Good bye, year 2007!

A few hours left and gone it is! For me it was a peaceful year with plenty of knitting. What more to want, right!? Here's a mosaic of my favorite works in 2007:

And here is my last work this year, wishing You all the very best new year! Happy knitting!

Latvian mittens

mittens3
Originally uploaded by Muhv

First Christmas present given over! Isn't it a nice time, making and giving gifts. This year I have managed to avoid the christmas panic and really enjoyed planning what to make as a selfmade gift to everybody and knitting them. Well some are still to be finished, but still - I love the feeling when you put your best wishes and thoughts into and later giving them over the joy you get back from the eyes of the gift recievers, it's worth every stitch knit :)

I like having an idea or a point in every knitpiece. These mittens are special, cause the pattern reminds our Estonian national flower rukkilill (cornflower). Therewhy I chose this blue color and added our Kihnu vits (braid) in the cuffs to make those Latvian mittens more like Estonian ones. My friend was very happy and so am I.

Pattern: Vidzeme no.81 from Latvian Mittens by L. Upitis
Yarn: Shoeller Stahl Fortissima Socka 75% virgin wool, 25% polyacrylic - black and Titan Wool Winner 100% merinowool - blue
Needles: no 2.00mm
Notes: worked over 64 stitches.

Eesti keeles loe siit.

A little gift for my younger son.

pillow1
Originally uploaded by Muhv

Beside needles and hooks I own a sewing machine too. In the past I loved to sew and did it almost as much as I knitted. But it seems that me getting older is also me getting more lazy- although the machine is on the sewing table all the time, it's only job seems to be to get coverd with dust.
Every now or then I still have to use it and now was the time. In the day-care center wher my son goes they decided that children should get fun pillows as pre-christmas gifts. I made one with a car for my boy, since he is a big fan of cars (what boy isn't, right). The car is applicated by hand, the tires are crocheted and the pillowcase itself sewn by machine. It was a fun to make it, even though I had to do it at night, so that little A. wouldn't catch me. It had to be a secret!

Lace Gloves

gloves_lace52
Originally uploaded by Muhv

That happens when one has two blogs, I just forgot to post here my new lace gloves. Well, it's a real pleasure to make Christmas gifts for friends and family, but I needed something for myself too.
These are my lace gloves to go with my Gretel beret. The lace pattern is from Anna Extra Strickmustern magazine. It doesn't show well on the photos with the dark yarn I used, but they look really nice on. This is only the third time I knitted gloves, but this time the fingers came out really nice and the gloves are very comfortable to wear. Not a single hole at the beg of the fingers to sew afterwards! I'm so proud of myself :) The thumb is made with gusset and that made me wonder if it's anyhow possible/appropriate to make traditional Estonian/Latvian mittens with gussets too. It would make them so much more comfortable. Afterall, the Selbu mittens are with gussets...

Pattern: lace pattern no.63 from Anna Extra Stricmustern
Yarn G-B Wolle Jil dark grey 100% wool 50g/125m
Needles: no.2,5 bamboo dpns
Notes: made over 40 stitches

Eesti keeles loe siit