Tag Archives: Noro Silk Garden

Coming Back to Life …?

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Sunday, November 2, 2025

I am finally starting to feel more like myself after a couple of weeks in New York grand-parenting and coming home with something germ-y. I finally went to the urgent care last week and got some antibiotics and that has helped. So has laying (relatively) low. I almost feel like I have some energy today. Almost. The sunshine may be helping a bit, too.

While I’ve been laying low, I’ve been on a finishing spree! I’m so happy to have several projects that have been on my needles in some form or another OFF the needles! The first one being the fingerless mitts for my daughter. She asked for a new pair a year ago, she chose her colors and the pattern and I started knitting. BUT I thought they’d be too big for her and was concerned so I waited to have her try them on when we were together … and then I forgot to have her try them on … twice, several months apart. So, I am finally finished knitting them and they are, as of this morning, dry after their bath and block. I am really happy with them and despite them being black and blue, they are quite stunning. I hope she’ll love them. I always hesitate to mail stuff to New York City because they do tend to get lost but I’ll ask her what she wants me to do. I’ll happily mail them to her or bring them to Thanksgiving.

Rain Shadow Mitts by Daniel Herrera is the pattern. I knitted these in Brown Sheep’s Nature Spun Fingering in Pepper and Cobalt colorways. I always like the palm patterns more than the main one and this pair didn’t change that sentiment. BUT I am really happy with these mitts and hope I never have to knit another pair. They’ll be warm for my girl this fall and winter, though, and for that I am grateful.

I also finished a hat for the store and a pair of convertible mittens for a donation. The hat is a pattern that you can’t get any longer from Ravelry. Luckily, I had the pattern and in a couple of days whipped up a hat for the store. One thing we really need is some new samples because the old ones get tired. Anyway, this is a bucket hat knit in two balls, one each of Noro Kureyon and Noro Silk Garden worsted-weight yarns. I chose a blue-ish colorway in the Kureyon and a neutral colorway in the Silk Garden and it’s come together very well. I’m tempted to try another hat in two bright colors … but my knitting list is growing in advance of the holidays so I have to put that off to the side. We’ll see how I feel when I get to the end of my list. (If it ever happens!)

I also knitted a pair of convertible mittens, String of Jewels Mitts, in Malabrigo Rios in the Pisces colorway. I was given this ball of yarn and needed to send a pair of mittens and pajamas to a non-profit that my Friday morning knitting group is supporting this fall. The organization, The Kinship Program, is part of the Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine. They support children who are taken out of their homes “in the dark of night” (my words) without anything of their own in many instances. We are sending them hats, pajamas, mittens and books to give to these kids. This pair of mittens will go to a teenager because they’re rather “adult” sized but I think the bigger kids are often ignored in favor of babies and smaller kids.

The third project, a mess of knitted fabric in the photo, is intentional because it’s my granddaughter’s 2025 Christmas sweater. I am designing a “simpler” design this year with stashed yarn because I am trying to knit down the stash and I bought this yarn to make her a sweater. The theme is loosely based on the Disney movie Frozen. The yarn is Cascade 128 Superwash wool, and I’ve used two hanks for this sweater. That means I have one more to make a hat … if time allows. I’ve seen a pattern for a hood-type hat with fun fur around the face and that’s what I’d like to make for her for the winter. New York City can feel really cold in the morning on the way to school! Sorry, you’ll have to wait for the photos of the finished project until after it’s delivered.

I cast on a new project yesterday, too. A pair of socks for my hubby for Christmas. He’ll watch me make them “with my class” and then will get them in his stocking this year. I’m knitting with HiKoo’s Madrona fingering weight yarn and a US 2 needle. The yarn is a combination of baby Alpaca, merino, bamboo and nylon and it’s super soft. He’ll love that they’re blue, his favorite color. AND I get to use another ball of stashed yarn. I missed making a pair of socks in October so these are my November Self-imposed Sock Club socks. I need to make some new socks for our granddaughter, too and since they’re small(er), I hope I can get more than one pair knitted in November.

I have two more sweaters on the list for holiday knitting. One each for the grandkids. And I think I want to join a KAL that I just learned about this morning (the danger of social media scrolling) that is being held as a Hap and Gratitude KAL and I’d knit Gudrun Johnston’s Lang Ayre shawl. I have a stash of J&S fingering weight wool to use for this project and I just have to check to see if I have five balls of any one of them. I know I have two of a few and one of many. I may have to buy some to get rid of a few. I”ll check today after we go to the apple farm. I’m jonesing for an apple fritter or an apple cider donut … or both.

Gone knitting.

What a Week!

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Which Way is UP?

I’ve accomplished precious little knitting this week and I feel like I’m not sure which way is up. This photo was taken from our front porch on Wednesday which was my day off from work but was eaten up with lake association business. Being the president this year is a big job and the busy season is kicking up and we are vacating our office space, too. Lots happening, for sure. And my boss is away for three plus weeks and it’s spring vacation from school so two of my co-workers have also gone out of town, leaving two of us holding the fort … which we can do! It’s just a lot more hours than I’m used to.

