Project Specs
Pattern: October Leaves Fingerless Mitts by Abbie Tilden
Pattern Source: Abbie's Ravelry Shop
Yarn: 39g (172 yds) Malabrigo Sock in a testcolor
Needles: US2 Clover Bamboo DPNs
Date Started: 3/3/010
Date Finished: 3/4/10
See them on Ravelry!

I've yet to put down my needles so far this month, and I'm so excited to show you another FO. I've finished these mitts just in time too, since it actually snowed yesterday here in Las Vegas if you can believe it!

Even though the gauge is on the small side, the pattern is quite simple and knits up surprisingly fast. I loved how the increases on the thumb gusset were incorporated into the leaf motif. In between cable rows there isn't anything slowing you down, and even the cables go very quickly. In fact, I think the ribbing at the top and bottom of the mitt was the slowest part for me.

This was my first time using Malabrigo Sock and I absolutely loved it. I won this test skein of yarn a couple years ago in a Malabrigo March contest. I've kind of been saving the yarn and not wanting to use it until now. When i was knitting with it I did not want to put it down. It felt a bit lighter than other sock weight yarns I've worked with which took some getting used to, but it was so smooth and soft going through my fingers. It softened up even more after washing and my fingerless mitts are super cozy now. I'm excited to work with this yarn lots more in the future!

Project Specs
Pattern: Dindy Beret by Kate Oates
Pattern Source: Kate's Ravelry Shop
Yarn: 66g (139 yds) Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Strawberry Fields
Needles: US5 for brim, US7 for rest of hat
Size knit: Adult, to fit Camdyn's large (19.5") child size head
Date Started: 3/2/010
Date Finished: 3/3/10
See it on Ravelry!

Chances are you've browsed Ravelry and stumbled across one of Kate's adorable hat patterns. I'd certainly admired lots of them, so when Kate asked me if I'd like to knit a couple of her patterns I jumped at the chance. I was thrilled when her Dindy Beret pattern arrived in my mailbox and decided to knit it up as one of my first Malabrigo March projects.

Right from the start this pattern offers something new. The lace leaf band is knit first, and then you later pick up stitches for the rest of the hat. The band pattern is easily memorized, and though it takes quite a bit longer to knit than just a simple ribbed brim, the unique end result is worth it.

Camdyn has been asking for a bright pink hat, so I chose to work with some Malabrigo in the Strawberry Fields colorway. This is one of the true solid colors Malabrigo offers. Though there's not the unique variation and depth present in the semi-solid colorways, the yarn is just as soft and luscious to knit with. I like how the solid pink really shows off the leaf pattern as well.

There are two options in the pattern for the body of the hat. I chose to work the dot pattern which added some interest to the solid colorway. The first round of dots were a bit fiddly to knit, but as I went on they became like second nature. There's also an option in the pattern that has twisted lines leading up to the decreases. The hat is finished off with a bobble button on top, though I also think it would be adorable with a little i-cord nubbin for a different look.

Because Cam's head is pretty large for a little kid, I knit the adult size option in the pattern. The size options in the pattern range to fit an infant (15.25") to Adult (19.25"). I think if I made this hat for myself (22"!) I'd have to add in another leaf repeat to the band and probably a few extra stitches to the body, or go up a needle size, though either of these would be easy fixes.

Kate blogs at Tot Toppers, where it seems like she's coming up with something new every day. Quite a few of her patterns feature Malabrigo, so they'd be great to knit up this month during MalMarch. In fact, later this month I plan to knit her Sweet 'n Sour Apple Hat pattern with some scrumptious Malabrigo Worsted in the Lettuce colorway.

Project Specs
Pattern: Top Down Bonnet by Adrian Bizilia
Pattern Source: Available as a free Ravelry dowbload from Adrian's Shop
Yarn: White Oak Studio TV Yarn Fat Sock, two unnamed semi-solid colorways
Needles: US3
Finished Size: Newborn (14" headsize)
Date Started: 2/27/10
Date Finished: 2/27/10
See it on Ravelry!

Last month Jana from White Oak Studio offered to let me try out some of her beautiful handpainted yarns. She sent me two goregous colorways and I couldn't wait to squeeze in a project made from them before Malabrigo March. Since my new niece has arrived I've had baby knits on the mind, so it was kind of a no-brainer what to make!

I am so glad I chose to knit a baby item with this yarn. It is so soft and is perfect for covering sensitive baby skin. It's tightly plied Superwash wool, so it should be able to hold up to many washes and lots of wear and tear. I loved every second of knitting with it. It was silky and even squishy as I knit along. I'm excited to find a project for the rest of the yarn, though I think it will have to be something for myself next time!

Jana's yarn had a pleasant distinct smell (she washes all her yarns in Eucalan as a final step) and didn't bleed one bit during washing. I was impressed to find out she dyes one skein at a time and the whole process takes over three days to complete. I am so in awe of those with a knack for serious dying. It sounds like so much work! Though these skeins came to me unnamed, Jana's yarns are all named after movies and televisions shows from which they were inspired. Since I'm a huge TV junkie, I'm excited to find out what these are called!

For the pattern I turned to one I've knit before. I love this little bonnet pattern, and this time it went much faster than the first. The figure-8 cast on is so cool that I'm already wanting to find somewhere else to use it (since I'm not a sock knittter it really slims down the choices). This pattern is the perfect unisex baby pattern and could easily be knit up last minute in time for a baby shower.

