Mail Call!

This has been a busy week for my postal lady. She's been highly amused and impressed, too. I got a package from RUSSIA! I think she'll be talking about this for a while to come.

Russian cobwebs laceweight, in ORANGE! And bars of chocolate from the Red October chocolate factory. Sweet! (So THAT'S what they were hunting for! snork)

Thank you, Kristen. I can't wait to find the right pattern and cast on. There is something about that color that makes my brain so HAPPY. Actually, in doing research, (and from what Kristen told me) this IS lighter than laceweight -- it's, I guess, gossamer weight. It's the same weight they use for Orenburg shawls. Perhaps, as Kristen suggests, I'll use it doubled so I'll have some chance of finishing it in my lifetime.

And then I got my small Maple Leaf quilt piece from Dave. It is beautiful.

I'm going to have this matted and framed and it'll go on my wall. I'm enchanted by the maple leaf. I have a collection of antique botanical prints on my walls, and this carries along the botanical theme.

I want to give a big shout out to Isela for directing me to her yarn shop, and to the shop Yarn Today, for such terrific personal and fast service. I received my five balls of Furz for Abigail's replacement hat (and extra for future requests) almost before I placed the order. I also got a personal email saying the package had been put in the mail the very same day I ordered it. They included a tub of vanilla-scented hand cream (I keep it here by the computer, and I just put some on. It is lovely!) and strawberries-and-cream lip balm. Wonderful.

Uh-ohhhhh! What is this?  Do your eyes deceive you... 

.....or is that an orange CHIBI?

No, your eyes do not deceive. Thank you to Julia for alerting me to these new doodly-bobs! I ordered them at the shop where she works* and received them, FAST -- ALSO with a lovely personalized email to say they were on the way. I dunno, if I can think of an idea for a contest, maybe one of them will be given away here in the blog.

*alas, no website, but I can attest that they have great mail order service.  YARNS UNLIMITED, 412-741-8894

Is there a new, fresh scent in the air? A new trend in really great, personalized service at yarn shops?  Let's hope other shops get the message and start acting like these shops. This one knows how to do it. And this one. I'm sure there are lots of others. I also know there are lots of The Other Kind, too - the kind that would get "Needs Improvement" on their report cards.

----------------------

And we have mittens! Oh, ye of little faith, I beseech ye: Ye must lay down your pride and believe in the Church of Felt! Behold the power.... and the glory.... forever and ever..... Amen!

Now, if you look really, really closely and take out your measuring tape and your microscope, you will notice that the right mitten is about 1/4 inch longer than the left. And you will also notice, if you are really, really anal-retentive picky a perfectionist, that the right mitten has been felted longer than the left, giving a.....yes, wait for it....more felted appearance, with a teensy-weensy bit less remaining stitch definition to the fabric than the left. But I don't expect to be subjecting these to that kind of scrutiny on a daily basis. So they're good enough for me. And warm? And thick? And cushy? And comfy? And nicely fitted? Oh, yeahhhhhhh.

Pattern: Snow Country Felt Mittens by Fiber Trends

Yarn:  One strand Manos, One strand Magallanes

At the time of the photo, they were not yet 100% dry. When they fully dry, I will attempt sewing on the leather palms. I was unhappy with my sewing-on-leather-palm ability on Abigail's mittens last winter. I hope I can do a better job this time.

By the way, I did not determine exactly what happened and why the second one ended up so much smaller than the first. I checked the needles -- they were the same. I don't think I forgot any rows (or inadvertently added any in the first mitten), but I did not count them. I was too lazy. I personally think it was that my tension got much tighter. I am a tight knitter, and the faster I get going, the tighter I often get. I think that's what happened -- or it could also have been a function of the thick-and-thin aspect of the Magallanes yarn.  It really does vary a lot, and it might be that it was mostly THIN for the second mitten. Or it could have been The FLIES. I'm just not sure. But felting really does cover lots of sins. It's a good church. I approve.

I also might take Tish of the comments' idea and make a fine-gauge knitted cuff to sew inside the felted cuff, to make it snug-fitting, air-proof and snow-resistant around the wrist. I think that is a wonderful idea.

One pair down and at least one more to come for the Warm Hands knitalong.

Comments

[Cassie]

Must. get. orange. chibi.

Whoops, did you say something about yarn? Knitting? I'm distracted.

[Carole]

Those mittens are awesome! And so totally, completely NORma! Love, Love, Love 'em. Wait until Sandy sees them, she's going to try and steal them.
You can add Halcyon to your list of shops with great service. I ordered from them on Monday, got an email requesting clarification on something Tuesday morning, and another email Tuesday afternoon telling me all my stuff is on the way. Romney, Coopworth, hand carders. Woo hoo!

