Shawlitis is back

70% wool, 30% silk fingering single ply from Gomitoli.com

Ambidexterous

Not very clear, is it?
Pardon me for being a lousy photographer.

I could not help it: once Knit One Knit All was in my hands I had to cast-on something, in specific the Ambidexterous Mittens. These are basically a strip of garter stitch with minimal shaping along the two ends and with a short-rowed section in the middle that turns almost maracolously into a mitten once folded and sewn, and a mitten that can be worn two ways! I am using a ball of single-ply wool-acrilyc blend fron Campolmi that my friend pm10 gifted me years ago (bless large stashes: I was already planning where I could buy the fitting yarn when this single hank fell into my hands) wich promises to blossom a little once washed. I had to tinker around with the pattern due to my extrathin hands: I opted to decrease one stitch each side soon after the thumb trick placement, which also meant that I slightly modified the short-row pattern. I am loving it anyhow!

Oops, I did it again

Sometimes you get a yarn and plan to just swatch and see how it works and in just one second a pattern emerges.

These are my new Fontana Mitts, called after the Fontana Sisters, the famous Italian coutouriers if the mid XX century and famous for their wedding gowns. Sunday night I was watching the TV movie that RAI produced on the (largely made-up) story of the three Fontana sisters and at the same time I was toying with the BTWC yarn I got for testing and almost of its own volition the two-ply (Oropa) started turning into this, and the accompanying pattern. I am now working for the second mitten and at the same time editing the small size version (The ine I am knitting). Next I will have to size them up (keeping track of everything) for M and L sizes, find testers... Geee!

Startitis, reprise

In the very end, Shag wins.

Startitis is bad

So, I have three vests on the needles (one almost completed, one stopped for lack of a yarn ball, one stopped fullstop), a pair of socks, two shawls, and likely a few other items scattered around, and yet on Sunday I got a very bad case of startitis. I spent the whole morning walking aroud the room, getting out my stash and sorting through it to find some yarn that inspired me, putting it back and repeat a few times. Ended upselecting the SWTC Karaoke (colors are better seen here) that I received with a swap ages ago (from Lucia).
I started swatching and toying around with it until I decided on an entrelac study, which turned out to be somewhat similar to this Not Enterely Entrelac scarf pattern but I just learned it this morning. Frogged because I was bored already, considered making another Shag, decided it was too boring once again and frogged, consiered making something in intarsia, but I will probably decide it's too boring yet once again... Shesh! I hate startitis!