Pattern: Russell Square Mitts

I'm excited to announce the release of my new pattern, Russell Square Mitts. As I was designing these, each stitch felt like magic. I had so much fun, and I hope you have just as much fun knitting them. They've got texture, lace, ribbing, shaping, and fit like, well, a glove. They're squishy and warm in Rowan Cashsoft or any other DK yarn, and they take less than 100g for a pair.
for US$5.00

Yarn: About 200yds of DK-weight yarn (Shown: Rowan RYC Cashsoft)
Needles: US 6 / 4mm DPNs
Special Techniques: Knitting in the round



~Joyuna

LUSH Porridge soap review at American Nailgirl

You know I love handmade soap, and over at my other (new) blog An American Nailgirl in London, I've just posted a review of the LUSH 'Porridge' soap. It smells divine.

~Joyuna

More designing going on

I've been quite busy designing things lately. Lots of patterns have popped into my head, and they're going quite well. Isn't it nice when the stuff in your head translates perfectly on the needles?

This is a pair of mitts I've been working on, and it's been so much fun. I love the way they're turning out, and excited to start wearing them. I'm writing up the pattern as I go, as well. It's called Russell Square. They're lacy and decorative on the cuffs, but also warm and functional. I'll post more info as soon as they're done!

~Joyuna

iPod Touch jumper

Over the holiday I got an iPod Touch, which is most excellent. It's the newer, slimmer, 4th generation, so most of the cases on the market don't fit it correctly. I was bored, and I had stash yarn to burn, so in a couple hours I knit this for my iTouch.

It's got all the features I need - it hugs the iPod just right, it cushions it from bumps and falls, it lets me see and use the screen and all the buttons, and it even has holes for both cameras (I tried taking pictures out of them and you can see through the holes - the photos gain a bit of a wooly halo, but it is useable :)

I'll be releasing a pattern for it soon - it's perfectly tailored to the design of the iPod Touch 4th generation. It's got holes for the power and volume buttons, front and back cameras, screen, and USB cord/headphone jack. It's also got a flip cover for when you're not using it, and a button closure right over the home button.

I'm writing up a pattern for a perfectly-fitting fourth generation iPod Touch cover, which could be easily modified to fit any generation iTouch or iPhone - just the addition of some more stitches for extra width, removing or adding holes, and so on. It's surprisingly functional, and keeps you from having to touch that cold metal backing or letting the smooth thing slip out of your hand. Plus, it's pretty, and it's a quick knit for sock yarn leftovers.
Update: The free iTouch Jumper pattern is here.

~Joyuna

She's different from the rest of us, that Belle...

I'm quite excited about my latest spinning project. I'm doing a spinalong by my friend Kathryn, aka CCSmile2006. It's Beauty and the Beast themed, and I have a batt based on Belle's blue dress. It's so great.

I always loved Beauty and the Beast, and Belle was always my favorite princess because she was a reader. People give Disney movies a lot of flack for being less than great role models for girls, but I think Belle is a pretty decent one. She's independent, smart, brave, loves to read, imaginative, and doesn't judge people by appearances.

Since I'm spinning this for myself, I want it to be more on the practical side, than the artyarn side of the spectrum. This batt has loads of sparklies and half a dozen types of fiber, but I discovered something - I could separate the merino from the rest of the strands of fiber. I've separated this batt into two sections, and I'll be spinning them separately to ply together.

~Joyuna