Pattern #59 Hugs and Kisses Mittens - Completed

Hey everybody it is Em (yet again!)

The Xo Xo Mittens...are...DONE!!

Now that they are completed, I am able to give a full review on how I feel about these mittens.  I really enjoyed making them.  This pattern teaches a person about mock cables and doing real cables.   The last time I made these mittens, I ended up making 2 left handed mittens.  However, this time I read the entire directions and made the correct mittens.

The hardest thing I discovered was making the thumbs.  Now I am no stranger to thumb making...but I must tell you, purling a bunch of stitches causes "ladders" in your knitting.  This means that the stitches at the end of your DPNS are not as tight as the other stitches.  This usually happens when one is just starting to use DPNS.  I did it a lot when I started.  The more you get used to the tension, the better your knitting gets.  And the less you see those ladders.  I had a hard time getting rid of my ladder stitches.  I had to pull and pull and pull.  My hands hurt so badly I had to take a break from knitting.

With my other thumb, I decided to turn my work inside out.  That way, I could just knit in the round, verses purling.  As I did this, I discovered I had no ladders running along my thumbs. 

I gave Alyssa her mittens this morning.  She fell in love with them.  That made me happy!  I hope to bump into her wearing them:)

That's all for now!
Em

Pattern #59 Hugs and Kisses Mittens

Hey It's Em!

Brittany and I are ready for summer!

In this photo we are giving each other "the look."  (Em is on the left, Brittany is on the right.) Why? Because neither of us wrote for our blog due to our busy schedules! Actually, today we hung out and enjoyed the sun until a tornado watch came into effect! Then Brittany dropped me off and I started a knitting project.

One of my co-workers, Alyssa really wants XoXo Mittens!  There is something magical about all my co-workers.  They just love knitting! I can't believe it! Last year they discovered if they asked me nicely I would make them something! I ended up making a lot of mittens and other cool stuff for them! (Including a pair of Waffle Mittens for Alyssa!)  Last year I made an XoXo mitten, but because I discovered the game of Cribbage, I did not finish the other one!

 Well, this year is a whole new group of people (except for Alyssa, me and another guy, Jose, all cool pepole!).  My first day, I walk in and I see my new co-workers all ready and excited to get guess what...mittens made by me!  So, I let them pick out what they wanted and they all selected projects from 60 Quick Knits that I need to make yet! How sweet of them!

I casted on Alyssa's mittens tonight and after watching several episodes of SVU, I have half of them done!  Alyssa wanted purple but "not too dark and not too light."  I searched in 4 different yarn shops and found the perfect Galway (sorry Cascade) yarn.  I used color 166.  This photo does not do the color justice... believe me.  It's more purple than this.  The photo makes it look blue.

They are a great simple project to make.  It is easy to see where you need to put the cabled stitches (in terms of putting them in the front or the back) because we all know what an O and an X look like! These mittens have one straight cabled pattern as well as some mock cables.  It is just so cool to see these things work up!

The one downside is, if you are not used to following things written out, you might have some issues.  They write instructions for Rnds 4, 5 and 6 out for the entire round.  Then, for the subsequent rounds they just write: repeat Rnd 4.  Then you have to go back and look up what that round looks like.


That is all for now!

We will be writing more frequently now that school is out for me (and almost out for Brittany!) We are hoping to write once a week...if not more!

Many blessings,
Em & Brittany

Pattern #3 Waffle Mittens

Hey Fellow Cascade 220 60 Quick Knit Followers!

It is Em!

It has been extremely nuts in my life recently! I have had ZERO time to knit anything! Since it is Easter Season, I do not knit as much.  This is to help preserve my wrists as I need them to play the Piano and Organ during Holy Week.  However, Sunday is my birthday and I treated myself to $70.00 worth of Cascade 220 yarn, so stay tuned...because I will be knitting with my new treats soon!

As for Brittany...well I have no idea what she's doing...she's probably anxiously waiting for her 60 Quick Baby Knits Book ;)

As for now, I wanted to write about the infamous Waffle Mittens.

Why do I call them the infamous Waffle Mittens? ...WELL...it is because I have made 5 different Waffle Mittens over the course of last year! This is a good pattern, but I am sick of making Waffle Mittens. So many of my knitting friends tease me because I have made so many of them! I made Waffle Mittens for my entire Facilities Crew last year. I also made some for a friend for her birthday, and of coarse, a pair for myself.

I have made this pattern so much that I have finally memorized it.

