Dulcavina 2

Rachel loved the first Dulcavina that I'd made last April and asked me if I would make one for her for Christmas in a pale beige colour. I found the perfect yarn in Chameleon Colorworks' Evolution Laceweight colour Mushroom - a similar weight to the Malabrigo and just what she wanted. It would have been finished in time for Christmas but I was held up waiting for more yarn for the edging. Never mind it was ready very soon after and in time for the cold weather.

And she loves it.



Serendipitously I'd got some of Chameleon Colorworks Bambino in the exact shade of mushroom and combined with other yarn from my stash was able to make another pair of Karendipity's Marvelous Mitts

Winter

I'm firmly into making mitts - the Marvelous Mitts from Karendipity that were all the rage last year and in fact are actually fingerless gloves. I loved them then and I love them even more now. They are deceptively easy and very very effective.

And true mittens - the Winter Cottage Mittens that I bought as a kit from Poshyarn just before Christmas. These are a nice easy knit and I'm already planning to make them in other colour schemes.

Photos later because I'm knitting lots at once and nothing is anywhere near finished and anyway the reason for all this mitten knitting is that Winter has arrived.




It's lovely to see the transformation in the garden and the weird shapes the snow gives the plants.



Over the last fifteen years or so we've spent a lot of time in early January here in France and we have never had such wintery weather. It's been below freezing nights and most of the days since we arrived and on two nights the temperature plummeted to -10 degrees and didn't rise above -3 degrees all day. And we've had snow such as I've not seen at home for a very long time.

It came on Monday and is showing no signs of thawing yet!



We would have made a snowman so we could send a photo to the g-children but it's funny snow and just wouldn't stick together. I don't know whether it was too cold? Or perhaps the air was too dry? I don't know but we couldn't do it. Nor even make a snowball, it just fell apart.

So it's just pefect weather for knitting mittens.

I've got Bird in Hand by Kate Gilbert and Anemoi Mittens from Eunny Jang calling to be made next - well next- but- one because I've promised Rachel a pair of Marvellous Mitts and I'd like to have them made for when we get home.

Bits and Pieces

The model isn't perfect for this scarf ...

It's the first of my man-presents.



Rows of triple crochet crocheted on a 4.5mm hook, the pale grey yarn is just called "Ecological Wool" from Uppingham Yarns and the lime and dark grey are Drops Alpaca from Scandinavian Knitting Designs, both used double. And yes, the lime does look yellow in the photo. I've been having so much trouble getting colours to display correctly, in fact both my camera and I are having a complete colour crisis. I don't know what's the matter with my camera but my problem is I that I don't have the right wool......

These colours are slightly more accurate

But the palish greeny colour has gone now.

It is subtle but not invisible for goodness sake. Perhaps it's the hairy nature of the Alpaca thats making it difficult to photo.

This is the first of a pair of fingerless gloves - "Little Gem Mitts" from Interweave Knits Holiday 2007. I've used the Drops Alpaca again for the main fawn colour and oddments of sock yarn for the rest on 3mm needles. I think the two gloves will need less than 50gms. I'd forgotten how fiddley colour work is and when the last stitch is cast off there are so many ends left to sew in before its finished.

I've finished two pairs of socks as well but I'm not happy with their photos so I'll try again in the morning....honestly, photography and general messing with the pc has taken *hours* this week