High Fiber--2012 Ravellenic Games Inspire Mitts Production

We barely got the clothes washed from our trip when it was time for the Ravelympics Ravellenic Games.

(The U.S. Olympic Committee complained about the name, so Ravelry had to change it.)

I'm "competing" for Team Mitts of Steal. For those of you who don't know about this charitable organization, we make fingerless mitts for dialysis patients who suffer from cold hands (Steal Syndrome) during dialysis. There is a Mitts of Steal group on Ravelry, and we're participating in the Ravelympics Ravellenic Games as a team.

It has been a busy weekend, so I've made only limited progress. The multi-colored mitts are to show you how they look with the thumbs. They aren't part of the Ravelympics Ravellenic Games because I made them earlier. I'm using stash yarn and the pattern "Midnight Sky Mitts" by Becky Bair. I'm using worsted-weight yarn, which is equivalent to the two strands of sport-weight called for in the pattern. It's easy to adjust to make different sizes. The thumb is easy to do. You knit the thumb sts in waste yarn and take out the waste yarn later, pick up the sts and knit the thumb.

The Sparkling Gemstones quilt is finally finished. You quilters may remember that it was quilted, and then I had to go off and leave it in June. The binding is now on, and it has been washed and is in use. It has wool batting, which should make it nice and snuggly this winter.

The pattern is from Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. It was an easy pattern to sew, but next time I would save the background strips to sew on after the four-patches were assembled, to avoid the extra seam, which complicated assembly of the top. My friend Julie Thorum of Mountaintop Quilting (thorum@xmission.com, 435-647-9818) did the quilting. Great job, as usual! 

Brenda brought this great quilt top to Vintage Stitchers:

This group continues to inspire me with their creative use of colors, piecing and appliqué!

My friend Joanie is cleaning out her spinning and weaving materials and equipment. She sold me these fantastic hand cards for $5. Lucky me! I have a drum carder, but there are times when it's nice to have hand cards, and using them will always remind me of her.

It was hard to decide which grandbaby photo to include in my blog this week, and then this one of Soren became available. Too hard to resist!

We had a Skype visit with Daphne and Zachary Sunday afternoon. Both of them are developing at an astounding rate. I've forgotten how fast it goes. Zachary really knows his Daddy, and laughs and grins at him. Daphne enjoys showing him how his toys work. It's fun to see them together.

What's on my needles: New projects "Mitts of Steal."
What's on my iPad: Listening to The Political Brain by Drew Westen from Audible. I like to throw in some nonfiction from time to time. Fascinating!
What's my app of the week: London 2012 Live Extra: news and live video from the Ravelympics Olympics!
What's in my wine glass: Block Red Wine wine in a box. Surprisingly good!

Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.