Happy Monday! Just wanted to pop in with a note that I am guest posting on the Skip to My Lou blog today as a part of the 2016 Holiday Bake Craft Sew Along!

Check out my post here.

Fiddlehead Mittens

Three years ago I embarked on a knitting journey with one goal in mind. To knit a pair of Fiddlehead Mittens. It was one of many attempts to pick up knitting and it finally stuck. I've been knitting ever since, tackling project after project to improve my skills. All in an effort to be able to knit these mittens. I first fell in love with these mittens in 2009/2010, long before I really started knitting. I even wrote a dorky blog post about them (find it here). These mittens were a far off dream for many years, and I am SO happy that I finally knit them!

Fiddlehead Mittens pattern by Adrian Bizilia.


When I decided I was ready and armed with the right skills to take this pattern on, I didn't have much trouble deciding on yarn to use. I used the same two colors of sportweight yarn that I used in my Daybreak shawl, which is one of my favorite knits. Madelinetosh Pashmina in Moonstone and Cephalopod Yarns Bugga! in Bold Jumping Spider. I was all set to use leftovers from my shawl in addition to new skeins, but they weren't exact matches so I used the fresh skeins for these mittens.


I really don't like magic loop or DPNs for small circular knitting. I knit these mittens on a US 3 9" circular. They take getting used to, but I absolutely love knitting on them. I used a 9" circular to knit Michael's convertible mittens and some plain mittens for myself last year (see them both here). This was I only have to use magic loop for the decreases and the thumb.


I am glad I tried a few stranded colorwork projects before knitting these mittens. I am really happy with how even my tension and floats are on this project. The one thumb was a little tight, but it was already loosened with a little wear and blocking.


The outer mittens for this project were finished up in late September and it took me about a month to knit the mitten linings. The linings are obviously quite a bit of extra work, but they make the mittens super cozy and luxurious. Totally worth it. I used an Eat Sleep Knit exclusive colorway of Squoosh  Fiberarts Rapture called Light Trails. It's a beautiful purple/pink that's super soft and warm.


Honestly, I can't say enough about these mittens. I really enjoyed knitting them, and I am so so excited to wear them this winter. I've worn them a couple times already (even though it's not really cold enough), and they're so dreamy. I'm so proud of the way they turned out. Every time I pick them up, I just can't believe that I knit them. I feel like I can knit just about anything now! I think I need to knit a hat to match my shawl and newly finished mittens.


For more information on my mittens, see my Ravelry page.

Happy Knitting!

Kona Color of the Year Quilt Exhibit

A few months ago, the kind folks over at Robert Kaufman asked me to participate in a group quilt exhibit for Quilt Market/Festival centered around their Kona Color of the Year. This year that color is Highlight, a bright neon "highlighter" yellow. The exhibit featured mini quilts from 60 quilters, who were each sent a bundle of solids including Highlight. We were asked to make a 20" square mini quilt, using only those fabrics. We could use as many or as few was we liked, but we had to use Highlight.


It was an honor to be asked to make something for this special exhibit! I've had quilts hung at Quilt Market before, but never in the quilt exhibit area, or at Fesitval. Jacey was kind enough to take a photo of my quilt hanging up at the show. So cool!


The colors in my bundle were a full rainbow of bright pastel solids. I chose to use two purples from my bundle in addition to white and Highlight. I struggled for a while to decide on what design I wanted to make. The instructions were to make something that reflected our individual style. That made things a bit easier, I knew I had to use half-square triangles.


Photo is © 2016 Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

I ended up making a block from the Convergence quilt in my book, Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle. Pick up a copy of the book here.


For the quilting, I extended the lines created by the seams of the half-square triangles and stitched 1/4" on either side of those lines. It ended up creating an interesting cross-hatch effect.


After seeing all of the quilts in the exhibit (you can see them on Robert Kaufman's Instagram, here), I wish I had thought a little more outside the box with my design. The quilts are all so different, and while I thought I was adding interest to mine in the quilting and scale, I feel like it fell a little flat. I've been thinking that I've been in a bit of a rut lately in terms of design, it's time to figure out how to get myself out of it. A plan of attack is forthcoming.


Regardless, it was a fun project to work on. It was wonderful to be included with so many talented quilters. The exhibit will be traveling, so keep an eye out!

Happy Quilting!

Favorites

1. Propeller Quilt by Megan, 2. HST Sampler Quilt by vasu_g, 3. Rise and shine quilt by PyjamaChici, 4. Modern Baby Boy Plus Quilt by Stephanie Erskine, 5. Quilt by Amy Friend, 6. Wedding Quilt by Mary W, 7. Black and White Rainbow Quilt by Erin J. M., 8. Rising Stars by Sarah Elliott, 9. Hutch School Quilt 2016 by Matt Macomber

Periodically, I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!