People love this pattern, I can't explain it, but people cling to this pattern. I really liked knitting this pattern, because it was simple enough to work on with distractions; yet, difficult enough that it looked awesome to my expert knitting friends. I do not have any issues with this pattern at all, probably because I have made it so many times. The key lies in following the chart. At first, this was difficult for me because I am not used to following charts. However, it got easier the more often I worked on the mittens.

I used a few different yarns for the Waffle Mittens. My first pair was ECO Cascade Chunky in Creame. I used Cascade 220 Purple for another pair, and Frog Tree for another pair. I also used Nashua Hand Knits for another pair.

Here are the Waffle Mittens I've made so far!

This one is an in progress for a Co-Worker Jenna.  The color looks deceiving, but it is a deep purple. The yarn is Cascade 220!

This mitten was made for my good friend Lauren.  She wanted a nice durable mitten but something softer than Cascade 220.  I selected a Nashua Handknits Brown.  I saw her wear her mittens every single day of the winter season...biggest smile on my face came from her this year!!!!

This was my first pair of Waffle Mittens...I made them for myself! I used Sirdar ECO Cream Yarn for them.  I loved the pattern I made them in a single day!

This pair I made for my Co-Worker Alyssa...I used Sirdar ECO Tweeted Yarn.  I really liked making them out of this yarn because they were very colorful.  I hope she liked them!

 

And finally, the color changing Waffle Mittens.  (Please ignore my crazy looking bangs!)

These are still being made.  (They are a Belated Birthday Gift for my friend Zoe--Don't worry she knows about them!!!!) I decided to try color changes for these mittens.  I figured Zoe would be highly impressed with the color changing mittens.  It is very easy to color change the mittens.  All your knits are one color and all your purls are another color. 

If you are looking for an easy mitten project, I would suggest giving the famous Waffle Mittens a try.  Please post your Waffle Mittens... I would love to see what you did with this simple, yet exciting pattern!!!

Happy Knitting

E

April 4 Progress Update

Below is a progress update as of April 4, 2011. Our progress has slowed down a little due to our lives speeding up. Our goal is to complete five projects each by June 1. That will bring our total completed projects to 30 projects. As normal you will see an update of how many projects we have completed, started, or are still waiting to be started. If a project is still waiting it may have a name next to it. Some may not because a few of them we are going to decide on later. As in previous update posts if the project name is colored pink it is in progress by Brittany and if colored green it is in progress by Em. If the project name is colored and crossed out that means it is completed. We will also have Pattern Entries linked next to each project as we update the blog with our evaluations and input on each pattern.

As of April 4, 2011:
22/60 Projects - Completed
15/60 Projects - Works In Progess
23/60 Projects - Waiting to be Started

Pattern #1 Chain-Link Scarf (Brittany)

Pattern #2 Cable Brim Tam (Brittany)

Pattern #3 Waffle Mittens

Pattern #4 Puppy Mittens

Pattern #5 Tweed Watch Cap - Project Entry

Pattern #6 Tied Rectangle Wrap

Pattern #7 Embroidered Mittens

Pattern #8 Lion Scarf

Pattern #9 Monkey Hat (Em)

Pattern #10 Diagonal Stripes Hat

Pattern #11 Wave Scarf - Project Entry

Pattern #12 Cables & Wraps Scarf

Pattern #13 Ribbed Wristers - In Progress Project Entry

Pattern #14 Zigzag Scarf (Em)

Pattern #15 Striped Bobbled Hat (Brittany)

Pattern #16 Ribbed Bonnet (Em)

Pattern #17 Plaid Mittens

Pattern #18 Striped Graduated Scarf

Pattern #19 Twisted Toque

Pattern #20 Textured Triple-Stripe Scarf

Pattern #21 Birdcage Mittens

Pattern #22 Bobbles & Cables Cap - Project Entry

Pattern #23 Smocked Fingerless Mitts - Project Entry

Pattern #24 Mittered Scarf

Pattern #25 Ribbed Keyhole Scarf

Pattern #26 Basketweave Scarf - Project Entry

Pattern #27 Scalloped-Edge Beanie - Project Entry

Pattern #28 Reverse Stockinette Mittens

Pattern #29 Cupcake Hat (Brittany)

Pattern #30 Eyelet Scarf

Pattern #31 Garter-Ridged Hat

Pattern #32 Garter-Stitch Neck Wrap

Pattern #33 Pocket Cap

Pattern #34 Checkered Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #35 Textured Tam (Em)

Pattern #36 Leaf Scarf (Em)

Pattern #37 Mock Cable Wristers - In Progress Project Entry, Completed Project Entry

Pattern #38 Garter-Ridged Scarf

Pattern #39 Cables & Stripes Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #40 Tweed Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #41 Pocket Scarf

Pattern #42 Ribbed Pillbox - Blog Post Soon

Pattern #43 Octopus Mittens (Brittany)

