I didn’t realize that splitting up a pattern would basically necessitate retesting each portion – it’s easy to inadvertently change or overlook a detail in the process of breaking up the instructions for each clue, so the original pattern testing doesn’t guarantee accurate instructions.  No major hiccups, just a lesson learned in tracking versions of a document.

Now the second clue has been published to Ravelry FGF Group, we can post our pictures of completed clue 1:

I’m loving the shades of green in this yarn, and I’m almost regretting not saving it for socks since the yarn has a delightful, firm and springy quality that would feel marvelous on the soles. Maybe I’ll have enough left over for a pair of short socks or slippers.

My cotton gloves are soooo pretty! I find it interesting that the stripes start with a knit row, yet appear to be just a purled row. If the first row were not knit in the contrast colour, the purled bumps would have been half white/half pink. Unfortunately, purling the second row means the technique to avoid “jogs” in circular stripes (lifting the stitch from the row below and knit with the first stitch when working the second round) doesn’t work. I plan to use duplicate stitch when sewing in my tail-ends to neaten up if necessary.

The second clue focuses on the thumb gusset. The increase stitches for thumb gussets are important. It doesn’t matter if you substitute your preferred method, but you should choose an increase that can be worked in mirrored pairs if you want to create a balanced “V” shape. You should also consider whether holes in or under the increased stitches are desirable. Although Mystique has small and large eyelets, I did not plan to have holes in the thumb shaping, so I chose lifted increases. Lifted increases can be worked right-leaning or left-leaning, and they do not make holes.

Lifted increases are easy-peasy but most things knit are easier when you’ve seen someone else do it. I’m posting a video here because all of the great tutorials I normaly refer to are either a little blurry, or they demonstrate the left-leaning increase incorrectly. I only have a wee, little, basic camera so I hope this little video (my first!) is good enough to be helpful.

You may download the pattern here:Chris Abbott Ravelry Designer Page

Here are the materials I’m using for both pairs:

This is sport-weight, 100% cotton that I picked up in Tokyo. I had just received a lovely prize of stitch markers (you can see one of them in the picture) from Wendy Ganiggle and wanted yarn to coordinate with them. I’m going to make the stitch markers part of the finished FGs so they’ll be handy next time I need one (often can’t find a stitch marker when I need one). These will be totally girly-girly mitts.

This sport-weight sock yarn from Slackford Studios is one of my favourites. I really want to make me some socks from it, but while I’m finding it difficult to get anything bigger than a postage stamp knitted, I’ll stick with the FGs. See the beads? Those are optional too. I plan to use them to make the FGs row counters. These options are not added until the FGs are being finished, so the knitter may decide right at the end which way to go.

Gauge is 6 stitches and 9 rows to the inch over stocking stitch. I used a US 4, 3.5mm circular needle – mine is 40″, but I like plenty of length. Instructions will be for magic loop, which are very easy to convert to two circulars. If you prefer to work on dpns, and have questions, we can handle those easily (that’s what KALs are for).

So how does this Mystery KAL work? I’ll be posting materials needed and a few details (like gauge and needle sizes) on January 15th. Each week thereafter, I’ll post a portion of the pattern and everyone will knit that portion, not knowing what the final gloves look like until the end. The idea of KALs is that anyone unfamiliar with a knitting technique may get support from the group, and have fun sharing pictures of progress.  Oh, and the pattern will be free to members of the group for the duration of the KAL.  (Anyone in Ravelry may join – both Ravelry and the Group are free).

I plan to post pictures here each week. Although none of the techniques are especially challenging for moderately experienced knitters, I think newer knitters might like to see pictures of them (such as how to make mirrored increases for the thumb gusset).

This design will offer the knitter two choices for the glove: one uses two colours of sport-weight cotton, the other uses sport-weight sock yarn. There will be options to customize the look of the gloves in the final week. This will be fun!!

(Wot no pictures???) Here’s the pretty sunrise I saw on the morning of Christmas:

First, I panic as I wonder where I put the little black book of recipes - because I can’t remember the recipe, I only make it once a year.  Then I gather up some of the equipment and ingredients.  I can’t gather them all at once, there’s too many:

You can’t have too much rum in this recipe, so long as you don’t put too much in all at once; so I dump all the dried fruits into a mixing bowl and toss them in a couple of tablespoons of spiced rum. (Hint: if you have some dried fruit that is really dry, you could do this night before & cover with plastic wrap). The ingredients are listed at the bottom, but this is just a guide: my original recipe doesn’t have dates in it, but I didn’t have enough raisins one year, so I used what I had rather than go back to the store. I think it is important that regular raisins form the largest proportion of the mix, and that you vary the size and colour of the fruits if possible.

I gather up decorative tins – this year I bought six for a dollar each at a local supermarket. I line the tins with two layers of parchment paper (wax paper is OK too).

