Dystopian YA and needed something very different to break the cycle. It's a fun fast read and I'm really liking that I was able to borrow it on the kindle through my local library.

Homeschool... 

We finished CC Cycle 1, Week 2 and started Cycle 1, Week 3. It's taking us about 6 school days to really fully memorize each week's material and since we're not involved in a CC community there's no need for us to stick with a super strict weekly schedule. The boys have also been having great fun as we work through our human body science unit using the My Body book.

I also started a rough outline for next school year. I always need to start around now to give myself enough time to really think about what we want and to really evaluate all our options.

In the Kitchen... 

I made my first ever small batch of blackberry jam on Sunday afternoon and it turned out quite well. I was nervous about whether not it would get a good set but I didn't need to be.  Most importantly our primary jam eater marked it Ender-approved.

Watching... 

I watched a few documentaries on Netflix this week, including First Position which follows a few young dancers as they prepare and then compete for prestigious scholarships and job opportunities. 

Michaela's story was so particularly heart-rending- she was orphaned in Sierre Leone and saw so much death and destruction there before being adopted and brought to the states. She talks about having a  page from a magazine of a beautiful ballerina and that she dreamed of become one herself. 

Joan Sebastian comes from Colombia and he has a dream of being the first Colombian to dance a principle part in the Royal Ballet in London. His father says, "there is nothing for you here" and while he is terribly homesick you can see that he knows ballet is his chance to make something of himself.

I read a few reviews as I was searching for something interesting to watch and found the usual "these crazy parents are stealing their kids' childhoods away from them". If you've read this blog for any length of time you know I'm all for age-appropriate work levels, but there are some kids out there who are so very driven to follow a passion and it would be a shame to keep them from following that. I've been on the teacher side of things for a long time and can see the difference between a talented driven child and a pushy parent trying to push a child into "super-talent". That is NOT what is going on in this film. The way these kids look when they talk about ballet is more than enough evidence for me.

Listening... 

This week I listened to the Knitmore Girls' episode 213, and some back episodes of the Nerdist while I  ran.

In Stitches... 

I washed and ironed fabric this week, fully meaning to cut out pieces for a few projects before the schedule exploded on us. So the fabric still waits, and I plan to jump back in tonight.

I didn't get to...

Confession time: I still haven't taken down the Christmas tree.

All it needs is a dedicated hour or two, and I just haven't done it.

This weekend...


Craft night is at our house this weekend.

Maybe that's the incentive I need to take care of the Christmas Tree?

I'd love to hear how your week went... feel free to post a link in comments!

This Week

{To help me pull my thoughts together on the many areas 

we pursue through the week I'm borrowing from the day book format. 

I'll plan to post on Fridays about the many goings on around this little place.}

This week has been slow and fast all at the same time. Slow through the working hours as I started prepping all my students for the annual recital, and fast with kid things. Ellie's cold is still hanging aorund PLUS her first tooth finally made an appearance, Ezra's asthma has been a bit of a trial, and Ender- well, he's 7. And knows everything the world has to offer.

I thought we had at least 6 years until that happened.

On the Needles... 

I'm actively working on my Shapely Boyfriend Cardigan, Vertebrae for a soon-expected nephew, and what has become my yearly pair of socks. I also have a few things in my basket that have been languishing unreasonably long (including 2 promised monsters, a hat that really just needs the band finished and sewn on, and a ridiculously easy garter stitch scarf requested LAST WINTER that I just can't seem to make myself work on.)

I read... 

I did my bi-annual skim through/re-read of the Core, The Well-Educated Mind, and The 3 Rs. I always find a need to refresh our homeschool around January.

Homeschool... 

We covered Cycle 1, Week 2 in Classical Conversations. I'm not sure why I dragged my feet about starting this material in the fall, but I did and now I regret it. It totally fits Ender's learning style and he thinks all the memory work is marvelous.

In the Kitchen... 

I canned a small batch of spiced lemon honey I found in the Ball Home Canning book earlier in the week on an evening when I finished work early and after the kids were in bed. As I type I have quite a bit of citrus on my counter waiting for some preservation but I can't seem to decide between marmalade and jams...

Inspiration... 

I've been pinning tutorials and patterns for shirts and dresses to sew for Ellie over the last few weeks. I'm truly hoping I'll even get a chance to cut pieces in the next week.

Watching... 

The West Wing is my knitting entertainment right now as I wait impatiently each week for Downton Abbey to air. I didn't watch it when it was actually on t.v., and wouldn't have found it interesting at the time anyway. This is why Netflix is totally awesome.

Listening... 

