Monday, April 27, 2009

Over already?

I can't believe Knitting Camp is over already...so sad! Even though I took my camera, I didn't take a single photo - lucky there are plenty on the internets already, since her, and her, and her, and her, and her, have posted about camp with pictures and all. It was so great to knit all weekend with them, everyone else from the 'Gong, as well as her, her, her, her, and her. Oh, and Lee!

Some of you might remember that I started these at knitting camp last year - my first fair isle. I had put this project aside over the summer, but I thought it was time to finish them - a nice way to bookend this project and the last 12 months (well, 10, since camp was in June last year).

So I've been knitting away on the second mitt this past week, to get it almost done by the weekend. And I didn't quite get it finished at camp (in order to cast off with a flourish!), but did on the way home in the car - phew!
Details:
Pattern: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang - described by many on Ravelry as the perfect first fair isle project - and I agree! Small, only two colours, in the round, relatively easy pattern. Fabulous!

Yarn: Rowan True Botany 4ply. About 30g of col 584 (browny purple) and 20g of col 573H (pale lime green). I love these two colours together!
Sticks: 2.25mm and 3mm KP Harmony dpns - nice choice of needles for this pattern - slippery but not too much, nice and light so they don't pull on the fabric.

Time: 28 June 2008 - 26 April 2009 (although I finished the first one a fair while ago, and only started the second one on 18 April this year!)
What I learnt: Wow - lots! I didn't do the tubular cast on for the pattern, but did do tubular cast-off - pretty fiddly, but looks quite good and is nice and stretchy. Although my finishing on the last stitch was not as good as I'd like.
Oh yeah, and fair isle! I didn't think I'd ever do colourwork knitting and look at me! I haven't mastered two handed colourwork though, but I manage ok.
What's that, you say, the mitts aren't the same?! Yes! I decided I'd try the second mitt in the reverse. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on which you like best, because I am keen to start another fair isle project at some stage. I know there is meant to be a dominant colour in fair isle, but to be honest, I'm not sure which is which, in both of these mitts. Tell me what you think!

Overall, I'm loving myself sick with these babies! But I wish there could be knitting camp every month, not just every year!

20 comments:

Bells said...

You should so be loving yourself sick. Absolutely. It is only because of these babies that I am now on the brink of making my own.

I love the fit, the colours, the yarn, everything. I think I like the one where the darker colour is the dominant colour, but it's a fine line. Tomorrow I could think differently!

Anonymous said...

I am SO jealous of you guys and your knitting camp that I can bearly stand it! :P

The mitts look fantastic. Good for you! I like both colourways. In terms of dominant yarn, it's normally the yarn that sits below the other one at the back - if you were knitting two-handed it would normally be the one you held in your left hand. Hard to tell from the pictures which one it is though.

amy said...

I like the one with the darker squares better. But they're both pretty.

Donna said...

I'm loving them sick. In fact, I'm queueing them. Maybe I'll knit them at camp next year! :)

Alwen said...

I love it that they are not the same. Funny, I was just looking at that pattern on Ravelry again last night because I got some new Cascade Heritage, and I wanted to see how they looked knitted in different colors.

Sarah said...

Oh you guys and your camp - squeals of jealousy!

Lovely mitts though - I like the reversed colours idea, must do that when I finally get around to knitting these!

In your last photo I'd say green is dominant in the top one and brown in the bottom one - but the amounts in each are quite balanced I think.

Donna Lee said...

The mitts look great. I'm obsessive enough that I'd want them to match. I love the colors you chose.

kgirlknits said...

all this talk of knitting camp from you guys - my jealousy-meter is off the scale!!!!
sounds like you had a great time, sounds like everyone did :)

very impressed by the neatness of your mitts - both inside and out! I like the reverse thing that's going on, too.

TinkingBell said...

I am so super impressed (colourwork sorta scares me a bit - so I am properly awestruck!)

and my security word is spiners - what a pity Blogger can't spell!

Nellie said...

They look great RR, and make a striking pair! Cant wait for next year's knitting camp.

DrK said...

i'm loving them sick right now too! well done, and a great finish to knitting camp. i think the brown is dominant so it stands out most in both, which is why technically the ones with most green look more fair-isely (new word!) but i love the brown one cos its brown. they are gorgeous!

MadMad said...

Oh, they're so cute! And I am so jealous of your knitting camp thing. Is it a company that runs it or do you just gather a bunch of knitters and coordinate a time to go away together?

2paw said...

I like the dark dominant version too, but because you made all the ribbing dark, they match really well!!

Anonymous said...

These have been in my queue forever! But yours are divine - you have inspired me!

I really like the purple-brown background version. makes the green "pop".

You should be smug about those beauties - you're starting a trend!

Lynne said...

I think they're both lovely but prefer the dark-dominant one! Like Bells, I could change my mind tomorrow.

And - you could organise a camp [or mini-camp] between now and next April; I'm sure there are enough online knitters who'd join in! There wouldn't have to be workshiops - jsut an extended knit-n-natter...

Oh, and there's also the Guild camp in October; we online knitters could stage a takeover!

Michele said...

wow knitting camp sounds/looks like a lot of fun!

both of the endpapers are nice. i like the top one better - where the dark color dominates.

jp said...

Love the mitts resisting queueing them at the moment (and incredibly jealous of your ability to knit in a car!) Hope to see them modelled in person.

Probably Jane said...

I like the light dominant ones myself. Great job.

Very envious of knitting camp. Can I come next year?

Diana said...

I am not sure which I like best. I have these on my list to knit too. You'll love wearing them and I like that they aren't a perfect match but just different enough to make them more special.

Ruby Girl said...

Very nice mitts. It is great checking out people from the knitters retreat blogs. Especially now I can put a face to them.