Next chop up the candied fruit peel. I had a box of good quality peel my Mum sent me from England. I have no idea where she gets it from, but it smells of citrus fruit. I make my own for this recipe sometimes – just boil a cup of water with 2 cups of sugar and simmer strips of orange and lemon peel (no pith) for about 20 minutes. I let them stand in the syrup until cold then drain on a rack and sprinkle with a little more sugar then keep in a jar until ready to use.

Now chop the crystalized ginger – I snap up lots of this stuff around Thanksgiving because it can be difficult to find any other time of the year. I have to have enough of this ginger for cookies and banana spice loaf year-round.

In go the halved glace cherries and the slivered almonds. The cherries are the only fruit that is an unnatural colour – bright red. Please, no green cherries in my Christmas cake!!! Stir in four tablespoons of the cake flour.

Dump the rest of the cake flour in another bowl along with the salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. Usually you would sift the dry ingredients for a cake mix together, but I just stir them around with a whisk – they get more evenly mixed that way, and this isn’t a light cake so why bother with sifting? I do go to the trouble of grating nutmeg – if you think you do not like the taste, I’d suggest that you only use freshly grated, and do not taste it! Its mean’t to be blended with other stuff, not eaten alone.

Now get yet another mixing bowl – if you’re OK with beating sugar & butter together by hand, do this step in the biggest bowl you can find. I’m too much of a wuss for that, so the butter & sugar go into the standing mixer bowl. Beat them until fluffy and the colour changes to a paler shade of brown. Next mix in half of the beaten eggs. Once those are incorporated, mix in the remaining eggs and the treacle or molasses. My mixture often looks a bit messed up at this stage – don’t worry about it as everything will look better as you stir the flour in. I turn out the butter mix to my super-sized mixing bowl, then fold in the flour mix.

Now start adding the fruit mix. Stir until the flour on the fruit cannot be seen anymore, and continue adding the fruit until it is all incorporated and there is no visible flour in the mix. Now stir in five tablespoons of spiced rum.

Couple things you should notice with the mix – it doesn’t seem like there is enough batter for the fruit. Don’t worry about it, the cake expands when baking, and this is going to be a rich, moist, spicy fruit cake.

You don’t want your cakes to dry out, so take some brown paper (grocery sacks or parcel wrapping paper works fine) and wrap two layers around each tin. I tie mine with string but I think I’ve used masking tape to secure in the past. Stand the tins on baking trays lined with two layers of paper.

Bake for one hour at 300 F, and another hour at 275 F. Poke the center of a cake with a skewer – if it comes out clean, the cakes are done. Now on the timing of this – sometimes I bake for another hour, if I bake one big cake, it could be for another 3 hours. There’s a certain “cooked cake” smell when they’re done, check with the skewer, rather than the clock to decide if its time to take them out of the oven.

Cakes should be cooled in the tins for a couple of hours, and then on a rack for 8-12 hours. I rinse the cake tins and line with Press n’ Seal while the cakes cool. Then I pop the cakes back in the tins upside-down.

Grab that skewer, and poke a bunch of holes in the cake – not close enough together to break the cake up, but make sure there’s plenty near the outside edge since that is most likely to dry out. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of rum over the bottom of each cake, maybe 6 tablespoons if you made one big cake.

I’ve never been tempted to drink rum – but the aroma of the cake and spiced rum is soo good, I’m tempted to eat some now! However I know that these babies will taste better if stored for at least a month, and will still be improving 6 months from now. So wrap up the cakes (it doesn’t have to be tight, but there should be any holes in the wrapper) and pop on the tin lids. Add another tablespoon of rum per cake after two more weeks, then flip the cakes right side up. I’ll mail four of these cakes to relatives that look forward to my cake every year, and keep two to enjoy at home.

Ingredients:

2 ½ lb raisins or 1 ½ lb raisins + 1 lb sultanas (golden raisins)

1 lb currants or 8 oz currants + 8 oz chopped dates

6 oz chopped candied peel

4 oz halved glace cherries

4 tblsp chopped ginger

6 oz slivered almonds

1 lb cake or plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp grated nutmeg

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

12 oz unsalted butter

14 oz dark brown sugar

8 lightly beaten eggs

1 tblsp treacle or dark molasses

Now where was I?  First resolution is to get TKGA Masters Handknitting level I in the mail by year end, then continue to prioritize my knitting projects (you know, rather than starting projects and never finishing any?)  Second resolution is to take more care with my health, in particular my mental well-being.  My third resolution is to put my money house in order. 

I’m pretty sure that a dose of financial planning plus sustainable changes in my spending habits will not only help me achieve my long-term goals, but will contribute to my well-being in the short-term thereby contributing towards resolution #2 (double-dipping the benefits doubles my motivation!)

