Yarns - A Basket Filled with Fall Fibery Goodness

      These days with Christmas gifts I want to be done and a few projects I just had to do, my basket of handiwork is full.  I overdid it, indeed.  But I'm finding I'm getting things accomplished and seeing things grow, so there's hope in sight of finishing.  I feel the most peace when I work on those gifts.  Getting them done means a lot to me.

     One of my projects I laid aside last year and just picked up again is Boiled Fisherman's Mittens.  Last year I made a pair for my son living in Maine and he said they were the best he'd worn.  He works outside as a carpenter so good gloves matter and these were better than the new super ones he had bought.  So now that he's got a job as a Carpenter for a sustainable building company (his dream job) I want to perfect his mittens and get him another pair. 

     Made in a natural wool so they shrink (I use Simply Wool Bulky from KnitPicks) they start out huge and he used several methods to shrink them down.  My project, pattern and his methods of felting them are found in this blog post - Boiled Fisherman's Mittens.  The original pattern is found in New England Today and is a neat story of how the pattern was recreated from an old pair of mittens made from an old woman who made them for local fishermen but died - Boiled Wool Mittens Instructions.  This year I'm trying to make them a bit narrower by not adding the increase at the wrist.  My son wanted them snugger.  Also, he wanted the cuffs longer so there was no gap between his coat and mitt.  So far they look really long and definitely slimmer, so the proof is in the shrinking, to see how they fit.  We'll see how they work.  And I just created another blog post with the pattern on it because I'm concerned I'll lose it.  Some people have had a hard time linking to the New England Today magazine.  So here's just the pattern - Boiled Wool Fisherman's Mitten Pattern.

     For reading, I set aside some more serious reads and have been reading some Romance novels.  I just have had it with the news the past week and for a weekend I didn't read the news and started just a nice light book. Sometimes I need to just check out and give myself something just softer to read.   "A Promise Of Home" by Wendy Vella begins with Branna O'Donnell entering her old hometown after years away.  She lived there and went to High School for only 3 years but she shared a strong relationship with an older woman who leaves her her home after she dies.  Right at the start both she and her former classmate Jake spar and are at odds.  Both are reclusive and recovering from deep trauma.  The story is engaging, believable, funny and interesting so far.  And free!  If you ever want a free or reduced Kindle to read I get e-mails from these sources - BookBub, The Fussy Librarian, and Early Bird Books.  Often I do find great books and authors and it then leads me to new authors to read.  I have seen my favorite authors reduced like Diana Gabaldon and my favorite cookbook, so it's a good source, some good, some not.

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