theraineysisters knitting and so much more

My, I ate a lot yesterday!  Oh, well. It is the tradition we have grown to love.  My beloved FIL did all of the cooking (with daughter Mary’s help) but said he just couldn’t do it any more.  It really is hard to see him get older and unable to do what he enjoys. 

Today I did something I NEVER do: I woke up at 4:30 am and ran out to Target to buy a $3 toaster (page 21)!  My husband thought I was crazy…hey, crazy smart!  I did indeed snag me a $3 toaster that I plan on taking to work.  I did not want to spend a lot (check) because I knew it was not an appropriate charge for reimbursement (check).  So, I marched into Target with hundreds of other idiots bargain hunters who were there for much more interesting items.

On the gift-knitting front — I have opted for much smaller scale projects than Surly.  Here you see the latest of my recent FOs, knit for my niece (sister to the Marsan Watchcap recipient):

The pattern is Baby Fan Mitts by Morgan Wolf (free Ravelry download).  I loved the feather and fan lace and the fact that the right and left glovelets are identical.  I also liked what Morgan said about the sizing:

“The gloves measure 6.5 inches (16 cm) around and 6.5 inches (16 cm) from cuff to top. Thanks to the stretchiness of the lace, they are comfortable for hands up to 8 inches so they fit women’s size medium to large. Adjustments to size can be made by adjusting yarn and needle size.”

Not being sure of Tara’s size, I like the idea that they stretch to fit just about anyone.  They do fit me very well and would certainly fit someone with smaller hands.  I do not think mine would stretch to 8″ though because my bind off is too tight.  If Tara’s hands ARE larger than mine, I will need to redo the bind off.

The only change I made was to the decreases — Morgan has all of the decreases worked as “k2tog.”  I changed the two at the end of the pattern repeat to SSK for symmetry. 

Project Summary

Grade: A

Pattern: Baby Fan Mitts by Morgan Wolf

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Suri Alpaca and Silk (80% Suri Alpaca, 20% Silk; 109 yards per 50 grams, 2 skeins)

Color: Deep Velvet #2015

Needles: US Size 3 dpns

We are so happy this year to be spending the day with our families — unfortunately not everyone together in the same place, but all of us with someone!  Susan’s husband works crazy shifts and this is the first holiday in a very long time that he will be able to spend the day with his father and siblings, of course with Susan and daughters in tow.  Our dad is visiting Sally (if she can get him out of the Air and Space Museum 😉 ), and Nora is home from school for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Sally has another special visitor and may share a photo!  Brother Barry is with his kids and his wife’s side of the family.   So together but separate are we.

Hope all of you are sharing this holiday with someone you love.

ETA from Sally: Yep — my Little Assistant is visiting for the holiday. It’s really good to see him.

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and it’s been “all Santas, all the time” chez moi!  Last week we had a comment on our blog from my cousin, Bonnie.  Her mom, my Aunt Ceil, was the person who knitted their family Christmas stockings.  Unfortunately for many reasons, Aunt Ceil died before Bonnie’s son was born.  He is now 3 and no family stocking.  The stockings carry a lot of emotional weight in our family: you aren’t really a part of the family until you have ‘the’ stocking with your name on it.  Bonnie wrote asking for the pattern.  It is now available as a free Ravelry pdf download, so I sent her the pattern and told her that many shops have knitters who will knit on commission and that because she has the original pattern and a sample stocking, they would have no problem reproducing the stocking.

I clicked “send” on the email last Thursday morning, and then off I drove to work.  Well before I got there, I realized what a king-sized %^^&&^% I was by not offering to make the stocking myself!  Because, I realized, the most inportant ingredient in the stocking is the love that is knit into every stitch by someone who cares about the new arrival.  So, I quickly emailed her and offered to make the stocking.  All I asked for was reimbursement for the materials. 

So, last Thursday, I collected the materials for the stocking and got it mailed on Saturday. 

I used Cascade 220, real angora and US 7 needles.  I usually use Size 6 needles, but I wanted Nathaniel’s stocking to more closely match the gauge of his family’s stockings.  The stockings have to be absolutely identical, so I cannot do any pattern adapting!  Do you know what that means to me?  It was strangely calming to know I did not have to think about anything…just do what it says, Susan!!

Here are my family’s stockings:

And hanging by the Santa mantel:

Bonnie received her stocking and loved it.  I loved making it.  And now I don’t feel like such a a king-sized %^^&&^% !! 😉

PS to June:
June said, “I noticed in your group pic that one stocking is smaller than the others – is it for the family dog? (I saw the bone…?) Does the dog feel short-shrifted on Christmas morning? LOL.” 

It’s true!  That short stocking is for our dog Molly.  Santa replaces the felt bone with a chew bone every Christmas.  I don’t think she feels short changed because she is too busy with her new bonie!!

Oh my, but I do get obsessed!  I just could not settle down until I made my lil Beanbag Santa from Susan B. Anderson’s Itty-Bitty Toys.  Here is the picture from the book (note that it is spiral bound which makes it very easy to keep open):

And here is my lil Santa:

I love him!  He was very putsy to make — lots of little pieces, stuffing with poly beads, adding features to the face and thumbs to the mittens…but I think he’s pretty darn cute!

I did make a few design changes.  I had angora on hand and used Misti Alpaca Worsted for the red and black (I had them in my stash) on Size 2 dpns.  The belt buckle is gold silk — also from stash.  To achieve the rosy cheeks, I dipped a Q-Tip in red food coloring.  He is truly a beanbag and sits quite well.  I used the Poly Beads described in the book.  But Santa still needs his toy bag!! Maybe that’s next.

I was raving on and on to my husband about all the cute toys in the book and he said, “You’re not going to fill up the whole house with these things, are you?” 

You got a problem with that??!!??

I’ve fallen and I can’t giddyup!

Wow!  I just got back from Shepherd’s Choice in Anoka, Minnesota where I had the privilege of meeting Susan B. Anderson and seeing all of the darling toys in her new book Itty-Bitty Toys.  Things were really hoppin’ at SC.  I ran into several people I know — it felt like an “EVENT.”

Here are a couple of the cute toys — and this really does not do the book justice!

There were so many things that I absolutely LOVED: The Princess and the Pea, Beanbag Santa, Sock Monkey (not a sock monkey, but a monkey made from sock yarn!).

Honestly, I fell in love!  There are so many things I want to make from this book — where to start?  I decided to start with the Santa Beanbag so I can put it on my mantel and there may be more in my future 😉 !  Five of the patterns flip inside out to reveal another doll.  Very, very cute.

Here I am with the lovely (much prettier in person) Susan B. Anderson.  She is holding my Elefantes because she is the creator of that well-loved design. 

Susan Squared

Now, I must knit!