Introducing...

My very first pair of mittens! *beams with pride* These are for Mike, and I'm *thrilled* with how they turned out. They weren't hard to make at all, and they are made on regular ole' straight knitting needles. I had a pattern that called for you to rib for a few inches, then just stockinette stitch to the thumb gusset, which, after learning how to do a few new increases (with a bit of swearing, I admit it, but not a lot!) wasn't bad at all. You place a bunch of stitches on stitch holders to work on the thumb, seam it up, and then keep going in stockinette stitch. A bit of shaping at the top, seam up the sides, and voila! These are made in Debbie Stoller's Alpaca Love yarn, in cobblestone. I'm hoping that the alpaca/wool blend will provide extra warmth for Mike this winter, and I feel very, very wifely.

I'm also working away on my amigurumi bear, and he's coming right along. He now has all of his body parts, which he's very excited about, although they are as not not sewed together. All in good time. Last night I started to crochet his sweater, and it's super adorable. Unfortunately I have about 20 ends to weave into this tiny little garment, which isn't so fun. I loathe weaving in ends. I'll work on those tonight, and hopefully start on the sleeves. Then it's on to bear part assembly!

My other project is a new hat for Henry. He's outgrown the hat that he's worn for the past 2 winters. He's requested a black hat with a yellow stripe, and he wants me to work in a Batman logo. Given that knitting Batman is well beyond my talents, I'm getting a decal to simply sew on to the finished hat. I just cast that on a few days ago. I have a great pattern for a ribbed hat, so it'll grow right along with Henry for a few years. It's the same pattern that I used for Mike's hat. Hopefully, this attempt will involve less angst than last time.

In a terribly exciting knitting development, yesterday I placed my first order to KnitPicks. Anybody with me? Isn't this a fabulous place? Natural fiber yarns for extremely reasonable prices, and with a $50 order, free shipping! My knitting friends and I combined our orders and secured free shipping. I bought some sock yarn, and am officially starting the Christmas knitting season. Trust me, I'm not thinking about presents that I will actually *buy* for Christmas (except for Hank; I have a real weakness for choosing gifts for him) but for knitting/crocheting, you gotta start early. A lot of my loved ones will be receiving hand knit socks for Christmas this year. Send me your sizes and color preferences :)