All Thumbs!

I'm a glutton for punishment! This week I decided to tackle mini mitten Christmas ornaments....to make this little itty bitty mitten took double pointed needles, size 1, an extra cable holder for stitches that kept getting in the way, (I should have used a piece of scrap yarn to hold the stitches, I know!) and the patience of Job to work with DPNs the entire way through the pattern. Up until now, I have been using circular needles for just about everything I do, particularly the mini ornaments I've been focusing on. But this little guy was just too small for those, I couldn't go around in rounds easily.

So I used double pointed needles from the very cast on. Everybody says you have to make sure your stitches don't get twisted as you move the cast on stitches between three needles, but the cast on went so easily and did not get twisted, I  may try using these more often! And as I say that, I'll probably get all twisty with my cast on the next time I try double pointed needles from the start. It's really not as hard as it looks. You are only working with two needles at a time--the others dangle underneath and you move around counterclockwise. It was actually kind of fun using the needles! I picked up a shorter length to work with--4" long and that made a huge difference!

BUT--This project just wasn't quite as much fun as all my other "minis"--the hats and the sweaters, but it could be because I'm still working with really small sized needles...sizes 0 and 1 and there were such few stitches. I think I'll move up to size 3 for the next pair. Pair? Did I say pair? That means I've got to make another one to go on the little bitty needles before moving up another size...just to complete a pair. I don't HAVE to make another matching one, I could move on, but that's the perfectionist in me, I would like to have a pair of mini mittens...sigh!

This is one of those projects that I will look back on in my later years and say, "I can't believe I had the patience to do that!" or the eyesight! It reminds me of the time I made my mother a pieced paper lily wall quilt. I had never done pieced paper quilting. The pattern involved many many mini sections, then piecing the mini sections together to make the larger sections to make the wall hanging. I just dove in and did it, figuring one small section at a time was no big deal and very doable. The hard part was having seams match up while joining the smaller sections to the bigger ones. I had to fudge quite a bit. After I completed it, I said NEVER AGAIN! Here's a photo of it...the sad thing is, I don't know what happened to it in the various moves Mom did over the last few years, and it's disappeared...I'm just glad I have the photo to remember I did it!

I love working with sock yarn, it's so pretty and I love making small things, it goes much more quickly so I will probably still be on my minis another week or two.....got a little foldable purse I'm working on, it's knitted and then you block it to make a "snap" open purse...it looks and works like origami in principle. It will be here next week if it works out. (Update: Well, I can tell you right now, after trying and trying to figure out how to do the "folds" it's not going to work so I gave it up--too frustrating!) I want to have FUN or at least enjoy the process or learn something while creating and that was not enjoyable. On to something else!.....And next, I REALLY should tackle the WIP's (works in progress) I have in zip loc bags. Got about five of those going.....a scarf, knitted flowers, another adult sized sock, a vest for me, and more ornaments.....at least I'm off dishcloths for the moment! Bye for now......