This week I listened to the Knitmore Girl's episode 212 (ep. 213 waiting for me) and started listening through their back episodes. I made it through episodes 1-11 this week. I run 3-4 times a week now (NEVER thought I'd say I run by the way, but more on that another time) which has made for some prime podcast listening time, as well as any time I'm spending more than 10 minutes cooking or doing chores. As you can tell, that time really adds up through the week, since I plowed my way through 11 episodes in just 1 week.

Garden...

Plans have been made for several months now, but now we have to wait a bit for "warm enough" to come along so that we can get started pulling out some of the beds that are here from the previous owner. There is a lot of grading to be done next to the house to be sure we don't have water issues later and that has to come before the fun gardening... or so I'm told.

In Stitches... 

I finally unearthed my machine. I haven't seen her since before the move (almost a year ago!) and I would like to get started making a few things for Ellie to get ready for summer. The boys will be needing shorts too, and I've had a request for more pajamas.

I didn't get to...

The library or any of the errands that I wanted to run. I haven't even had a chance at the grocery store this week. I'm hoping for that today, but Ellie is still snuffly, Ezra is wheezy and I think Ender has the beginning of this cold too. Perhaps we'll have a burst of energy later in the day and a trip out of the house will actually sound appealing.

This weekend...

I'm planning to can some citrus and knit but I suspect most of my time will be consumed by taking care of the sniffles running our house right now. I should never make plans to cut fabric. It's as if all the germs from miles around come together in that instant to plot against any sewing plans I make.

I'd love to hear how your week went... feel free to post a link in comments!

Yarn Along

{Yarning along with Ginny to share current knits and reads...}

My Shapely Boyfriend Cardi is coming along nicely. I still have about 20ish rows to the end of the body but it's straight stockinette and that will finish nicely either tonight or tomorrow after work and getting kids to bed. 

Then it's on to my least favorite part of cardigans/sweaters to knit- the sleeves. I have some kind of sleeve issue the way some knitters develop Second Sock Syndrome. I know that if I just get them going and put the time in they will be done in a few very short nights of knitting, but that doesn't ever seem to help. I always put off starting sleeves and every single time I actually start them and finish them quickly I always mentally call myself a crazy person for not just getting on with it in the first place. I mean, they're so simple! And yet, I put it off. It's a little hilarious when you consider how much time I've already put into the body of a cardi/sweater- to then get hung up on a little sleeve is a bit embarrassing.

But take my other knit for example. That would be a pretty little Vertebrae for a new nephew due to arrive in a few weeks. It's a pattern I've knit before and LOVE. The body came together in two short evenings, but where am I paused? On the silly sleeves. The sleeves are practically nothing! However, they're knit in the round and I knit the body on US 4 circulars, neglecting to be sure I have size 4 DPNs for the sleeves. The fact is that US 4 is the ONLY size DPN I don't have, but I do have 2 circs in size 4 so I'm knitting with those instead... inducing much frustration because I really really dislike knitting on 2 circs.

... Aaaaaaaand a pair of US 4 DPNs just fell into my online cart so that I can stop arguing with myself.

I've been re-reading our base education books this past week. The Core, The Well-Trained Mind and the 3 R's have been the foundation of educating our boys. We don't follow absolutely everything, but this is where our base lies. I find it demands a re-read about twice a year- usually April-June, while I'm planning for the new school year, and somewhere around Christmas break I end up skimming through the sections where schooling feels a little wonky. It's skimming time and I'm concentrated on science right now since it is the subject most interesting to our boys and our human body unit is coming to a close in a week or two.

What are you reading and knitting this week?

Cardi Progress

Ellie and I stayed home for the whole weekend. She has been a little snuffly plus more snow and ice showed up again. Brian and the boys braved a super quick run to the grocery store for a handful of staples and went to church on Sunday without us, but otherwise stayed home with us.

I love when this happens (not the sick baby of course, but the staying home for two whole days) because it means we just have time to hang out. Chores get done early and that leaves plenty of time for games and fun meals and maybe a movie.

I made some good progress on my Shapely Boyfriend cardigan while Ellie napped. I made it through the waist shaping by last night and tonight I'll work my way through at least some of the hip shaping (it all depends on how much knitting time I get after kid bedtime tonight).

The real color of this yarn has been hard to capture. I've tried to photograph it in several places in the house, and even outside on Friday when the sun actually made an appearance in the afternoon. The two above are the most accurate, but the color is still somewhere between these two pictures. It's a soft gray blue, a little more to the blue side of things but not as bright as the top photo.


So far progress has been steady and problem free, but I'm pretty much triple reading all directions at this point. After my epic cast on error I'm particularly paranoid. Don't get me wrong- the pattern itself is great. I just seem to have a "reading directions" problem. It probably doesn't help that Ender keeps asking me if I've "made any more mistakes" every time he sees me working with this yarn.


Love that kid.