I’ve finished the body of my “Patsy’s Traveling Sweater” and am hoping to get one of the sleeves onto some needles today. The sweater is really colorful and fun with multiple colorways of Gina yarn by Plymouth. One of my co-workers wears hers inside out … I’m going to see what mine looks like when I get the sleeves on (and before I knit the collar) to decide whether I’ll wear it on the knit side or the purl side. I may need to reknit the rolled hem on the bottom of the body if I decide to wear it “inside out”. We shall see.

I’ve finished a pair of dishcloths with a Christmas-y theme. I’ve cast on another one to take to my son in New York next week. It’ll be fun to see his face and see if he realizes the reason that I chose this one specific yarn. 🙂

Noro Striped Mitten

I’ve also finished the first part of the Noro Striped Mittens … I’ve finished the outside of both mittens, the striped part. They’re really pretty and they were fun to knit. I loved the way the designer (who reached out to me on Instagram when she saw my post) worked the thumb so that the color was seamless and matched that part of the mitten. Had I knitted in the typical mitten way, the thumb would have probably been a completely different color. But this way, the thumb looks like it belongs on the mittens. Genious!

I’ve been working on socks for my daughter at her request. I’m nearly done with the second sock and just have to go back to the first one to knit the toe. I didn’t know how long her foot was and didn’t want to make the socks too long or too short. Custom-knit socks should be perfect. I’ve got plans to make a couple more pairs for her once I know she likes them. My sock drawer is full so I have to have other victims to knit for because I love knitting socks. I think I need to make a pair for my sister, too. And maybe her husband. I think they’d like that.

We are going a Spring Sweater KAL at work starting on May 1. The caveat is that you must use a fingering weight yarn for the sweater. We posted the details on our newsletter today and had several suggestions that people can knit. We will do a kick-off on May 1st via Zoom so that our customers near and far can join us.

I bought my yarn this week. I bought some navy blue Berroco Aerial (laceweight mohair) and some Malabrigo Sock in a navy colorway. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d tell you what it is but that would mean that I had to get up from my desk and walk all the way (maybe 6 feet) over my knitting chair and look in my bag and come back over here. Sorry, not happening today. I’m writing this post and then I’m going to go sit in my chair and knit a bit before dinner.

I was in the store two extra days this week and it’s always fun to be there. This week, it was a bit different on Thursday because I decided to get a second Covid booster on Wednesday morning. I was tired and achey by Wednesday night and I went to sleep at 8:30pm and woke up at 7:00am and I still felt like I was tired. My arm was also quite sore – and I heard you should choose your dominant arm … not sure I’d do that again. Thursday I was dragging and it wasn’t busy enough to distract me. Phew! I’m glad I made it. By Friday, I was back to myself, fortunately, and I was good to go Friday and Saturday, too.

I’ve been at my desk sending lake association emails, signing DEP documents to commit to our work this season and now I’ve written my post. I hope that if anybody is reading this that you have a great week. I’ll be reminding myself to slow down and breathe and to squeak time for myself in the moments between. All the details of my current and past projects are on my Ravelry project page. I’m lindar on Ravelry.

Gone knitting.

Noro Striped Mittens by Kelly Ziegler

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Yesterday when I wrote, I said that I would likely finish the #12 Advent Jumper. I didn’t.

Instead, I picked up my needles and two balls of Noro Silk Garden (Aran/50g/109yards) and knitted the funnest mittens that I’ve knitted in a while. So, I’ve had the one ball of yarn in my stash for years. YEARS! I remember buying it at the Wags and Wool in Lubec when I traveled there with my knitting girls on the Maine Yarn Cruise and that has to be at least four or five years ago. I bought the yarn to make mittens but didn’t like the pattern at all so … onto my shelf the yarn went. And it has been very patient waiting for me to pick it up again.

I found this pattern within the last week or so and sometimes I just HAVE to cast on a new project because I’m excited about it. This is one of those projects. I bought a second ball of Silk Garden at the shop last week and cast on yesterday. Since the yarn is heavy worsted weight, they knit up pretty quickly. I’ll cast on the second mitten today and, with any luck, I’ll get it finished to and then the magic happens … they’re lined!

I had nearly a full ball of DK weight alpaca yarn in a bright pink colorway from my Northman Mittens so I bought another one just in case. I’ll knit the lining next week. I hope. It’s going to be another busy week. BUT I think these will be fun and warm mittens to wear next winter.

What’s wonderful about this pattern is the way the designer (who reached out to me on Instagram this morning!) handles the thumb. It’s brilliant, really, as the thumb is knit first so that the colorways match and the thumb doesn’t stick out like, well, a sore thumb. I’m so happy with this magical step that makes the mitten colors work!

Gone knitting.