Athena Fingerless Gloves - Finished

I finally finished up my first fingerless gloves project.  I first cast on for this project back in December of 2010 (December 19, 2010 to be exact, according to my project page on Ravelry).  I had to knit the first one twice because I needed to make modifications to the pattern to get it to fit my hands.  I have thin wrists, long palms and a long thumb.  Then, after I finished the first one it took me a while to get around to knitting the second one.  But lately I have been re-visiting some of my unfinished projects that have been languishing from neglect.

Pattern:  Athena, by Renee Leverington from ZenGoddess Lace Club
Yarn:  Superwash Sock Yarn by Zen Yarn Garden
Fingering, 4-ply, 100% Merino, 430 yards/115g (I had 60g left over, enough for socks...)

This past week I haven't been doing a whole lot of knitting.  Instead I pulled out a project that I started a couple of years ago.  A cross-stitch project.

It is one of four Celtic designs that I have.  I plan on framing them when I am done.  I could make them into pillows, but after all the work that I am putting into this one, I think I want them protected.  It has been a while since I have done any needlework.  I have made two needlepoint Christmas stockings in the past few years, and am working on a third one, but that project has also been sitting for a while.

Athena Fingerless Mitts - One Done

I finally finished my first fingerless mitten.  It only took me three tries.  The fit still isn't quite perfect, but it is not bad, not bad at all.  I had to modify the pattern somewhat.  The first time I knit the mitten it came out boxy and was way too big at the wrist.  So I made the cuff smaller by 8 stitches, and added the stitches back in on the first row of the hand chart.  I also started the thumb gusset on row 3 of the first repeat of the hand chart.  Once I had increased the appropriate number of stitches I kept knitting and didn't  stop working the gusset stitches until I had completed 5 repeats of the hand chart.

I really love this yarn.  The subtle yet intricate variegation of the colors is simply gorgeous.  The yarn is Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Sock, 400 yards, 100 g, in colorway Athena, specially dyed for the ZenGoddess Lace Club.  The pattern is by Renee of GoddessKnits.

Athena Fingerless Gloves - Cuff

This is another of the ZenGoddess Lace Club kits.  I think that this was actually the first shipment.  The colorway and the pattern were inspired by the Goddess Athena, one of my personal favorites.  The yarn is Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Sock, 100% Superwash Merino, 2-ply tight twist fingering weight.  The colorway is amazing, with beautiful, subtle variations that the photo does not do justice to.  I actually had the first glove almost finished, but when I tried it on I realized that I would have to do a fair bit of customization to get a reasonable fit.  I have very slender wrists, but my hands are fairly broad.  So I took some measurements, noted the gauge, and ripped.  My first modification was to cast on only 52 stitches for the cuff, rather than 60.  Now that I have finished the cuff, I need to increase the number stitches.  I also am planning on starting the thumb gusset earlier than the pattern calls for.

Venus Cowl

Yet another ZenGoddess Lace Club Kit.  This one is a cowl, inspired by Venus, and knit in Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Sock - 80% superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon.  I added the beads.  I tried it on, it is soft and cozy, just what we need on these cold winter days.

Isis

This is another of the ZenGoddess Lace kits.  This one is a scarf, knit in Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 yarn.  The yarn is 70% superwash Merino, 20% Cashmere and 10% Nylon and is super soft and apparently sturdy enough to use for socks.  It would certainly make for luxurious footwear.  The inspiration for both the color-way and the pattern was the Goddess Isis.  I substituted pale yellow beads for the ones provided in the kit.

Hathor - Finished!

I've been indulging in some quick projects this past weekend.  This one was a real joy to knit, partially because of the yarn - Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20, 70% Superwash Merino, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon.  The pattern was also fun to knit - another Renee Leverington of Goddess Knits design.  The kit was from the ZenGoddess Lace Club.  Every kit was a different goddess.  This kit was Hathor, an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy.  Renee chose yellow for her association with the sun, and ruby beads.  I'm not sure why she picked the ruby beads, but they reminded me of pomegranate seeds, which have their own mythical significance in the story of Persephone and Hades.

Hathor

I have been wanting to cast on this project ever since I received it.  The yarn is Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 in Hathor.  I love the color, love the yarn.  This is one of the ZenGoddess Lace Club shipments.