Twined Noro Mittens

First of all I want to thank you all for your kind comments of my Margaret Cardigan. Sometimes a process is quite mysterious and you really don't know beforehand what you are going to end up with and that is what happened with Margaret. I was lucky. But the ride after her has been somewhat rough - and that is an under statement. I don't care to think of how many false starts I had before I finally gave up. And it got so depressing I did not even want to record any of it...

I think I sort of survived knitting fatigue and exhaustion; there was plenty of trial but nothing I was happy with. I did some sewing - as I can't live without handwork at all times - and occasionally did some knitting and finally I was able to start two projects of which the first one is done.

Last fall I bought few skeins of Noro Sock Yarn. The colors are so beautiful and tempting but for some reason this yarn has not wanted to become socks. I have looked at it ever so often wondering what I am going to knit with it. I looked at it and held it in my hands and looked a bit closer and realized that it is z-spun singles. Oh yes, Z-spun is perfect for twined projects. I took out my little dpns (2,25mm) and made a pair of mittens. I think the fabric is most pleasing to the eye. The color number is S188. This would make a lovely sweater or a cardigan, the fabric has very nice feel but I would probably use thicker needles for that.

I have thought about crocheting some simple forms (with free form crocheting you can make just about any shape you want to) and then appliquéing those forms onto a knitted fabric. I finally tried it here and crocheted few circles and then attached them with various embroidery stitches to the mittens. This was more like playing than embroidering.The winter seems to stay here. We have very low night temperatures and it is still cold during the day also but definitely there is the anticipation of spring. The amount of light is overwhelming, think lots of white clean pure snow and then bright sun rays and you almost go blind the moment you go out of the door. All my animals have crinkled foreheads when they sunbathe in the warm spots outside!

I have been picking up my quilting work more often now than knitting, but on most nights the knitting sort of walks into my lap and I am just about done with my other project too. More of it later. It is lace and it is black and it is dramatic.

Lene