Tag Archives: baby

Design - Creation, pattern

Makin' Mittens

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IMG_4116Mittens have a long and storied history.  Every cold culture has a  mitten story, has a mitten style and knows that mittens are important!  We, as knitters, know how much fun a mitten can be to knit.  Have you tried knitting a Thrummed mitten from Newfoundland; or some Twined knit mittens from Sweden; Or some Estonian Braids on a current mitten project for embellishment?  My favorite mittens to knit are the fair-isle style of mitten – thought any mitten with colourwork can tempt me.

Mittens keep your hands warm on cold days – “Warm hands, warm heart”.

Mittens can showcase a knitters skill – right where your eyes can see it!

Mittens take little material and fair-isle mittens use up scraps.

Mittens are perfect for honing a new skill before a big project!

Over the years there have been many books written on the subject of mittens.  They discuss the history and culture behind each style of mitten and there are always many pictures to illustrate the information.  I love to look at the pictures of the mittens and the people wearing them, because these books mostly show how little has changed.  My favorite pattern book is an older book, Knitting Fair Isle Mittens and Gloves, by Carol Rasmussen Noble.

A perfect example of the continuing importance of mittens would be the Red Canadian Mitten from the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver – those mittens became a nations symbol of solidarity behind “their” Athletes!

Luckily we no longer need to knit 50 pairs of mittens as wedding gifts – as in Estonia in the past.  But the skills and the patterns of that past still fascinate us today and we still knit the mittens and gloves with love in our hearts. Seasons Greetings

Here is my gift of warmth and love for the Christmas Season – the Making Mittens pattern – free from Dec 13th, 2015 to Jan 2, 2016.  Update – It is now Jan 3rd – here is the link to the pattern on Ravelry.  Makin’ Mittens is now $6.00.

Makin’ Mittens Pattern ← Click here for pattern

Makin’ Mittens came out of the Year of Making – a project by The Buffalo Wool Co, a year of colours in their Tracks sock yarn.  A colour a month for the full year – the orange sample uses 11 of those colours – but you can use any of the fingering; 4-ply; or sock yarns in your stash.

Happy Knitting

Lynette

 

blogging, Design - Creation, Family, knitting, Photography, Teaching, Water and Rain

Still Waiting….

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Fall is in the air and on the ground.
Fall is in the air and on the ground.

… But Fall is in the air, Football is back on TV and all is right in the World.  The baby will come when babies come.  Sunday, Sept 13 was the due date – but a first baby is seldom on time.  LOL!

Forget-me-nots are blooming beside the Millstone River.
Forget-me-nots are blooming beside the Millstone River.

Life is back to its normal rhythm.  I work during the week, we walk on weekends and I knit all of the time!

This last weekend we walked through Bowen Park and the Morden Colliery Park.  Leaves are falling and in the morning there is a real feel of coolness in the air.  The last week has brought some moisture to the ground as well.  There is damp loamy smell around us as we walk that has been missing all summer.

My favorite walk in Bowen Park is along Millstone River.  Right now Millstone is not much of a River – it is more creek like as it moves through the park.  I love walking under the branches of the trees beside the River, listening to the rills of water as they tumble down towards the harbour.  It is a peaceful place.

I love this View! I have seen it calm and serene in the Summer and wild and raging in the Winter as the water pounds and pours through on its trip to the Ocean!
I love this View! I have seen it calm and serene in the Summer and wild and raging in the Winter as the water pounds and pours through on its trip to the Ocean!
Still Pools capturing perfect reflections.
Still Pools capturing perfect reflections.

Morden Colliery is a different kind of walk.  A little wilder, the land is on an old coal mine and the trail an old rail bed.  It goes over marsh – right now beautiful grasslands surrounding still pools – it has been such a dry summer.  The grasslands are alive with birds and song.  The path moves from the mine to the marsh and on to the River.

The Big Leaf Maple trees are large around the path.  Thick old trunks covered in moss and towering overhead.  There was a heavy breeze and the tops of the surrounding trees groaned and creaked as they moved.

Maple seeds hanging heavily overhead.
Maple seeds hanging heavily overhead.

The Maple seeds are turning rapidly brown.  The trees branches were heavily laden with the Fall offering.  They were helicoptering down onto my head through the whole walk!

I felt like a child again, memories of playing with maple seeds playing through my  mind.

The dry grassy marshes allowed me new views.
The dry grassy marshes allowed me new views.

It has been a busy Summer.  Lot’s knitting, lot’s of family and lots of life.

I am now on Instagram – as LeTissierDesigns – please come by and say hello if you are there too.  I find that I like taking a quick shot and sharing what is happening around me.  It is mostly about my knitting and just a little about life.

As you know I am about to become a Granny.  I have been knitting just a few things for the baby, LOL! – it will get worse as the baby gets older – I am going to have so much fun!  You can expect some children’s patterns to start appearing in the next few months and years to come.

Beaded Baby Booties
Beaded Baby Booties
Spirit Bear - first of three designs for the Cowichan Style sweater class.
Spirit Bear – first of three designs for the Cowichan Style sweater class.

Right now my focus is on the fall classes for the store.  Beaded Baby Booties, and Cowichan Style Sweaters and Hats are the two new classes.  Very contrasting both in sizing and techniques!  For more on the Classes check out the Mad About Ewe Class Schedule.

I am also working on new ideas for the Retreat.  It will be coming up fast and it is always a challenge to come up with interesting, new projects.

How has your Summer been!  Lots of company family and visiting?  Or have you been the travellers?

Whatever your Summer I hope that is has been a great one!

Happy Knitting

Lynette