So what are my long-term goals?  I’d like to have enough resources to live in the home of my choosing and to not worry unduly about basics like eating and healthcare (I’m sure I have plenty of company).  Simple enough, except that if the track record for my family is anything to go by, my retirement fund will have to last me a loooong time – I anticipate checking out at 96 years old.  So I will try to continue generating an income after I retire from my corporate career:  I want to spend more time on my love of knitting, design and travel, and I want my supplemental retirement income to be generated from self-employed income.  The tricky part with this is, I may need funds upfront to invest in my business.  I guess my savings plan will need to consist of a source of income for my daily basics plus a fund to establish my business. 

For short-term financial sensibleness I did the usual listing of income and expenses, checked my insurance policies, and looked glumly over my 401K & Roth IRA and examined my credit card statements.  This has been an expensive year with multiple deductibles to pay for (hail storm in the Spring); a substantial contribution towards repairing the road we share with neighbours; son’s college tuition; and lowered income (tenant couldn’t pay the rent, husband’s reduced hours).  We do not have a fixed income, and we certainly do not have fixed outgoings!  I created a budget of sorts, but just to check that we don’t actually have to spend more than we earn, just to cover the essentials.  I decided to stop buying anything I do not need until credit card balance is zero and there’s enough in the bank to cover the amount I’m likely to put on the credit card by the time I get the next statement.

Well, the good news is that in just six weeks of being on a spending diet, I got the credit card paid off.  Now I want to get our emergency cushion up, but I decided that from this point forward, I get a spending allowance for something I do not need right now to survive.  This month, I gave  myself $150.  I blew half that on yarn (thanks to Slackford Studios for having a sale on one of my favourite treats) and the other half went towards reorganizing the kitchen.

I’ll be back with the results of the kitchen reorg and knitting progress soon, in the meantime, can’t close out without any pics at all, took this yesterday; perfect radishes and tasty arugula from my Fall garden:

For starters, the first swatches look simple enough, a couple of inches of rib with evenly-spaced increases in the last row before moving on to garter stitch for swatch 1, and stocking (stockingette) stitch for swatch 2. However, it is quite some time since I last knit plain garter stitch, and all of a sudden, decisions as to which side of the cast on looks best with the rib, how to place my increases, and which increases are the least obtrusive anyway are almost paralysing.  I decided to just knit the first swatch, note the methods used, and knit it again using different decisions for increases etc. so I may compare. I pulled out my needles & yarn, and set to work while reading up on basic techniques in TKGA’s website, YouTube, and a couple of books……I swear I didn’t blink before I’d already knitted three inches of rib whereas the instructions stated that I should only knit two. (Sigh!) I’m not used to knitting such small rows – clearly I’m going to need to concentrate on this a little more carefully.

With my poor concentration ability in mind, I used an aid to help me make sure I spaced my decreases evenly, that each decrease would land on same stitch (i.e. all purl or all knit), and I wouldn’t knit straight past the next decrease:

I had not repositioned the last stitch marker when I took this picture, and its easy to see that its in the wrong place. I may use this technique for larger projects because sometimes I just do not trust my own math.

I had hoped the difference between a bar increase and a lifted increase would be enough to help me decide which swatch to block, but I think I’m going to have to block both and then decide – what do you think?

Uh huh, going to have to block these before I decide which to keep, aaaand will have to find a way to label them throughout so that I’ll know which is which!

My second resolution is to take more care with my health, including my mental well-being. For me, this means starting the New Year with a cleaner, more orderly house and having established a routine for spending some time in the yard. I can’t wait for Spring cleaning, sometimes I look around me and wonder how you know when you’ve crossed the line and become one of those hoarders you see on TV.

I’m starting with the kitchen. I have food stored in cupboards that are set over our central heat vents, baking trays in the dining room, and I’m pretty sure I have some canned veggies that are as old as the house (8 years is too old no matter how carefully I processed those jars). I’ve drawn up a plan and numbered the cupboards and drawers then designated what will move to each. Oh woe is me!! Now that I know I have 31 to deal with, I’m not sure I’ll get past the kitchen before Xmas Eve!

I’m happy with the results of some time spent in the yard though, lookie:

My man recycled some bricks to build a sturdy mail box holder.  Unfortunately, its not real pretty because the excess mortar won’t wash off. I’ve planted a Carolina Jasmine at the base which should cover most of the brick by this time next year.  Also, I dug up grass and added edging (with help from Son) so that we won’t have so many nooks and crannies to try to mow.  Oh, and see the pretty red coloured grasses? I believe they are Little Bluestem. I moved those from the back of my yard where wild grasses still grow – I love their colours and the way they sway in the wind and hope that they do not mind me digging them up (fortunately there’s lots more where they came from)……I’ll be back soon with blocked swatches and resolution # 3.

