FO Goodness' Sake, Focus, Mon!

Sometimes I worry that the subtext of this blog is rapidly becoming the text. I look back and notice that not much knitting content has appeared recently.

To restore my sense of balance, here is an FO I meant to post a couple of weeks ago. I'm not satisfied with the pictures, which is why I have refrained. However, I feel that pride in one's imperfection is important, so I present the Cappuccino Fingerless Mitts. They are so called because they are knit from two lovely colours of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk - one could be called Espresso, and the other Coffee Cream.



Cappuccino Fingerless Mitts
Pattern: My own, with rib pattern supplied by Cables Untangled . (However, the little mistake you see there is all me; not part of the chart.)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (Aran), one skein each of colours #13 and #14
Yarn Source: Beehive Wool Shop, Victoria BC
Needles: Two 5mm Clover Takumi bamboo circulars, and 4.25mm bamboo DPNs
Tension: Dunno. Sorry. Aranish - 4 sts per inch or something, you know the kind of thing.
Cast on: January 27
Bound off: January 28
Notes:

These were knit without a pattern, merely using some guidelines from, and a rib pattern found in, Cables Untangled, by Melissa Leapman. I have knit with this yarn before, so I knew approximately how many stitches it would take to comfortably go around a wrist. The pattern repeat was over a multiple of four stitches, so I cast on 24.

I knitted the thumb gusset with the smaller needle, in 1X1 twisted rib. I wanted this part of the mitt to be denser and warmer, to ease joint pain. I charted a simple gusset and worked lifted increases on either side of the gusset stitches as needed.


The planning page out of my knitting notebook.

These mitts are very warm, and comfortably snug. I made them for my mother, who has trouble with pain in her thumb joints. I hope they help, and so far they seem to.

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I wanted to post an update on my Ogee Tunic progress. It has come a long way, and you'll be pleased to know that I am over half done the front.

However.

I would be fully done the front if it wasn't for this:


Norah Gaughan's Shell Tank, from Knitting Nature

which, coupled with some all-too-available Jo Sharp Soho Summer that I picked up for a song from Urban Yarns (by the way, they have one colour left, "Poppy", and it is now on sale, as part of their huge yarn blowout, for 70% off, people. $2.77/50g ball. **Update: I just checked UY, and they are now sold out of the Soho Summer, although there are some amazing deals still to be had, particularly on the Rowan yarns.**), has become this:



I am about to finish the leftmost piece pictured above, then I will knit that cool cable pattern in the centre-left of the pattern photo, and I will be seaming. And I do love me some seaming.

I actually cast this on as a distraction from the Ogee Tunic, to give me something else to work on when I needed a break from the miles of cotton stockinette. As it turns out, work on the Tunic has been suspended as I voraciously devour this Shell Tank pattern. Busting some serious stash here.

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And, finally, my dearest darling is on her way to Jamaica tomorrow. People keep saying things like, "Isn't it exciting? The Beach!!" and "How great to get some sun in the middle of winter!" and all I can do is think, enviously,


Rum.