One mitten down, one to go!

Yes, that's right: I've finished the first mitten that my grandfather is going to get for Christmas! It turned out quite nice, even though it's a bit wonky-looking as I haven't blocked it yet. I think I mentioned that I want to block both mittens at the same time, so they turn out similar.

The second mitten will also probably look a bit better, as I now know about yarn dominance (as I told you before, the yarn held furthest to the left is the one that will be most prominent). But I think the two mittens will look like a pair anyway.

I've also knitted a bit on the green bolero, and I'm now down to the point where I'll put the arms on waste yarn (well, I use the cables from my KnitPicks cable needles, but you get the drift), and I'm really excited to see if it fits better this time! I'm sort of putting this project on hold for a bit though, to make sure that I finish the mittens before Christmas.

I'm thinking of starting a sock when I've finished the mittens. I think I'll pick a pattern from my Sock Innovation book, by Cookie A. I love her sock patterns, and I've got a lot of sock yarns to use up too. I'm guessing that next year will be the year of shawls and socks! I think I'll start with my Jitterbug yarn from Colinette, I love the hysterical colours!

I've spent a LOT of time on Ravelry the past days, favouriting a LOT of shawls! I think the hard part of knitting 10 shawls in 2010 will actually be to decide which shawls to knit! I think I'll try to make mostly free patterns, as there are a lot of beautiful free ones out there, but I might cave in and buy some later in the year as well. I'll also try to knit mostly from my stash, and I know that right now I have the yarn to make 6 shawls allready. I had planned to use the Drops Delight yarn for shawls as well, but Anna told me that it is very unevenly spun, so that might be visible in a delicate shawl pattern. I think I'll probably make some gloves for myself out of that yarn instead. I could really need some fingerless gloves right about now, as it is very cold here today. It's snowing outside, and it's a bit cold to just sit still and knit. I'm always cold about my hands, so fingerless gloves, or gloves with half fingers, will be perfect for me to wear when I knit!

And today is the third of Advent, as well as Lucia day here in Sweden. On Lucia day we celebrate with a sort of singing festivity: A Lucia procession. A woman dressed in white with a crown of burning candles goes first, followed by any number of other singing, white-dressed girls (and sometimes boys) carrying candles in their hands. They sing Christmas and Lucia songs. It's a fiest of lights, designed to light up the darkness outside. I used to sing in one of the University Choirs here in Linköping, and we always did a lot of Lucia performances. I even got to be Lucia one time, and it is so much fun. Very traditional and solemn. This is a photo I got off the swedish Wikipedia of a traditional Lusia procession.

Now Hobbe has calmed down after running wildly through the apartment for some time, so I think I'll light some candles while he sleep. After all, it is the third of Advent!

/ Jenny