Pattern #44 Tasseled Topper (Brittany)

Pattern #45 Bunny Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #46 Leaf-Lace Gauntlets (Em)

Pattern #47 Striped & Ruffled Wrap

Pattern #48 Starfish Hat - Project Entry

Pattern #49 Slip-Stitched Hat - Project Entry

Pattern #50 Ruffled Scarf (Brittany)

Pattern #51 Cabled-Cuff Mittens (Em)

Pattern #52 Cabled Scarf Hat - In Progress Project Entry

Pattern #53 Two-Color Slip-Stitched Hat - Project Entry

Pattern #54 Twisted-Rib Hat (Em)

Pattern #55 Triple-Cable Scarf

Pattern #56 Flip-Top Mittens

Pattern #57 Drop-Stitch Neck Wrap

Pattern #58 Spotted Fair Isle Mittens

Pattern #59 Hugs & Kisses Mittens

Pattern #60 Scandinavian Mittens

More information to come soon!

Pattern #11 Wave Scarf

Brittany Meets Em Scarf



It's Brittany, finally posting again!

Scarves can be so tedious. I normally become bored with them and they end up half done in the bottom of my works in progress bag. This scarf was much different than that. I enjoyed making this scarf from start to finish. The chart was pretty easy to read, but had just enough change to keep me wanting to work on it.

I started this project back in December when I found a beautiful Cascade 220 Quatro yarn at my LYS. I loved the color and thought it would be the perfect color for this scarf. I went home and started knitting. As time went by I slowed down on my progress due to other projects and lack of time. When I picked the project up again I realized I was going to run out of yarn and the scarf was not going to be long enough. To solve this problem, I headed back to my LYS to get the same color. Unfortunately, they were out of that color and I REALLY was inspired to continue working on my Wave Scarf as soon as possible. So, I settled for a different color of the Cascade 220 Quatro yarn. I was a bit nervous about it, but picked a color I thought would really complement the color I had already chose and figured I would make it half and half. I was very nervous because I didn't want to spend a lot of time on something that I would end up disliking and frogging. However, I continued working on my scarf. A couple weekends ago I ran out of the dark blue, purple, and green quatro and added on the turquoise, brown, and light blue yarn. I continued progress on this project and then set it aside.

Last Friday, I was working on it at our Friday Night Knitting Club and Em commented on how much she liked the colors together. We discussed how it kind of looked like colors I really like and colors she really likes. That led to the Wave Scarf being renamed the Brittany Meets Em Scarf. It makes sense because she really likes browns and blues and I really like cool colors like blue, purple and green. The perfect scarf to represent our personalities.



The pattern itself is nothing super complicated but I definitely encourage you to make this scarf. It is fun and each row is slightly different from the last. One error in the pattern which you can find on the errata page is you should skip row 1 of the chart every repeat. The errata page says to skip rows 1-4, but I only skipped row 1 and it worked for me.

My only caution is to keep track of where you are in the pattern when you put it away. I often forgot where I was in the pattern and would end up having to take out a few rows every time I restarted. Also notice that the M on the chart stands for Make 2. At first I kept losing stitches and I could not figure out what I was doing wrong until I realized I was only making one stitch instead of 2.

Yarn Information: Cascade 220 Quatro #1957 (Antigua) & Cascade 220 Quatro #5022 (Oceanside)

Well, as always, I hope you enjoyed my post about this pattern. Do not hesitate to comment if you have any questions about this pattern, or if there is another pattern we have not yet completed that you are looking for help with. We will do our best to answer any questions you have. We may be working on the project you need help with, but just haven't had the chance to post about it yet.

If you would like to see more pictures of this project and other projects completed by me, check out my Flickr Account.

Thanks for reading,
Brittany

March 20 Progress Update!

It has been a while since our last progress update, but we have finally gotten around to it. As normal you will see an update of how many projects we have completed, started, or are still waiting to be started. If a project is still waiting it may have a name next to it. Some may not because a few of them we are going to decide on later. As in previous update posts if the project name is colored pink it is in progress by Brittany and if colored green it is in progress by Em. If the project name is colored and crossed out that means it is completed. We will also have Pattern Entries linked next to each project as we update the blog with our evaluations and input on each pattern.