Project Specs
Pattern: Love Bytes (Robot Mittens) by Grace Schnebly
Pattern Source: Grace's Ravelry Shop
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, 69g (145 yds) Violetas, 38g (80 yds) Polar Morn, and 6g (13 yds) Garnet
Needles: US3
Finished Size: 4" across, 10.5" long
Date Started: 3/1/010
Date Finished: 3/2/10
See them on Ravelry!

I'm so glad Malabrigo March is finally here! I've been looking forward to it for a long time. Most of last year I didn't knit anything and didn't participate in Malabrigo March so this time around I'm even more excited. I'm happy to say I'm off to a good start so far! Aside from these mittens, I've already got another project blocking and a couple others on the needles.

Though I already had one Robot Mitten completed in a different color combination, I decided to start on a totally new pair. Last time because I had taken such a long break from knitting, my tension and colorwork skills were definitely off. I couldn't get over how uneven my stitches were and the bit of rippling that was apparent from too-tight floats so I chose to start anew. I'm glad I did because I'm much happier with how this pair turned out, and the new color choices I made are really growing on me!

For the most part these mittens really flew off the needles, though I must admit when I was in the home stretch after putting the thumb stitches on hold on my second mitten, my mind started to wander to what I wanted to knit next and things started to slow down a bit. I'm glad I pressed on because I have a terrible tendency of stopping short of finishing my second mittens. I'm determined to break that bad habit this year, though!

You could probably call me biased, but I have to say Grace did a great job on this pattern! It's super easy to understand and because the charts on each mitten are different, it stays fun to knit the whole time. If you're like me you have a few partial skeins of Malabrigo around and these mittens would be a great use of those since you use less than half a skein for the two contrast colors and about two-thirds of a skein of the main color. I'm sure I'll knit this pattern again in the future for gifts, but for now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy my very own pair of Robot Mittens!

Project Specs
Pattern: Transition Gloves designed by Kerin Dimeler
Pattern Source: ShiBuiKnits
Yarn: ShiBuiKnits Sock in #229 Mulberry 52g (200yds) and #402 Sand 30g (114yds)
Needles: KnitPicks Nickle Plated circulars size US3 and US1
Cast On: 2/18/2010
Finished: 2/26/20100
Finished Size: Medium/Large, 13.5" long
Modifications: For left mitten I knit across 11 sts (instead of 13 sts) then placed first marker, k2, and then placed second marker. For right mitten I knit across 43 sts then placed first marker, k2, and placed second marker.
See them on Ravelry!

I know this is like blasphemy posting something that isn't made out of Malabrigo during Malabrigo March, but I still have a few knits from the Ravelympics that I haven't posted yet. These mittens had been in my queue for SO long now. I remember when I first started knitting that these were on my to-knit list for when I got a bit more experienced. Well they got put off for a little longer than I was expecting but I'm so happy that I finally got around to them and just in time for spring!

This pattern is pretty simple but took it me longer than I was hoping. I'm so very slow at knitting ribbing; it is just painful. The colorwork pattern is easy enough and really does fly by, at least compared to the ribbing. To make sure that each stitch shows up in the end, pay attention to yarn dominance. I knit them so that CC was dominant until Row 45 when I switched to MC to be dominant. In the end I think the transition ended up nice and smooth, although I'd love to try these again with two colors that are more similar to get a blended transition.

I opted to make the palm section a little longer than suggested in the pattern and ended up needing to dip into a second skein to finish up the last 3 or 4 rows. Fortunately I had an extra skein on hand but be careful if you decide to knit the Medium/Large size and add any length. I think this pattern is written to take exactly one skein of the CC color, however if you're knitting the smaller size you should have no problem. You could also swap the MC and CC colors for the second glove and you wouldn't have to worry about running out of yarn.

I ran into just one problem with the pattern. I have the actual printed out pamphlet so this might be fixed in newer versions. When you're setting up your stitches for the thumb gusset, the pattern tells you to place a marker after 13 sts for left hand and 41 sts for right hand. Once you start ribbing the two stitches after the maker are supposed to be purl stitches, but they're not. To make sure your thumb is positioned correctly place your maker after 11 sts for the left hand and 43 sts for the right.

Shibui Sock was a real pleasure to work with. The colors are vibrant and it's nice and soft. Since it was superwash I was able to swish it around a little more vigorously that I usually would which helped even out the stitches a bit more. I have noticed that some parts are already starting to fuzz out a bit so I hope that it can hold up to wearing although it should be fine for arm warmers. Malabrigo Sock would make a good substitution to this yarn, in case you're looking for a mitt pattern to add to your Malabrigo Mach roster!

As for my Malabrigo March projects, I've already started on a baby sized Duck Soup in Pollen. I'm already loving it and hope to finish it up today. Alice has been working on an adorable pair of Robot Mittens that she's almost finished with too! I've also been working on my entries for the Badges & Banners contest in the Junkies Ravelry group. Each stitch is a different Malabrigo colorway! If you're interested in checking out all of the different Mal March festivities, head on over to the Malabrigo Junkies group on Ravelry. There are so many participants and I can't wait to see all of the projects roll in!