Broken Laptop

Somehow, our computer got wet. hmmm.... Delaney denied giving it a drink. hmmm...
Now, it's broken. :o(

Random acts of kindness and good things

Two very nice things happened to me yesterday.

#1: As I was about to purchase my lunch at work yesterday, I realized that I had no cash. OOPS. One of my co-workers spoke up and said that he would pay for my lunch. I refused saying that all I needed to do was visit the ATM and come right back to pay, but he refused.

#2: We had the pleasure of seeing a family member that we rarely see yesterday - Alison. As a bonus to seeing her, she gave me a beautiful hank of Connecticut made alpaca yarn! She is also a lovely knitter and knows how much I love it too. :o) She also made little gifts for all the ladies in the family.

These two acts of kindness come a week after Annie's care package.

So, I decided a few things.

#1: I already knit Annie's surprise mittens. They will be sent off this week.

#2: Those papercuttings that I made for Emily and her mom, Kathie, will be sent out this week too. I finally got the frames from Ikea on Thursday.









#3, #4, #5: Thank you notes to Corey (+$3 for lunch), Alison on a Socks that Rock card, and one to Alvin for a fresh quart of maple syrup in April.

Every random act of kindness deserves another. It always seems like we hear the complaints and the bad things. Let's be positive and spread some lovin'. So, go out into the world and be nice!

Annie's Surprise Mittens

A little about Annie first...
Annie is the kind of person that listens and loves. Her patience and compassion inspire me to be a more caring and selfless person.

Here is the pattern for Annie's Surprise Mittens. I wanted a tight fit mitten so she can have the manual dexterity, that all mommies need. This pattern has not been test knit and is more of a guideline instead of an exact pattern. Also, she has small hands that have no relation to the size of her heart.

Materials:
1 skein Malabrigo worsted 216 yd, color: Polar Morn
1 set size 5 US/3.75 mm dpns
darning needle
a little waste yarn to hold thumb stitches

Both Mittens:
c/o 40 st.
Right mitten: st distributed 20/10/10
Left mitten: st distributed 10/10/20
The needle with 20 st will be the palm.
Join in rnd, careful not to twist. (Don't you hate that?)
Work 1x1 rib for 3"
K 1 row.

Rt Mitten:
begin thumb increases
Row 1: K 1, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 2: K rnd, all subsequent even rows K
Row 3: K 2, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 5: K 3, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 7: K 4, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 8: K 5, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 9: K 6, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 11: K 7, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 13: K 8, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 15: K 9, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
Row 17: K 10 Kf&b, K rest of rnd
end with a K rnd

Left Mitten:
begin thumb increases
Row 1: K 38, pm, Kf&b, K 1
Row 2: K rnd, K all subsequent even rows
Row 3: K until marker, sl m, Kf&b, K rest of rnd
repeat row 3 until there are 11 st on L side of marker. End with a K rnd.

Place 11 thumb st on a holder

Back to both mittens

Backwards loop c/o 9 and join rnd, careful not to twist. (38 st?)
K 2 rnds

Right Mitten
At beg of next row, ssk, K 5, K2tog, K rest of rnd. (24 st on palm, 10/10 on others)

Left Mitten
K 29, ssk, K5, K2tog.

Back to Both Mittens
K until work measures 7.5" from c/o edge.

Begin decreasing
Row 1: * (K 7, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Rows 2 & 3: K rnd
Row 4: *(K 6, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Rows 5 & 6: K rnd
Row 7: *(K 5, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Rows 8 & 9: K rnd
Row 10: *(K 4, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Rows 11 &12: K rnd
Row 13: *(K 3, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Row 14: K rnd
Row 15: *(K 2, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Row 16: K rnd
Row 17: *(K 1, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd.
Row 18: *(K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd
6 st remain
tie off and weave in ends

Both thumbs
Pick up 11 st from holder
Pick up 13 st from around thumb hole and backwards loop c/o.
24 st total
Row 1: K rnd
Row 2: *(K4, K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd
Row 3: K
K until thumb measures 2" from picked up edge
Row "4" : *(K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd
Row "5" : K rnd
Row "6": *(K2tog), repeat from * until end of rnd
Cinch up and weave in ends.

I will add photos to the blog ASAP.

Tea Cozy Pattern

I thought that I would post this pattern on my blog. It is also on Ravelry.com.

Random notes about the tea cozy...

My teapot is short and squat.
I wanted a tightly knit cozy, so I used size 4 US needles.
It has been about a year since I originally made this cozy, so there might be some mistakes in the pattern. I did my best to remember.

Materials

1 hank Malabrigo worsted (216 yd), color Polar Morn

size US 4 circular 16" needles, 2 sets

size US 4 dpns

darning needle

Directions

Note: From the provisional c/o the bottom edge is worked from the top down. Then the cozy is picked up and worked from the bottom up. I used the whole hank of yarn!

Figure 8 provisional c/o 144 over 2 size 4 circ needles.

Row 1: Ktbl, P, Ktbl, P all the way around.

Row 2: K rnd Row 3: I cord bind off. Knit c/o 3 st and move back to L needle. K 2, K2togtbl, slide 3 st back to L needle. Continue rnd. Finish by Kitchner st.
Next pick up and join yarn to knit the body of the cozy. Since you c/o over two sets of needles, you don't even have to pick up stitches! :o)

pm for beg of rnd.

Row 1: Ktbl for the full rnd

Row 2: K until desired length, 4”.

Next row: K 36 pm, K 36, pm, K 36 pm, K 36 Decrease row: K until 2 st before m, ssk, sl m, K2tog, K until 2 st before m, ssk, sl m, K2tog, cont until end of rnd. Continue decrease every row until 8 st remain. Hold.

c/o 1 st and do an icord for 2” or desired length. Tie off ends. Fold in half and stick it in top of cozy. Now, tie off remaining 8 st from cozy and cinch in icord loop.
Now, embroider flowers with french knot centers all over.
Enjoy keeping your tea warm. :o)
The Ladies at knitting night also suggested that this could be a hat. I would make it a little longer, maybe 5”.

First Post

Hello! I am finally getting around to creating a blog. Looking forward to this great adventure. I hope to share my knitting, sewing, and parenting aspects of life (or whatever else comes my way). I really enjoy the creativity I have seen on other people's blogs. So here it goes!