[Wendy]

This blog entry brought to you by the color orange. ;-)

Your felted mittens are wonderful!

[Teresa C]

Must be the evil sock/mitten gauge gremlin. Nice to know I am not alone in my affliction.

[Cara]

So the needles in the Orange Chibi - are they the smaller ones, you know, for sock knitting? There was a rumor awhile back that they were going to come out with smaller needles.

The mittens are FABU of felting goddess you!

[Kim]

Oh! Oh! Oh!! Love it all---the quilt square, the laceweight, the mittens.....

Great idea, the fine gauge cuff. I'm gonna go write that down.

[margene]

I am converted to your church of felt and you are the one and only goddess. How'd ya do that?
Orange Orenburg's? OMG! What will Cassie and Claudia and Susan think?

[Rachel H]

Damn. Now I wanna make felted mittens. VERY cool stuff from Russia! One of my coworkers is going there in a few weeks. Maybe I should ask her to bring me home some yarn...

[Kate]

I love that felted mitten pattern, it was the first thing I knit that I could actually wear now I've made too many to count. AND they are warm enough to pass the hockey game test.

[Kathy]

It's orange Wednesday at Norma's. Great Chibi. Mittens turned out great -- like autumn in your hands!

[Susan]

So does this mean that green Chibis are now endangered and there will be a huge stampede of people putting them up on eBay?

[k]

Hey! Add Simply Socks to your list.
http://www.simplysockyarn.com/StoreFront.bok
She's great. Seriously.
I'm doing a baby blanket in apricot. I think it's in anticipation of winter.
Can I have the bear wrapper? If I send you a stamp?
Love your mittens. I was thinking they'd be fine once felted. Maybe I will succumb to a "brown" phase.

[naomi]

As long as no one gives their yarn store a "needs improved" report card, I'm happy. (That was one of the options on report cards when I lived in West Virginia.)

The mittens look great.

[Jan]

ORANGE chibis! How'd I miss those? The mittens look great. I've been hesitant to felt anything that's *a pair*. (How's the fly situation?)

[Isela]

MUST have orange Chibi, since I miss all the pink ones......must have, must have :).

I like the idea of the cuff for the mittens. In one of my many books, they have a pair of mittens with the cuff attached to the inside of the mitten around the wrist.

[Lee Ann]

I so need to make felted mittens. My hands froze with normal mittens last year, and so did the little person's hands. Got to find a good source of Fiber Trends patterns who will ship to Canada...there's a helmet felted hat that begs to be girlified with flowers or something (or, heaven help me, felted butterflies...)

And Carole got handcarders quickly at Halcyon...okidoki, that's the next place to order :-)

[Vicki]

The mittens are wonderful, Norma! Love the color. Can we see them being worn at some point? Are they pretty flexible?

[Carrie]

I love the mittens! Maybe I'll try some kiddie-sized ones for my niece. Now to find some DoraTheExplorer Pink.
The nearest LYS to me gets a "Needs SERIOUS Improvement". I think all those women who work or hang out there are related to that crabby woman on those greeting cards. NO. HELP. EVER. How can I support my LYS if that vein in my forehead pulses at the very idea of going there?
Um, I'm confused - what's the big deal about the orange Chibi?

[Steph VW]

Bless you sister Norma, *sobbing* I too believe in the church of felt... Hallelujah! Amen.

(oh dear... my reverend FIL would be mortified at my behaviour... he's only recently recovered from me using the word "pimp" in conversation.)

[Kathy]

I keep coming back and drooling over that quilt square. Stunning. Inspiration to pull out my own scraps and make something new, along with wishing I could hang out with Dave and soak up some of that creativity.

[gale (she shoots sheep shots)]

Can't stop thinking how great those mittens are. Add one more to my MUST do soon list..thanks! (I think) Enjoy 'em!

[Libby]

Ohmigod. I LOVE those mittens. And I'm getting my Magelshfsdoghal yarn TODAY! It's TODAY!!! WOO!!

Ok. Sorry, I'll go now before I start scaring people. If I haven't already :0

[alison]

Damn you, Norma! I just knew it had to be you who purchased Dave's Maple Leaf quilt! You're always one step ahead of me.....and leading me into temptation!!

[Beth S.]

I knew you could do it. :-)

[Laurie]

I'm thrilled the mittens worked out! And we of little faith. And thanks for the links...worth their weight in retail gold.

[freecia]

Ooooooh Orange..... Thanks for leaving their phone number. Like a knitter needs any more enabling.

[Diane E.]

Hi, love your site. I recognised the white Furx and was wondering what you might be doing with it? I have some leftover from a shrug I knit for my sister's wedding. Kit on!