As of March 20, 2011:
20/60 Projects - Completed
16/60 Projects - Works In Progess
24/60 Projects - Waiting to be Started

Pattern #1 Chain-Link Scarf (Brittany)

Pattern #2 Cable Brim Tam (Brittany)

Pattern #3 Waffle Mittens

Pattern #4 Puppy Mittens

Pattern #5 Tweed Watch Cap - Project Entry

Pattern #6 Tied Rectangle Wrap

Pattern #7 Embroidered Mittens

Pattern #8 Lion Scarf

Pattern #9 Monkey Hat (Em)

Pattern #10 Diagonal Stripes Hat (Brittany)

Pattern #11 Wave Scarf

Pattern #12 Cables & Wraps Scarf

Pattern #13 Ribbed Wristers - In Progress Project Entry

Pattern #14 Zigzag Scarf (Em)

Pattern #15 Striped Bobbled Hat (Brittany)

Pattern #16 Ribbed Bonnet (Em)

Pattern #17 Plaid Mittens

Pattern #18 Striped Graduated Scarf

Pattern #19 Twisted Toque

Pattern #20 Textured Triple-Stripe Scarf

Pattern #21 Birdcage Mittens

Pattern #22 Bobbles & Cables Cap - Project Entry

Pattern #23 Smocked Fingerless Mitts - Project Entry

Pattern #24 Mittered Scarf

Pattern #25 Ribbed Keyhole Scarf

Pattern #26 Basketweave Scarf - Project Entry

Pattern #27 Scalloped-Edge Beanie - Project Entry

Pattern #28 Reverse Stockinette Mittens

Pattern #29 Cupcake Hat (Brittany)

Pattern #30 Eyelet Scarf

Pattern #31 Garter-Ridged Hat

Pattern #32 Garter-Stitch Neck Wrap

Pattern #33 Pocket Cap

Pattern #34 Checkered Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #35 Textured Tam (Em)

Pattern #36 Leaf Scarf (Em)

Pattern #37 Mock Cable Wristers - In Progress Project Entry, Completed Project Entry

Pattern #38 Garter-Ridged Scarf

Pattern #39 Cables & Stripes Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #40 Tweed Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #41 Pocket Scarf

Pattern #42 Ribbed Pillbox

Pattern #43 Octopus Mittens (Brittany)

Pattern #44 Tasseled Topper (Brittany)

Pattern #45 Bunny Mittens - Project Entry

Pattern #46 Leaf-Lace Gauntlets (Em)

Pattern #47 Striped & Ruffled Wrap

Pattern #48 Starfish Hat - Project Entry

Pattern #49 Slip-Stitched Hat - Project Entry

Pattern #50 Ruffled Scarf (Brittany)

Pattern #51 Cabled-Cuff Mittens (Em)

Pattern #52 Cabled Scarf Hat - In Progress Project Entry

Pattern #53 Two-Color Slip-Stitched Hat - Project Entry

Pattern #54 Twisted-Rib Hat (Em)

Pattern #55 Triple-Cable Scarf

Pattern #56 Flip-Top Mittens

Pattern #57 Drop-Stitch Neck Wrap

Pattern #58 Spotted Fair Isle Mittens

Pattern #59 Hugs & Kisses Mittens

Pattern #60 Scandinavian Mittens

More information to come soon!

Pattern #26 Basketweave Scarf

Hey all, it's Em!

It's spring break over here in Green Bay, WI. Both Brittany and I have been enjoying the nice sunshine here!!! Because it is so nice outside, our knitting has been taking a slight backseat. However, we can promise you that we will be back to knitting as soon as we are settled into this nice warm weather:) (Or it snows again...)

Here we are...enjoying the first "true" week of spring by shopping! (No we didn't get the bling-bling sunglasses...)

I just completed the Basketweave Scarf! I used Creative Focus Nashua Worsted Yarn. I love Nashua because they have such pretty colors. I love the feeling of the yarn in my hands. However, since the yarn splits, it was very hard to knit with this pattern.

I started with a size 7 needle. I was having issues knitting with this smal of a needle. In result, I bumped up to a size 9. I had a lot more luck knitting with a size nine needle. Why? I think it was because of the stitch. With this pattern, one does a lot of stitch twisting. For me, it is easier to do stitch twisting with a larger needle. My hands tend to hurt if it is too small of a needle. Since this yarn tends to split easier than other yarns, it was crucial for me to have the most comfortable yarn and needle combo I could come up with.

I discovered about 1/2 way through the pattern that I needed 2 skeins of Cascade 220 yarn to make this scarf. Nashua Creative Focus has 220 yards on a skein...but I didn't have the correct color to match up with it. Instead of hunting for another skein of this yarn, I decided to make this yarn a scarflet.

I really liked this pattern. It was simple but yet eye appealing. I would advise using Cascade 220 yarn. Cascade rarely splits which will make the knitting process easier.

I will be blocking this scarf soon! I believe that blocking the scarf will give it length and make the edges smoother.

That's all I have for now!
E