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Hello Friends,
Today is a really exciting and busy day but I just had to pop in with a quick "hi" before the day got away from me.  What's so exciting about today?...well I'll tell you...My girl is on her way home from Africa!!!  I can't wait to see her and am counting the minutes until her sweet self turns the corner of the concourse and she is walking across that airport terminal and into our arms.  I am so full of joy, and pride, and gratitude at this moment that words are really hardly enough.  Her semester abroad has been unbelievable and incredible and everything that her father would have wished it to be and more.  We feel so fortunate and have spent the last three months smiling and pinching ourselves that our girl has gotten to have all of these wonderful experiences and that she's enjoyed them to the fullest and truly appreciated them.  Here is a glimpse of her Malian life...
Am I just a horribly doting mother if I say that I think that she is totally darling?

I am also feeling tremendously flattered and very happy about the fact that my Three Kittens Mittens were featured on the Spud and Chloe blog.  How exciting is that?!!  I love Spud and Chloe—it's one of my favorite yarn lines and it was so nice of them to mention my mitts.
 If you're interested in the Three Kittens Mittens pattern, you might want to pop on over to Ravelry or Craftsy.  The pattern is still being offered at the introductory price (10% off) through the end of today.

One final note...it meant so much to me that you guys got my referencing what I was doing when I made the kitten mitts. That's what I love about these spaces—that you get it, that everything we do and make is tied so closely to the life that is swirling around us and the people who are near us (either literally or are those that we are just holding close in our hearts).  Here is a picture of my lovely mother who kept me company while I knitted the kitten mitts and who I am holding close now that she's back home...
and the view of my lap as I knitted the kitten mittens.  Actually, this is, more often than not, the view I  see as I look at my knitting.  It's good to have a friend...
Thanks for indulging me ;) Like I said, it's a big day around here and I'm feeling very sentimental.

Well okay then...I'm off to fold laundry, tidy-up, hopefully get some pattern work done, and shower before I drive to the airport.  

Have a great day!

~xoxo~
alison

Three Kittens Mittens...

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I have another little show and tell.  I recently added the Three Kittens Mittens to my Ravelry and Craftsy stores! 
I had so much fun knitting these little mitts.  I worked them up in three sample sizes...

~Large To Fit Children 8 Up to Adult Small~  

~Medium~To Fit Children 4-6~
and
 ~Small~To Fit Children Ages 2-4~
The inspiration for this pattern came from two different "literary" places—from the nursery rhyme "The Three Little Kittens" and from Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Tom Kitten.  I loved both of these as a child, and my children (especially my cat-loving daughter) grew up loving them as well.  Do you know the rhyme?...
Three little kittens they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry, Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost. What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie. 
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
No, you shall have no pie.

The three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to cry, Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found! Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie. 
Purrr, purrr, purrr, 
Oh, let us have some pie.

The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie; Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled. What! Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh, 
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow. 
Then they began to sigh.

The three little kittens they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry; Oh! mother dear, do you not hear,
Our mittens we have washed! What! Washed your mittens, then you’re good kittens,
But I smell a rat close by. 
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.We smell a rat close by.

So fun!  And if you haven't read The Tale of Tom Kitten, I highly recommend it!  We read it so much when our big kids were little that the entire family had it memorized :)
I am offering these mittens at an introductory price of $4.95 (10% off) until March 15, 2012.   You can purchase them through Ravelry or Craftsy.

On a side note...My mom was visiting while I was working on this pattern and we spent our January days chatting, sipping tea, and eating gingerbread while I knitted away on kitten mittens.  It was delightful!...and now she will forever be a part of this patten for me.  Her presence is knitted into them :) This is one of my favorite things about hand knitting, that the people you are with, your location and what's around you becomes a part of the knitting and the finished knitted piece.  Makes me no end of happy.  Have a great weekend!

~xoxo~
alison

Roving knitters...

