fair isle

I decided to try the Fresco Fair Isle Mitts from the Fall 2008 Interweave Knits. I had some leftover Zitron Trekking XXL yarn from a pair of socks I made and a couple of balls of Jojoland Melody that I thought would be complementary, both with enough variation to make using only two colors instead of the 5 the pattern called for a possibility. I used two circulars (2.75 mm) for the ribbing which I made shorter than the pattern suggested and two circulars (3.00 mm) for the body.

Here's a picture of the back of the mitt:

And here's a picture of the palm of the mitt:

The pattern called for using 3.25 mm needles for the body and I'm sure it would have made a difference. As you can possibly see by this next picture, the mitt turned out quite a bit smaller than expected:

These are really more child sized than adult. I will have to try again maybe increasing both the needle size and the length.

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Well, thanks to the blizzard I have finished the other mitt:

As you can see, the color came out quite a bit different from the first mitt. That's what happens when you use variegated yarn and in such small quantities that you don't really see where the color changes occur. Altogether, these mitts only took 21 grams of fingering weight yarn. But maybe the difference in color will help my granddaughter tell the right from the left more easily.

Dear Mom,

Well I finally finished the little Fair Isle cardigan for Bee. It was a challenge and a delight to make. The weaving in of ends was almost too much, but it is done. Here are some shots of it washed and blocked. I hope she will wear it over the holidays. Not much else to say and too much work to do for a full final project write up. Details can be found on Ravelry: here. Now what to start next????

Dear Mom,

So I have completed the back of the Fair Isle cardigan for Bee. It wasn't as difficult as I imagined, but it is a challenging knit for sure. The shine is a very soft and pleasant yarn. It has a tendency to look a bit fuzzy even as you knit with it, so I don't know how it will hold up over the long haul. I have to say that I am happy with how it looks thus far. The back alone has at well over 60 ends to weave in!

Dear Mom,

With one stripped sock done, I have half of a finished object. Should have cast on for the other sock right away, but instead started a new project (Ravelry link).

This will be the Fair Isle Cardigan from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits for Tots. I am using Shine Sport from KnitPicks as a substitute for the Rowan yarn called for. This project is fairly advanced for me with colorwork on right and wrong sides as well as more than two colors per row. Also the cotton yarn is less forgiving than wool. However, I think the sweater is really cute and it is good to challenge yourself once in a while. So wish me luck. I am reserving the right to abandon ship if need be, but am hopeful that it will turn out fine.