Thursday, March 3, 2011

FO: Cafe au Lait Mitts

My mom complained to my father that she wished she had a second pair of fingerless mitts to wear when she’s teaching. He relayed this information to me (although, why she didn’t ask me directly is a mystery!), and I cast on for a pair of Café au Lait mitts.

They definitely turned out to be a success. They’re just the tiniest bit tight on me, and since Mom has smaller hands, they were a perfect fit. I love the lace pattern, and the fact that it looks like it has cables without having the effort of actually cabling. These knit up so quickly, and they were super-easy. Mom loves them!

Pattern: Café au Lait Mitts

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish DK

Needles: US3

The Verdict: I love the way these knit up! They’re perfect for Mom. I definitely would use the yarn again. I’m not sure if I’d knit the same pattern again, but only because there are so many other fingerless mitts out there that I am dying to try.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

FO: A Girl's Best Friend Shawl

It is amazing what a difference blocking can make! My Girl’s Best Friend Shawl went from this:

To this:

I love the way it turned out. The lace is so pretty, and the simple stockinette of the body compliments it perfectly.

I also love the color. It’s a nice, pale pink, with gorgeous splashes of darker pinks and purples throughout. Although it has one spot with some slight pooling, pooling action was mostly minimal through the project.

Look how well it drapes:

Here’s a picture from the back:

As you can tell, I am completely in love with my finished object. I am also thrilled to have completed my first shawl for 11 Shawls 2011.

I was really happy with this yarn. It blocks so beautifully. I was a little concerned about the stockinette curling, but the blocking seems to have fixed that completely. The way the colors are distributed is also amazing. It’s not as soft as Malabrigo (but what is?), but definitely still comfortable against my bare skin. I still have two projects worth of the same yarn in different colorways, and I cannot wait to use them, too!

Project: A Girl’s Best Friend Shawl

Yarn: Aracania Itata Multy

Needles: US8, US10 (for the bind off only)

The Verdict: I am extremely pleased with the way this turned out!