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Popping in for a quick "hi!" and to share some silliness from this weekend. A couple of us from the shop got our knit on with these enormous display needles. They were actually designed for decorative purposes but clearly they were begging to be used otherwise. Here you can see MaryAnn and Shanti setting them up...

We all took a turn...

It was tons of fun, and I have to say I am smitten with results...

I might need to fashion my own set of ginormous needles (these were about as big as my arm~crazy!!). I think stepping out of bed onto a soft roving rug would be a heavenly way to start the day, don't you? And the making of it would be full of smiles...

Hope your weekend has been a happy one!

~xox~

alison

 

 

Rascal Raccoon Mitts...

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Hello friends,
There are some new faces at our house...

Meet Rascal and Rapscallion—raccoon friends to keep fingers toasty warm and put a smile on your face.

I'm very excited to announce that this is my first pattern published for sale for Knitting by Hand.  I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to make this leap. Sometimes you just need to have a friendly face along when embarking upon a new venture. These guys were just right for that.  The patten pdf for these mittens is being offered for $5.50.  You can purchase the pattern by clicking the button below


Here they are with my friend's adorable daughter.  Isn't she the cutest?!  Love that shy smile.
And here, making friends with her equally cute brother...

As you can see, they are already becoming favorites around here.



The details:
Rascal Raccoon Mitts are offered in sizes from 2 years to Adult Small.
These mittens are knitted in Spud and Chloe Fine—a fingering weight yarn that I love—such a joy to knit with this lovely yarn.  They are worked in the round from cuff to fingertips.  The face offers a double layer of knitting to keep chilly fingers warm.  They are a fun, portable little project—my favorite kind—just right for tossing in my bag when I'm on the go.  

More details of this pattern can be found on Craftsy and Ravelry.

Happy knitting and happy weekending everyone!

~alison

technical difficulties...

Well harrumph...
I've been blogging from my phone for the last month, which has been great (I love it actually), but has presented a few problems—namely that the program seems to crash with some regularity.  Today I tried a new program and finally got a post published, but now the post that I wrote on the Dec. 28th seems to have gone AWOL.  It wasn't anything earth-shattering (if you've been here for a while you know that there is rarely anything of that ilk here), just me yammering on about my excitement at the arrival of snow and preparations for shipping my girl off to Mali, but it is gone nonetheless and Mousy Brown's sweet comment is now on today's post.  It has me wondering...where does it go?  Is it like smoke that just dissipates in the atmosphere?
Anyway, I will be continuing to experiment with this sort of posting (from my portable devices, I mean).  So please bear with me if there is any weirdness along the way.
~xox~
alison {a luddite for sure}

ps— Okay, as I finished typing this post, my crack computer team managed to recover said missing post.  The date is off but it is back in place and Mousy's comment is back in its spot.  I guess this would qualify as the kind of weirdness I was talking about : ) Thank you my patient friends~xox

savoring and a little snow...

Snow. Finally.
This is what greeted us as we opened the front door this morning.
We woke to lovely big fat snow flakes this morning. And they're still falling fast. I couldn't be happier.

Love, love, love snow.


It is shaping up to be my favorite kind of day, perfect accomplishing all of the things on my to- do list.
My list is full to bursting today. My sweet girl leaves for a term abroad in Africa on Thursday (yes, this Thursday!!....breathe, breathe, breathe), and between now and the time of her departure I have just a few errands and lots of cozying to do. So things may quiet here for a bit. I don't have to tell you that, like the weather outside today, my emotions are all a flurry right about now.  So, so much to feel and me with no elegant or pithy way to put it into words.  Suffice it to say that I am focusing my full attention on preparations and savoring.  I'm just trying to stay in the moment and I'm enjoying all of my dear ones within an arm's reach—savoring and relishing actually.
Wherever today takes you I'm wishing you the loveliest of days, full of warmth, joy, peace and contentment.
~xox~
alison


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