To BE fingerless? Or not to be...?

I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating: Who doesn't love a little red mitten?

For grown ups, though, mittens are often inconvenient. That's why I designed this ultra-cozy pair of fingerless gloves that don't always have to be fingerless.

I've made three pair: Two in red and one in green, all using Dale of Norway Sisik (now discontinued), a tweedy, fluffy yarn with all the warmth of mohair.

You can wear these gloves three ways:
1) With both cuffs up, pictured above
2) With the finger-cuff up, like this...

OR...

3) With both cuffs unfurled, to keep your fingers toasty:

They're so simple to make -- an easy, fun knit with worsted-weight yarn on US#3 needles for a nice, dense fabric. Having made three pair this year, however, I think I'll take a little break and make something else.

Perhaps a shawl? I'm in the mood for a little lace and some shiny beads...kinda like this one, but different:

Yes, the photo is sideways. I like it like that.

So I'm going to wind this little baby into a nice, neat yarn cake (thus combining two of my favorite things!) and see what I come up with...

CTH Supersock Select in Moody Blues

Ssshhh...Don't tell anyone, though. It's going to be a secret ;-)

To BE fingerless? Or not to be...?

Happy Christmas!

I don't have a lot to say today -- except, of course, to wish you a lovely holiday -- so thought I'd show you a few pictures of my studio...

All of my stash, except for a few random skeins, is contained under the table and in the plastic bins above.

Those are my writing books on the shelves behind the spinning wheel -- all my knitting books live on a "real" bookcase in the studio and on a second one in the bedroom.

By the way, what you see above is what you have to do to protect your spinning wheel when you have one of these cute little destroyers-of-all-things-valuable...

Yeah, my hand shook a little. Must get tripod.

He's learning, though. Hardly ever touches the wheel, and even knows to leave my knitting alone. Sure, now and then Charley's simply overcome by the yarn and loses control of his actions. I understand. I feel the same way.

I finished these last night:

They turned out well. I love these gloves. You can turn the cuff down over your fingers to keep them warm, and fold it back when you want them to be truly fingerless. And they're made of Dale's (sadly discontinued) Sisik yarn -- fluffy wool and mohair. Mmmmm. This is the third pair I've made, by request, which is a nice feeling :-)

Tonight we're going to make pasties (pronounced PASS-tees): Cornish meat pies enclosed in pie crust, with potatoes, onions, and butter. Lots of butter... In fact, I'm getting hungry now...

So, I'll sign off by saying: Take a few minutes to do something for YOU today, something you love and that makes you happy. After all, it's Christmas!

Happy Christmas!

Little Red Mittens

Card design (c) 2008 by Hannah Six

I've always had a love for little red mittens. I must have had a beloved pair when I was a kid. Though I don't remember much need for mittens in San Francisco, I did spend a winter in Spearfish, SD, when I was about six-years old. And that's a place where mittens are de rigeur.

So maybe it's not surprising that, when I decided to make my own Christmas cards a few years back, I chose a little red mitten to symbolize "Comfort and Joy." Honestly, is anything cuter than a child's warm, woolly little hand on a cold day. There's your Joy. And the Comfort? Well, I think that's pretty self-explanatory.

I loved these cards, so I'm probably going to resurrect the design again this year. Deciding to send cards isn't easy these days. Postage costs a fortune, but then so does everything else!

And the joy (there it is, again) of opening your mailbox to find a handful of warm holiday wishes from your loved ones makes up for the time and energy spent writing and addressing your own batch. To me, at least. I LOVE receiving Christmas cards. Or cards for any other holiday we celebrate in December.

Actually, this year, I might actually pursue my life-long dream of printing some of my cards so I can sell them locally and on my (recently neglected) Etsy store. My head is bursting with design ideas. (BTW: If you think you or anyone you know might be interested, let me know; this really is about as close as I ever get to "Market Research" -- ha ha!)

On the other hand...If you decide to make your own cards this year, for whatever reason, take a few moments to consider what brings you comfort, what adds joy to your life during these long, cold months. That will make coming up with a design a little easier. After all, why not share these personal symbols, and what inspires them in you, with those you love?

***

On another note, I have some toasty green mitts coming off my needles today...

Cozy Mohair Mitts by Hannah Six

A few years back I made a red pair, with long, long ribbing at the end of the hand so you could fold it down over your fingertips when it's bitterly cold, then fold it back when you need to use your hands.

Knit on US#3 needles from Dale of Norway's worsted-weight Sisik, the red mitts ("Red Hot Mitts" on my Ravelry projects page) are virtually wind-proof! And the garter rib stitch creates little pockets to trap warmth. Cozy!

Well, this past summer, I set up a table at a local arts market. Even though it was closing in on 100 degrees outside, I decided to put the Red Hot Mitts on my table to fill in some space... (production knitting is H.A.R.D.!) And? Someone I know was so enamored of them that she actually bought them--in July! And she loved them, and I loved that.

Soon afterward, and this was a surprise, she asked me to knit a few for her to give to friends this Christmas. Thanks to some lovely Ravelers who had a few balls of the now-discontinued Sisik in their stashes, I managed to collect enough yarn to make several pairs, all in different colors. This is pair #1: Spruce. Next up? Maybe Eggplant. Or Cranberry.

Holiday knitting. The pressure. The pleasure. Is there anything like it?

Little Red Mittens