Catching up...

Hello there...remember me?...it feels like it's been ages!

Before I say anything else, I want to thank all of you who sent me such warm wishes for health and recovery.  Your sweet thoughts worked and I am feeling better!  Now it's time for catching up!  As most of you know all too well, moms are not really supposed to get sick...especially at such a busy time of year.  Ah well...thankfully that little bump in the road is behind us and now it's time for the holiday break!  I love this time and am so looking forward to lots of good family time.  I find myself thinking of you even more than usual these past few days—as I rush about or cook or sit and stitch...I feel you out there doing the same and it's such a joy to know that I'm in such good company.  Strange this blogging thing...so lovely to feel so connected to people you've never met face to face...somehow it feels like we have...mind boggling.

Anyway, in the midst of last week's time-out I did manage to get a few things done.  Here are the spoils of my war with strep...
The pattern for  Peggotty's Ruffle Mitts.

Who is Peggotty and why does she need a pair of ruffle mitts?...to answer that question we are going to take a short trip on my knitting train of thought...

Here we go...

I need a pair of pretty but practical gloves...{I begin knitting the idea in my head}...ooh ruffles...

pretty...they look almost Victorian, in a good way...yes, a very good way...

...Victorian, hmmm...Dickens...

...David Copperfield...Peggotty...

...oh yes, I will name them for Peggotty!..
yes, Peggotty, for sure...
...these mitts are warm, soft, and they make me feel special every time I wear them, just like Peggotty.

See the meandering path my knitting brain takes!  Do you know Peggotty?... David Copperfield's kindly nursemaid, a wonderful character, full of love and generosity.

I think it's kind of fitting that I came up with the name for these while I was sick...you know, all of those bed-ridden Dickensian characters and all.

What you really need to know about these mitts...This is a simple pattern and one that really fits into the category of quicksy knitting.  Two evenings and voila—toasty, cute gloves!  I really love these gloves...in fact they are so nice that I made them twice {almost unheard of for me}.  The red pair is a year old and has been well-worn, although you can't tell that from looking at them.  I am not easy on my clothes—socks and gloves in particular—and these have really stood up to everything that I've thrown at them—love that!  The blue pair was made this week to test the pattern and to keep my daughter's hands out of my red pair.  And now I offer them to you!    
{Note:  This is a pattern that I made for my personal use and has not been to the tech editor.  If you would like to test knit this pattern, I would appreciate any feedback.}

And here you can see the other thing that I did while I was convalescing...

I actually made a garment for moi!  I felt a little guilty knitting for myself this close to the holidays, but it was my birthday after all, and I was sick, so a little self-indulgence wasn't totally out of line.

This pattern is from French Girl Knits, by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes.  I have to say that I love this sweater.  It is one of those rare garments that you forget you are wearing.  It is warm and pretty, a little girly, but not so fancy that I'm afraid to wear it—I actually think I may be making another of these , I love it that much.  I tweaked the pattern a little here and there.  After casting on and getting about 3 inches up, I decided that I didn't like the way the scallops at the bottom were laying {they curled up too much for my liking}, so I ripped and started my sweater by joining in the round immediately after the cast on and working one round of purl before going onto the lace.  I did the same thing on the sleeves.  I also altered the decreases (the way I worked them, not the number) both on the lace pattern and the yoke, but that was just a "knit-picky" knitting preference on my part.  I made this sweater in a size small, out of one skein of Cascade Ecological Wool.  I did two repeats fewer than the pattern called for, but would have had enough to finish the piece with one skein even if I had made it the full length.  One skein!...how cool is that!...I made this sweater for less than twenty dollars!...Practical and pretty...my favorite combo!  Oh, and did I mention that it was a pretty fast knit...less than a week's worth of knitting!...true love for sure!

And now on to the wedding cake {tropical themed} I have to deliver tomorrow...eeks!...I'm woefully behind on this one, so I will be in the kitchen all day and into the night.  Don't cry for me though, it's warm in my cozy kitchen and it's just starting to snow outside...I can't think of a place I'd rather be, unless it was knitting in front of the fireplace.

Wishing you the coziest of weekends!

xoxo—alison