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Here's the pattern for the Dandy Christmas Mittens:

I used bulky yarn and cast on 40 stitches on 4 dpns.
K4 P1 throughout.

Body of the mitten: Keep going until the thumbhole (depends on how long you want your mitten to be). Then K5 with a contrasting yarn, slip those five back onto the needle, and knit again normally.

Bind off when you have reached desired length.

Thumb: pick up the stitches from the thumb hole by removing the contrasting yarn. Pick up three extra stitches either side, 15 alltogether. Knit until thumb has reached desired length, then decrease and bind off.

Flap: Pick up 15 stitches along back of mitten. I did this 5 rows in, although next time I would probably do it further down. CO (I used a cable cast on) 18 stitches. Knit in the round until flap is long enough, then start decreasing evenly and bind off.

Sow on button and make a little catch-thingy on the top of the flap.

Three Christmas Things done: Another pair of socks (for the boy's brother's girlfriend), the Captain's Scarf (for the boy's father), and the Dandy Christmas Mittens (for my Grandmother).

Socks:









Captain's Scarf:







Dandy Christmas Mittens:

Christmas socks I are done. Pretty blue things in self-striping Twister yarn. For L.

Miniature socks / stockings, made for the Bookcrossing ornament exchange.

Knit like regular socks, toe up, 24 stitches all together. 18 rows after toe bit to heel turning, 15 rows to bind off at the top.

The wonderful mittens are done. And they turned out truly wonderful....

I cast on 32 stitches in Freedom Spirit wool, worsted weight, 22st / 28 rows over 4 inches.

The first bit is from the fetching fingerless gloves:
K4, P1 for 5 rows, Cable to the back (front for right mitten). Repeat 3 times.
Then increse ever set of 4 stitches by 2 stiches over the next 12 rows (I increased half the sets before the next cable row, and then the other half before the second following cable row). Cable rows in the body of the mitten: Cable every other set of 4s, then at the next cable row cable the other sets. Cable row after 5 rows.
Make thumbhole. I knit 7 stitches with a constrasting yarn, put them back onto the neddle, and knit those stitches with my yarn. At the beginning of the row for left mitten, at the end for right. Approx. 20 rows in, depending on how long you want your mitten to be (how far down on your wrist). Start decreasing when mitten is longer than your pinkie. BO when you only have 18 or so stitches on each needle).
CO 3 stitches at each join of the thumb, 20 stitches all together. Knit to apropriate length.

I went to Hamilton a couple of weeks ago for my friend Becky's birthday and stopped off at K1 in Glasgow. Pretty little shop, with lots of exciting yarns. I was going to buy sock yarn for my Christmas knitting and came back with a bag full of gorgeous yarn for myself!! Then I foolishly went into John Lewis', where I stocked up some more. Again, for me.

I knit a sock on the way to Glasgow and back - almost 5 hours on the bus = prime knitting time. I knitted slowly because I tried to knit without looking at it. Worked quite well!

Then I went home, thinking I'd finish the second socks and the mittens I'd cast on for with some of the yarn I bought in Glasgow. I got all of one mitten done. The second one is almost done now, and will probably be finished later on. I found lots and lots of sock yarn for Christmas!

I decided to give up on knitting for myself until all my Christmas stuff is done, but I do need those mittens. So I made one Christmas sock, and am now finishing the second mitten before knitting the second sock of that pair. The Glasgow socks are on hold for now.
Here's a picture of the Christmas sock I:



I also finished the exciting dragon scarf since I last blogged. It's light green with pink bits coming out of the nostrils and the tail. I named it Eliot, after the character in Pete's Dragon that sort of looks like it:

FO: Basic cabled hat. First Christmas present for this year done!












Half FO: Grown-up Chucks. Had a bit of trouble with the pattern. Kept reading it wrong. Worked out great in the end though!

They're done!













I knit rather tightly, so you might have to adjust the pattern to fit. It's a basic toe-up pattern, with added diagonal stripes on the top of the foot. The self-patterning yarn made it even more psychedelic.

