Chevalier Mitts

Pattern: Chevalier Mittens
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey, in limited edition red maple colorway, held double stranded (one skein).
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm

Comments and pattern modifications: Once cast on, I knit these pretty much entirely from the chart - I did shorten the cuff section by a little bit, and I made the cables mirror each other on the left and right mitts. While the cabling (without a cable needle) using yarn held doubled was a little bit troublesome at times, these mittens were a pleasure to knit - and they came out really nicely too :) The subtle variegation in a semi-solid handdyed yarn really suits the mittens, I think. If I was to make any further modifications on these, I would change the final decreases for the tips of the mittens - The decreases, stacked as they are, resulted in a little bit of gapping between the stitches. I'm really happy with how these turned out - and I love how bright and colorful they are!

Flamin' Firestarters

Pattern: The Firstarter by Yarnissima
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey in Limited Edition Red Maple Colorway.
Size: US Womens 9
Amount of yarn used: 80 grams / 2.8 oz
Needles: US0

Comments: Toe-up twisted cables with a unique gusset - once I got the gauge right, the knitting went by without too much trouble. I'm especially pleased with the bounce and stretch of these socks - I think these are the first socks I've knit with such a tight gauge, and I 'm very pleased with the results. The twisted stitch cables are lovely, and just enough to make for elegant accents on the socks - and even better, they were easy enough to execute without resulting in a flare up of my tendinitis. My complements to the designer, Marjan, for her fantastically detailed pattern write up - she kindly includes detailed instructions on how to complete a provisional cast on as well as instructions for those who have not knit traveling stitches previously.

I should mention that while I did magic loop the pair of socks on one long needle, the pattern does call for transferring or moving stitches around to complete the cabled sections. If you make a habit of knitting your socks on magic loop in a pair, you should make note and plan accordingly...I've taken to keeping a couple of paper clips in my knitting notions bag as stitch holders for just such occasions.

Guinevere - the Secret of the Stole

Pattern: Secret of the Stole I by Nautical Knitter
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey, in CoffeePot Rock Colorway. Approx 2.5 skeins used (10 oz)
Needles: US6
Miscellanea: Iridescent and Luster glass beads in complementary colors. Only one small bit of the "middle" section was actually knit due to concerns over the finished length of the stole.

Finished Dimensions: 100 inches by 26 inches - yow!

Comments: This stole was (I think) my first ever "mystery" type project - and the knitting was enjoyable. The finished stole is quite lovely, though had I estimated my yarn usage better I would have blended in the 3rd skein of yarn in over the entire length of the stole - it is the same colorway, and dyed the same day too - this is the nature of handdyes though. Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I can't seem to get a good shot of the stole - it's very long, and I seem to be lacking in drape-worthy surfaces. Every time I laid it out on the floor for photographing, I wound up chasing the cats away. If I had it to do all over again, I probably would have opted to forego any knitting in the middle section at all to shorten it up another several inches and I might have gone with one of my more solid colored yarns. While the coffeepot rock colors are fairly muted and don't obscure the pattern too much, a solid (or only slightly variegated) yarn would have displayed the motifs even better.

If you are interested in knitting the stole, I do recommend joining the yahoo group to read up on the inspiration and background for this stole.

A much more gorgeous photo by the Nautical Knitter: