Finished: Colville Mitts

Hiya! Just popping in for a second to finally show off my new favorite winter accessory, the much-loved-by-me Colville fingerless mitts.

Finished: Colville Mitts
Pattern: Based loosely on Knitting at KNoon fingerless mitts
Fiber: crumbs & co. handspun merino in "Colville" colorway
Size: hand-sized
Needles: size 7 DPNs
Date Started: November 2007
Date Completed: November 2007
Notes: Easy-peasy mitts that now live on my hands all the time!


Made from handspun yarn and so snuggly! I am such a convert to handspun yarny goodness. I thought I would be bothered by the thick-and-thin aspect of handspun merino, but it turns out that I don't mind so much that some stitches are big and puffy, while others are thin and teensy. Handspun is so fluffy and warm--perfect for awesome mitts like these. Also, the color combination is pure, pure genius. I am also a total convert of all things aqua and olive.


The mitts, they live on my hands. Always.
I like my street cred striped, buttony, and awesome.


What is more, I can combine my mitts with my 'roo pocket for double hand-warming action. I didn't think it was possible to improve on the 'roo hand-warming method, but it turns out I just did. Perfection achieved.


Also, mitts are great nose-warmers. What aren't these things perfect for? Must have more. Many, many more.

And now, alas, I must *sigh* return...

Drat those prelims. They are kicking my brain's butt.

Fieldtrip! And then more cramming.

Please humor me, my friends, and insert copious amounts of clever and humorous text of your choosing throughout this post, because it will have none otherwise.


At the moment, my brain is being crammed nonstop with such useless preliminary exam knowledge as: the measurements of the Bouleuterion at the Hellenistic site of Priene and what buildings the important king of the Sabaean Empire, Karib'il Watar, established and when and where and what they looked like and what archaeological materials were found in them.


You see? It's fact-cramming no-stoppa around here, and it doesn't end until sometime in mid-February, when I take 4 written prelim exams and then take an oral exam in which I try to fool my advisors into thinking I am very smart and know an abundant amount of knowledge on many archaeological subjects. So, remaining loyal readers to this blog is going to take some serious commitment in the months to come.


Hopefully, I'll be able to throw in a camel or two when I go off to the UAE this Christmas to excavate, to keep y'all modestly interested. And I'm still harboring the illusion that knitting might appear regularly here, but I wouldn't suggest anyone hold their breaths for such an occurrence.


I did manage to sneak away from prelim cramming and teaching long enough to take a very short trip to Boston last weekend. I should clarify that the trip was specifically to meet with a professor at Harvard regarding my dissertation topic and to scout out a collection of ceramics that I will be writing my dissertation on.


Despite being a buisness-y fieldtrip, M and I packed some serious fun into the trip, and we really saw most all of Boston (and every darn museum in it) in two days. I have so done Boston. And it was awesome. I love that city.


And lest you think there is nothing knitting/crafting-related in this pathetic rambling...


There was a bloggity meet-up Boston-style, in which I met the super-talented Maritza and the über-fabulous Diana and her adorable LL. Fun and fun and fun some more was had at the Darwin's sandwich shop. And lots 'o archaeology gossip was spilled. (Diana is an archaeologist, too). That's right. Archaeology gossip. And it doesn't get more juicy and scandalous than archaeology gossip!

Up next: a post chock full of things that are actually knitted. I swear.

Lofty aspirations.

My life, these days, along with being über-hectic with nail-biting over upcoming prelim exams, preparations for Christmas excavating in the UAE, and setting into motion my dissertation research, has been one failed lofty aspiration after another. I just can't seem to find enough time in the day, people! Most recent example: Socktoberfest, replete with lofty socky aspirations, drew to a close DAYS ago. As I am wont to do, I started out with seriously intrepid plans for Socktoberfest. That, friends, obviously didn't happen. My revised plan was to knit ONE mate to my overabundance of swingin' singles (newest phrase of choice for single socks, a là Mrs. Blue Garter). Just a one. Of course, in due diligence, I chose not only the oldest single sock, but the biggest, too. The infamous Pomatomus Almost-Knee-High.


So very, very close. The good news is that these socks will be finished imminently, which is most excellent. The bad news is that these socks will not, as had been previously hoped, mark my celebration of Socktoberween. October 31 came and went, and despite furious pomatomus knitting, I couldn't eke the entire sock out by the deadline. But not to worry... my Socktoberween ended up being fantastic, thanks to the super-speedy delivery service of Barnes and Noble...


Hello, every single last episode of Twin Peaks on dvd digitally remastered and in 5.1 surround sound. The definitive gold box edition. And that, my friends, made this the best Sock-less-toberween ever.

And now my lofty dissertation aspirations are leading me off to Boston this weekend to scope out some pre-Islamic Iranian ceramics in the Peabody Museum. I do love a good field trip! Will report on my adventures upon my return...

Happy belated Socktoberween to one and all!