Princess Mitts designed by Jennifer Hagan
Yarn:  Handspun 2 ply in  a dk wt.
Needles: Knitpicks Harmony, sizes 7 & 3.  I love these needles!
Note: I started with 350 yds. of handspun.  I made the Gretel Slouch Hat and these mitts and have loads leftover.  I did modify the pattern slightly but nothing to change the looks of them.

I finished the mitts last night.  Good thing, too.  I have so many things to do in the next few days. 

This morning I finally started my baking.  Sort of.  I’ve got these nice little packages of cookie dough ready to slice and bake, two each Cashew Butter Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread.  The Apricot Macadamia Nut Snow Balls are chilling.  Before I finished last night I got a batch of candied pecans ready for mailing out today. 

C has asked for the little rolled tea balls.  I’ll have to pick up another pound of butter.  Whew… this is really the only time of year that I go through this much flour and butter.  All the cookies I bake use very little sugar.  In everything so far, including the candied nuts, I’ve used only one cup of sugar, 3/4 of it dark brown.  It is hard to keep the low carb thing going during holidays.  Keeps me big on nut based treats.  I can always tell when I’ve cheated too much.

The snow and cold have given me the opportunity to start wearing my new toasty Danskos.   These were instantly comfortable, rare for me.  I feel like a kid with new boots, these are clogs, but I want to kick at the snow, and look at my feet.

 

Yesterday, I finally made it up the ladder to the attic to retrieve one box of Christmas decorations.  Passing house after house on my way home from wherever, after dark, I can see that I am late, very late, in getting my own holiday cheer set up.  I wanted my Christmas cups.  Funny the little triggers, huh?  At home we call the little things that we use year after year to decorate, tradition.  At work, putting the same old display up in the same restaurant or office, the same old drudge, has no spirit at all.  I thought about this as I went from place to place this year.  Hang the balls from this ceiling just so, put poinsettias on the right corner of each desk, unpack the same dusty gold balls that the 16th floor has used for the last 15 years on each of the last three trees.  Strange that the artificial trees don’t last as long as the balls.  That part is work.  But unpacking and holding a hot cup of coffee in my Christmas cup, well…. I love it.  Makes me want to get lights on the wreaths, cookies in the oven.  And so I have, the wreath part, that is.

 

The mitts are nearly finished.  I love them.  They’ll be done this evening.  I have a date with the television at 3pm this afternoon.  I never watch daytime TV.  Maybe a bit of Oprah while I’m working on dinner if I start early enough, but never in the middle of the afternoon.  Today, is special.  We got a call last night.  Ellen, (you know Ellen, right?) will display a picture on her show today of our very grown up daughter taken when she was three, screaming on Santa’s lap.  That’s at the beginning, during the first scene (or is it act).  Later, in Act 5, a costume our E designed will be worn by… well… we’ll see who is wearing it today, another surprise. 

I hadn’t thought about it until I saw this photo, but it would have been nice to reverse the cables.  Oh well, I’ll keep my hands moving when I wear them.  No one will notice. 

Time to put on water for tea, thee o’clock is coming up quick. 

Just in time for winter, I’ve got a new hat.  Gretel is a fun knit.  The changing twists and cables kept things interesting, the smallish sized project kept it a quick knit.  I went for the slouchy version.   

Gretel, by Isolde Teague

Needles: Knitpicks Harmony circs, #5, #7 with a 16" and 32" cord.  I love these needles.  Nothing else I have even comes close.  They are so smooth and the points, lovely and sharp.  I used them "magic loop".
Yarn:  my own 2 ply handspun from roving bought at last year’s Gathering from Spinner’s Hill.  I’m guessing that I used about 225yds.  Maybe less, the ball still looks pretty big.

Sizing…. I have a very small head.  I may have to put a bit of elastic thread into the ribbing to snug it up.  It tends to slip over one eye while I shovel, every now and then.

before the storm, I got one shot

tonight she looks like this..

Maybe tomorrow I’ll get some glam shots.  For now, she’s a working girl.

Now, for the mitts.