Aren't I just so clever? Right about now you might be thinking that I chose this mitten pattern strictly for the purpose of giving my blog post that clever title. My brother and I used to be obsessed with small businesses that would choose cutified names just because they could--almost as if the name of the store came before the business idea itself. In Minneapolis we had Curl Up and Dye (hair salon), That's a Wrap (pita pockets), Sox Appeal! (socks, which do they really even merit a free standing store, anyway?) It's Greek to Me (spanakopita et. al.) as well as my brother's favorite, some bootleg operation that just sold refrigerator magnets or some such nonsense at the Mall of America [Brucie, help me out here], the name has been erased from my memory--THANKFULLY.
Luckily these mitts--the Merion mitts--are about as far away from a bootleg operation as one could imagine. The pattern is a winner down to every smallest detail. I had been wanting make these in forever and cast on for them last week, thinking that I would give them away next month to a friend. I worked on them and then realized that one of my favorite colleagues/friends ever was having a birthday this week. As she's a smoker--mais oui!--I'd always wanted to make her a pair of fingerless gloves for campus puffing purposes. Hey it's cold out by that dumpster! Right when I was about to wig and lose my knitting cool, I realized that I was at the perfect place to McGuyver this project and voilà, the fingerless iteration of the Merions were born...
Specs:
Pattern: Merion Mitts by Pepperknit!
Yarn: Misti Alpaca, 1.5 skeins, 'fiesta mélange'
Needles: Size 5, l'anneau magique (heh heh), Hiya Hiya
Mods: Obvs. the fingerless part. I worked the pattern chart 1.25 times as then just made a twisted rib cuff. In order to compensate for the seed stitch palm not having the same height as the cabled back, I just purled back after a row of ribbing and that took care of that.
This pattern is pleasurable because you get to do just enough seed stitch that you don't lose your mind à la most Debbie Bliss patterns. The twisted rib pops brilliantly and the bobbles, for me, were something new. I can now check 'bobbles' off my list of never-attempted knitting manoeuvers. Now that just leaves steeking and intarsia...
Next up for me? Well I am sewing the buttons on a true gem of a sweater at the moment and am about to cast on for a hoodie in some Rowan Cocoon that, well, has my name written all over it. What's in a name? Can you guess?
25 comments:
Oh those are so gorgeous! They look totally fab in that color, and as mitts!
I've never done bobbles. Or steeking. Or intarsia!
So you're going to make the Heather Hoodie Vest from Knitscene? Tres chic!
I 'sherwood' like to knit a pair of those myself. Lovely.
Omigod! I know exactly what shop at the MOA you're talking about, but I don't remember the name either. I don't think it's been there for years and years...but they only sold magnets, so that's not really a shocker. LOL
I love the color of those mitts, btw. Perfect pop of color for those dreary winter days! :)
Very cute! You're really on a roll with all the finished knitting projects lately.
Sox Appeal truly was awful. I don't there there was an ounce of wool content in that place -- miles and miles of nylon, poly, and cotton.
Curl up and Dye! omg, I laughed at that - it's how I felt last time I left the hair salon!:) I love the mitts - nice modifications!
Brilliant!!
Fantastic mod work there! And the color is fantastic. Your smokin' friend is gonna love you!
Those are really cute, if you keep posting all these FO's you might just have to change your blog name, lol.
My favorite -- a local tanning salon named ... TanFastic! :) tanfastic ... just cracks me up every time.
Beautiful mitts -- love the color and the seed stitch palms.
Father Christmas, Curl Up and Die?!!! I LOVE it!
Oooh, these are beautiful. I spied them over at Ravelry and made a beeline for the post.
Curl Up and Dye! Hysterical!
Nice mitts, congrats on the bobbles!
Those are perfectly lovely. I'm sure your friend will love them.
Jesse and I have a dream of opening a pita shop called "Need A Pita? Eat A Pita!" just because it sounds like "Nita Pita Ita Pita" when you say it fast.
Misti Alpaca is the perfect yarn for mitts. Incredibly warm and super soft. Love it!
I've always wanted a Chinese restaurant called "A Wok to Remember."
Ba-dum!
Magnetic Attractions!!
That was the fridge magnet-only store at the Mall of America back in the day. Now there's a magnet store called Magnet Max!! Not sure if it's an entirely new store or if Magnetic Attractions just renamed itself in the Power Branding 90's!
Very nice, and I love the color! Makes me want to plunder the forest, steal from the rich, and give to the poor.
That is the most fabulous color and fabulous mitts!
Pretty!!! And I happen to have some Misti Alpacca... hmmmm. Makes me want to curl up and dye... snork. I love corny blog titles, corny store names... the cornier the better!
Seen in the UK "Acer Spades"
A gardening outfit
Love the mitts too!
"I 'sherwood' like to knit a pair of those myself. " haha, that one cracked me up!
And there you go, carrying on with your enabling (though this time enabling a smoker, big tobacco thanks you, hehe)
The yarn I ordered for my VLTDC arrived the other day, I've been too swamped with soccer, my Baktus, and impromptu hat designing to cast on yet, but hopefully soon! (Hoping this latest asthma ordeal blows over quickly...)
happy knitting-
ali
haha love those mitts! some how i keep thinking of Men In Tights when I think of Robin hood... and what's in a name? Juliet???
you are finishing things left and right! maybe I need this three project rule! I can't wait to see your hoodie!
I love places with "funny" names like that. I'm the nerd that cracks up. up the street there's a tanning place called darker dimensions. I don't know why that one gets to me every time we drive by.
There's a dog grooming place in Liverpool called "Woof Cuts" - which for some reason I find really difficult to say.
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