Knitting:

I really want to complete the masters program offered by TKGA. In fact, I’d like to submit the first of three levels before 2011. I’ll post pictures of my progress here, and since the program involves researching various knitting techniques, I’ll post links to good explanations or videos I find along the way.

Another knitting goal, but not one that I have to complete by end of year, is to focus on finishing sock designs that I have already begun. I really need to finish Stray Cat socks using Stalwart Sock Yarn. Here’s a sneek peak:

I also need to knit me a pair of Chocolate Turtle Socks, finishing up writing the pattern as I go. The prototype was a pair of socks I knitted for my son using a skein of Wollmeise a generous friend mailed it to me as a surprise, and as soon as son saw it, he commented that he should probably ask if I could knit him some good socks one day……(what’s a good mum to do?) 

Lastly, I need to rewrite WRBTR Socks – I knitted these using a stitch that I’m sure is not new, but nonetheless, I made it up on the fly. Here’s the story behind them: at Sock Summit, my hostess handed me a travelling scarf she was working on so that I would have something to knit in the world record challenge – everyone was required to use straight needles, and I didn’t have any with me. When I asked Sarah what stitch I should use, she told me “just anything you feel like knitting”……moments later Pearl McPhee is telling us that we must continue to knit without stopping to fix mistakes! So I decided I could manage a variation on a rib stitch for this travelling scarf – hence the name World Record Breaking Travelling Rib Socks. I worked this pair in sport weight yarn, and I love wearing them with boots:

I’ll come back later with my other two resolutions…..

Once indoors, I squeezed in a few rows here and there on Pamuya designed by Alexandra Weidmayer, which I thoroughly enjoyed knitting.

There are enough plain(ish) rows for mindless knitting while reading or travelling. I really like how it looks relatively modern, yet is light and lacey.  You can check out more of Alexandra’s designs here: dragansvarg

The yarn is Schaeffer Trenna, which is 50/50 merino & silk – feels so good, I can’t quite make up my mind as to whether this is a keeper or a gift for someone special….

Next time I knit up this design, I think I’m going to make them elbow length. I made this pair for Fingerless Gloves Fanatics Summer Swap on Ravelry. I’m thrilled that they look to be a good fit for the recipient.

I participated in another swap: OT FGF Insanity Housewares Medium Flat Rate Box Swap – that’s a long name for a swap! I tried knitting dishcloths and a market bag – I have a new respect for these items and will have to make some more for me:

Here’s a really versatile yarn, raffia!

Made a pretty market bag, and see what I did with the leftovers:

Its pretty late in the year, but I don’t think you can ever count on the weather in Oklahoma, so I may as well throw caution to the wind, and a few seeds on the yard. I’m sticking with a small patch as an experiment – most of these seeds are for late Fall/early Winter crops, some I may try to cover and hope that they don’t die come the first frost.

Do not, do not, waste your time wrestling with an inflexible cord and stubby-ended needles on a fiddly project.  I frogged the gloves twice and set them aside while I went on a couple of business trips.  During my travels, I spent some well won $$ that my ever-loving partner gave me on a set of Hiya Hiya interchangeable needles.  Of course as soon as I got home, I cast on for Hot August Nights again with my fine new needles:

Once I got over how pretty the yarn is (bought in Shanghai, I can only tell you its 80% merino and was very inexpensive), I had to take pics and come here to share my appreciation of these needles. 

I bought the small needle sizes in the 5″ needle point length. For about $75 I got seven pairs of needles, a selection of cords, and a very pretty case that holds all these with room for more and an extra zippered pocket.  If you find yourself always using the same length cords, you can build a collection of fixed needles for less money.  However, I like having the case to organize everything, and really like being able to keep spare stitches (ie: for thumbs) on a spare cord.  I thoroughly dislike trying to transfer stitches from waste yarn and so interchangeables are the way to go for me.

These needles are made of stainless steel – the colour is light so dark yarns are a little easier to see, and the material is very lightweight.  The joins are smooth; my stitches only gripped and stuck a little on the first dozen or so rows, so I think that there may be something on the surface for shipping that soon went away.  Points are pointy!  Long tapered points that picked up my skinny yarn with ease.  Best part is this – no need to find a tool to tighten the needles onto the cords.  (This is important or me because I lose little things).  I thought that the joints would loosen up over time, but they do not.  I’m sure this is because the cords swivel in the joint, so the needle does not get twisted over and over as you knit.  This also causes the pliable cords to behave nicely when using magic loop.   The only thing I’m missing, is caps to put on the cords to prevent stitches falling off if I’m holding them for later.  Nonetheless, I’m a fan – I will be checking out Hiya Hiya products next time I’m shopping for knitting tools. 

I’ll come back and show off my pretty FGs once I get one finished and blocked…..