special tiny mittens

I was asked to make several pairs of fingerless mittens for someone at work recently, two of which were for little hands. This was the first time I made mitts that small, so it was interesting. I had intended to make children’s mittens for my show this year, but it was just one more thing I didn’t get to. But since these were so darn cute, I might be motivated to work harder for 2010!

post-show review

Each year is a little different. Johanna and I shared a space again. I focused on mittens and introduced the teapots. And I brought along the remaining neckwarmers and purses from previous years, plus my yarn stash.

Sold a total of:
14/17 pairs of mittens
6/7 snuggly cuffs
1/4 teapots
1/2 purses
2/4 neckwarmers
3/20 skeins of yarn

I was very surprised about the lack of interest in the yarn, whereas last year I almost sold out. And Saturday was definitely a busier day for me than Sunday. Now that it’s over, I feel a little bit sad and lost. So much work goes into this and it goes by so quickly. Also, I don’t quite know what to do with my time when it is over. However, I do know that in January I will be DYEING AND SPINNING  like mad!!! I am very excited about that.

Here’s to another year!

Holiday Fine Arts/Crafts Show

Come see me at the Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Show this weekend!

McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown OH
Saturday, December 5, 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, December 6, 12 pm to 5 pm

gasp!

An elusive pattern, the Spanish Crown leaf, has been found again! Rich and I stopped at the Village (thrift store) after church on Sunday. He has decided to enhance his stash by ripping up sweaters, so that’s what we were hunting for. Of course I had to wander past their housewares section while we were there. As I walked past, I glanced down and saw those lovely green leaves. I gasped loud enough to draw Rich’s attention. Marked on the large plate, it said “$1.50 B”. The B was short for blue, which meant that it was half-off. The whole 11 piece set was just 75 cents.

SCORE!

around my kitchen

I love the living room in the morning. 
I love the kitchen in the afternoon.

Pot scrubber octopus and hedgehog veggie brush.

Ikea foot stool with a linen towel from Nana Helen.

Vintage cake carrier for $1 at the flea market.

Solar powered friend sits behind mug rack.

sweaters

little ones. without arm holes.

well, that might not be entirely accurate. they do have spout holes.

For no particular reason I became inspired to get working on my teapot sweaters this week. Of five pots, two are now cozy. And the great thing about it? They neither take a lot of time nor yarn. I just might get all five done before December 5.

must. make. mittens.

I did it AGAIN. Yes, AGAIN. I waited until the last minute to beef up my stash of mittens for the Holiday Craft Show. Can we just pretend that planning that wedding took up all my free time?

For the sale this year, I’m not doing any neckwarmers. They were too confusing for most people. In place of those, I was hoping to get some tea cozies made, with the pot included. However, I have pots but no cozies. We’ll see how that ends up…

Another change to the status quo is the type of yarn I’m using. The first few years I purchased white commercial yarns and dyed them before knitting simple ribbed mitts. Gradually, I’ve incorporated handspun yarns and different styles of mittens. This year I don’t have any of that first style of mitt and most are made of handspun. I will also be using some undyed fiber and recycled sweater yarn.

And here are some of my most recent pairs of mitts. The middle pair was knit two at time and finished in one day! I’m excited about that accomplishment.

a petite homemaker

All that time I spent collecting and stashing household goodies… it has all led to this! Rich and I are now finally settling into our little apartment. My cupboards are full of green Pyrex and I don’t have to feel guilty about decorating the living room with wool.

While we were on our honeymoon, we stopped at several antique malls. I found some special things including this wonderful linen tablecloth. During some intense browsing, I came across a pile of linens, and just happened to pull this one out without knowing its special hidden secret. A wheel! Of course I couldn’t pass up something with a spinning wheel on it! When we got home I put it on the table immediately. An unexpected bonus: it’s inspiring me keep the table clean.

the perfect day

We’re married now, Mr. and Mrs. R. Richard Brown. Despite mediocre weather, the day was superb. The only hiccup was my slip – it kept rotating around under my dress, making the strap hang out. Otherwise everything went perfectly! We had a great group of friends come support us. We had delicious food, a positive atmosphere, and lots of fun. Thanks to everyone who helped with cookies. And thank you for showing us so much love!

tom’s favorite mitts.

Apparently Thomas has a favorite pair of fingerless mittens.

It began when I left a pair in progress on the couch and came back to find him using the ball of yarn as a pillow. He had been resting his chin between both balls, but then adjusted to favor the blue-green one.

Then, after I had finished knitting the pair, I brought out the stool to take photos. He joined me.

Or perhaps he just wanted to look out the window.