hat trick

There was a stretch of grey, dreary days a few weeks ago. I decided a few "Bling Berets" would cheer me up.

My sister had emailed me with a picture of a slouchy beret, and asked if I could make her one. She also requested mitts for my niece, as she keep stealing hers. In the email she really laid it on thick, telling me what a wonderful sister I was, etc... The pattern she sent was for a plain beret, but I decided the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret would look better in the yarn I had in mind.

I used yarns I spun from Enchanted Knoll batts and 'millie roving'. The plum-grey one is for my sister. The yarn is a single, spun from 'Crazy Making' millie roving. The purple-blue one is for me. I spun a bulky 2 ply from 'Cat Woman' millie roving. Josette's millie rovings are a treat to spin, if you haven't tried them, you should. The pink beret is for my niece. I used Ann Budd's 'Basic Tam' pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns (I love this book). It is knit in a 3 ply bulky yarn, spun from 'Roses in the Snow' wild card batts.

I finished the 3 hats in about a week. They helped to chase away the dreary, grey days. The sun has returned. Unfortunately, it is now bone numbing cold. At least I have a warm, sparkly hat to keep me warm.

mitered mittens

Seems like everyone is knitting mitered mittens from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac. I love how this pattern looks in handspun. I chose some yarn I spun from Poppy Flower Fibers (Falkland in the Emi colorway). It was spun woolen for warm, lofty mittens. I followed the modifications Kathryn Ivy posted for a gusset thumb. They were a fun, quick knit. Watching handspun knit up captivates me, I really love knitting with it.

once in a blue moon

There was a blue moon on New Year's Eve. Whyboy and I stood outside, shivering and looking at the moon. He has always been drawn to the moon. It was one of the first words he learned to say. He would look up in the sky and say "moon." As his vocabulary developed he would also announce the phase. We were both born under a winter moon.

To celebrate the moon, I started spinning "Winter Moon" the November 2008 installment of Enchanted Knoll's Happy Hooves Club. It is lovely and sparkly. It looks like the moon dancing on the snow in our backyard. Last night the moon was so bright, it illuminated the back yard, and I thought of these batts. They are a lovely, smooth spin.

My birthday was this week. This combined with the start of the New Year puts me in a reflective mood. I am grateful for my family and my friends. I am thankful that I have a creative outlet, and am able to play with fiber. I am thrilled that people actually are interested in reading about my fiber and life adventures, thank-you.

I don't make resolutions. I plan to start 2010 as I mean to go on....laughing, playing, eating well, exercising, knitting, and spinning.