Using Provisional Cast On, CO 28 sts.

w&t.= wrap and turn

Row 1 [RS]: K27, w&t.
Row 2 [WS]: P26, w&t.
Row 3 [RS]: K25, w&t.
Row 4 [WS]: P24, w&t.
Row 5 [RS]: K23, w&t.
Row 6 [WS]: P22, w&t.
Row 7 [RS]: K21, w&t.
Row 8 [WS]: P20, w&t.
Row 9 [RS]: K19, w&t.
Row 10 [WS]: P18, w&t.
Row 11 [RS]: K17, w&t.
Row 12 [WS]: P16, w&t.
Row 13 [RS]: K15, w&t.
Row 14 [WS]: P14, w&t.
Row 15 [RS]: K13, w&t.
Row 16 [WS]: P12, w&t.

On the following rows work the wrapped stitches together with the regular stitches to avoid holes.

Row 17 [RS]: K13, w&t.
Row 18 [WS]: P14, w&t.
Row 19 [RS]: K15, w&t.
Row 20 [WS]: P16, w&t.
Row 21 [RS]: K17, w&t.
Row 22 [WS]: P18, w&t.
Row 23 [RS]: K19, w&t.
Row 24 [WS]: P20, w&t.
Row 25 [RS]: K21, w&t.
Row 26 [WS]: P22, w&t.
Row 27 [RS]: K23, w&t.
Row 28 [WS]: P24, w&t.
Row 29 [RS]: K25, w&t.
Row 30 [WS]: P26.

Pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on, and knit in the round until foot reaches desired length. The pattern is (on top of foot): k3,p1* until the other side of the foot, k all on underside, k2, p1, p1* until the other side. etc. Change direction for second sock.

Heel: Similar to toe. Work on bottom side of sock only. W&t decrease until 14 w&t, then start w&t increase. Knit in the round to finish sock until desired length. Cuff is k1,p1.

I finished the boy's Extremely Fabulous Thinking Hat. It's very long, with a twisting seam (which makes it that much more magical). I made the pattern up as I went along, but I remember casting on about 120 stitches. The yarn is rather bulky, so it turned out to be a very quick knit.

I finally got invited to Ravelry. I've been waiting for so long.... It's terribly exciting, I've just been playing around with it a little.

I've knitted a pair of sock. A whole pair of socks! For the first time ever! And they're wearable. I'm most excited, for the socks are most excellent.

Unfortunately I don't have my camera right now, only the one built into my macbook, so the pictures aren't all that great. But the socks are truly amazing.

A hat to match my Carolyn cardigan. Still have some leftover yarn.

The vest is done. DONE! I think the boy likes it...

Finally. An update that actually involves some knitting.
I've finished the Carolyn cardigan but haven't managed to take any photos yet. Will do though, promise.

At the moment I have a green vest and a pair of knee-high socks on the needles. I'm hoping the finish the vest this weekend, that is if I can keep away from the socks...

The vest. The picture doesn't really do it justice as it is bottle-green rather than weird-coloured.


The socks (well, one sock at the moment):


and, a day later:

Stash. Warning. There's lots of it.

Half a sleeve away from finishing!

I've not had much time to knit. And neither did my knitting buddies, so we haven't had a sunday social for about 4 weeks now.

I'm still working on Carolyn and Joseph's vest. Carolyn's back is finished; I'm now on the first front panel. The vest is almost half done.

1. A big something I've been working on. Not finished yet. Waiting for more yarn to arrive


2. My mother's birthday care-package. Including some knitting: egg warmers!



3. More handwarmers! For me:



And for lovely Kylie:



4. A phone cozy



5. Fergie's amazing Aberdeen scarf!











6. And lastly - JT finally getting his scarf!

1. Hat. It's done. Cables! And it's been sent off :-)



Me wearing the hat. It's slightly too big.



2. Handwarmers. They're done. And have been sent off. Haven't heard from Barbara though.