A Winner & a Knitter
September 24, 2012 Congratulations to Audrey B - the lucky winner of the book "Little Stitches"! Thanks again to C&T Publishing for sponsoring this giveaway.
And thank you so much to all of you for sharing your favorite winter crafting activity. I'm surprised how many of you are knitters! Wowzers! I knit a dishcloth ... once ... but only because it was for a Brownie badge. And I don't know why but I hated every.single.stitch. And I never recovered from that trauma.
But that was ... hmm ... more than 35 years ago. I suppose a mature person would give it another chance. I do love fairisle sweaters. And being able to knit a lacy scarf/shawl is also very appealing to me. Not to mention the adorable socks all over blogland. I'd especially love to learn how to knit mittens.
Confession: I've never bought myself a pair of mittens. My mom's been knitting me a new pair every 4 or 5 years since ... forever. I remember being embarrassed when I was a kid because I was the only one at school with homemade mittens. And I hated how the snow would stick - NOT good snowball fighting equipment. I think that's also why emotionally I'm not on good terms with variegated yarn. Sorry.
But in high school, my mom found a beautiful periwinkle yarn with little flecks of pretty pinks & greens & yellows & blues. I loved those mittens. She repaired the worn thumbs and finger pads until they were beyond salvation.
I still put in a order every few years or so and my mom is happy to oblige - even though she still always somehow manages to make the thumbs too long or the cuffs too short. But I love them. 'Cause my mom made them. Just for me.
She's also made lots of cute things for my girls when they were really little - hats,
mitts,
ponchos,
doll clothes,
Barbie clothes,
And they are always welcomed with squeals and giggles and hugs of gratitude.
But my all time favorite thing she knit is a circular baby blanket made with the softest yarn.
She made it when my sister was born, but it didn't get used much. I think I inherited it because my daughters are my mom's only grandchildren. I use it a lot in the winter when I'm curled up in front of the tv. It is so soft, light-weight and warm. I never get too hot underneath it. Love it.
But it seems everytime my mom comes for a visit this poor little blanket needs repairing. She mended a run the last time she was here.
And now?
I hope she comes again soon 'cause there is definitely that old familiar chill in the air!
Or I suppose I could finally learn to knit myself. Hmmm. I'll have to think about that. 'Cause after all your comments about how much y'all love to knit in the winter, I suddenly feel like something is missing in my life! LOL!
Reader Comments (12)
Thank you so much for picking my name! I haven't knitted much other than dishclothes myself. Your mother does beautiful work, you are lucky to be on the receiving end!! Thank you again, I appreciate winning the book!
Now we know where your creative talent comes from! My mom was constantly knitting and I cherish all the knitted pieces that she made for me and my children over the years. Precious memories. Although I don't knit very much, it's nice to know the skill and be able to whip up a scarf or other small project from time to time. Try it!
Please learn....you will love it. My Mom began to knit at three ( can you imagine). She is from Holland, and she said she would gather with the family and no child had empty hands.
My Mom turned 90 last week, and I decided two years ago that I wanted to learn to knit. That has now evolved into a knitting goup at her home on Monday nights. My friends saw me knitting and wanted to learn too. Now we gather together, learning a new skill while sipping tea, eating wonderful desserts and sharing in a deep love for my Mom.
It is the highlight of my Mom's week and I am blessed to spend this special time with her. XXX
Sorry, but I HATE knitting! The only cute thing I remeber about knitting was when my cat 'helped' my mum knitting;-) So, if you wanna learn knitting, you'll need a cat first! Hildy
I love that blanket!!
Those are just the cutest hats. :)
V x
I finally accomplished a life-long dream just last autumn when a dear friend taught me how to knit. I had ALWAYS wanted to be able to make scarves, hats, sweaters, etc... I'm living in the wrong climate, I tell ya!!! I really do love it, but it's a patient hobby. I don't mind though. I love to sit and watch Tv in the evenings and knit, knit, knit! And I have discovered that you can get fall just as deeply in love with yarn as you can with quilting fabric. Please don't tell Ruby I said that.
Knitting is next on my list... I want to try to learn continental style on circular needles.... my mom was an avid knitter and crocheter. I started teaching myself to crochet a few years ago - it seems to go pretty easy - and there are fun free patterns all over the internet - dish cloths are fun to start with - and make cute little gifts - I will send you some links to see what you think... for me, I think starting with crochet, one hook rather than two needles, seemed somehow easier! :O) Your mom's work is beautiful! Those are treasures!
Congratulations Audrey! I know you will love the book!
I really enjoyed this post Kristyne, I think it is the first time we have heard about your mom! She is fabulous too! All of her gifts were so nice,but that Barbie sweet littel li blue sweater and purse to match just did me in!!! Had I knitted that,I could not part with it!! I go in streaks with knitting,Ihave to just love the project and yarn. Ihave kniotted hundreds of dishcloths over the years, we use nothing else. Your girls are so fortunate to have such gifted people in the family! do you have nay plans for your Mom to guest blog about her knitting in the future?
After over 45 years of sewing and crocheting, I taught myself hiw to knit this past January after reading about another blogger's experiece of finally learning and making a honey cowl (fyi pattern is free on Raveley). Instead of being complicated as I had always feared , I found knitting to be very relaxing with its rythmic motion. I have taken a few private lessons and have made many things, working on my second top-down sweater. I am hooked! You should give it a try!
Oops! Love hearing about your mom , my Mom used to knit also and recently gave me all her needles and instruction books. And that circular blanket is similar to ond on my wish list to knit.
I for one am not a knitter did try once to crochet but it didn't work either I think i'll stick to quilting.