Mermaid Mitts: The Sunday Update

I've started my latest Christmas gift. It's a pair of Mermaid Mitts for my co-worker and friend Donna in Shibui Sock yarn:



The Mermaid Mitts are made using the stitch pattern from Pomatomus. There is no actual "pattern." You just sort of figure it out yourself. Let me explain my method.

1. I decided that I would make the mitts after noodling around on Ravelry. I think they're quite pretty.
2. Three weeks later buy the yarn.
3. Two weeks later cast on. Originally cast on 60 stitches.
4. After getting three rounds in try on the mitt and decide it's going to be way too big. Rip back to nothingness.
5. Cast on 48 stitches.
6. Knit to the point of needing to start the thumb gusset.
7. Start the gusset between stitches 30 and 31.
8. Three rounds later remember that I cast on 48, not 60 stitches.
9. Tink back three rows and re-start the thumb gusset between stitches 24 and 25 (between the 2nd and 3rd pattern repeats.)
10. Successfully finish the hand of the first mitten last night.

So far I am loving this pattern and I'm loving the opportunity for some improvisation in my knitting. In other knitting news, I finished the Trellis Scarf last night and it's happily blocking now. Hallelujah. The end product is really beautiful but those 7 into 5 clusters were not only crazy making but I think completely unnecessary.



I have also frogged the bodice of my Lotus Blossom Tank.



I plan to add a lace repeat to the bottom, and reknit the bust area in the next smallest size. I'm very hopeful that this will fix the sizing problem that I had before. We shall see.