Ravelry Project: My Crochet Fingerless Mittens are Finished

I had to jump on the bandwagon and make myself a pair of fingerless mittens. I searched out this nifty pattern for Basic Fingerless Mittens on Ravelry by Julia Viconsin from Crochet Me. It's in 400 queues and completed in 294 projects.

Here are mine:

While Julia's pattern calls for Lana Grossa Bingo Print yarn which is an Aran 10 ply, I used some Patons Classic Wool from my stash. I reduced the hook size from the 5.0 mm in the pattern to a size 4.5 mm. Doing this and still using the same amount of stitches called for in the pattern, the mittens fit my size 7 hand perfectly.

What I like about these mittens is that they are not bulky and crocheting through the back loop of the single crochet gives the mittens texture.

I also learned a new technique. You can teach an old crocheter new tricks! The mittens are started off using foundation single crochet. Snuffykin's Journal has an easy to follow tutorial on how to accomplish this technique.

Happy crocheting!

NFL Trading Cards This Vintage Thingies Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving to my American VTT visitors! I know that watching NFL games on Thankgiving day is a part of American Thanksgiving tradition for some. Thanks to my hubby, I'm sharing a couple of vintage NFL trading cards.

Joe Namath's 1972 NFL card when he was the quarterback with the New York Jets is a bit battered.

However, what really matters about his card is the info that Broadway Joe was a "very eligible" bachelor that year!

Here is Archie Manning's 1972 NFL card. The father of the Manning brothers Peyton and Eli had quite the football career himself.

Obviously, Archie isn't the only Manning "endowed with special talents".

Visit Coloradolady for more vintage fun this VTT.

Happy VTT!

Go Broncos!

Wool-less Wednesday: Etsy Canada on Ning

Through a re-tweet on Twitter by knittingnews of a blog post by Lori Dean Dyment on her blog  So I Was Thinking, I've discovered Etsy Canada on Ning. As a Canadian selling on Etsy, I often felt alone in the forest. I knew that other Canadians were selling on Etsy, but there were few ways to connect with these sellers to share Etsy from a Canadian perspective.

Christina of Akane Designs created this Ning where you can discover interesting and diverse Canadian shops on Etsy. Canadian Etsy sellers should pay a visit and so should anyone looking to buy handmade in Canada.

Happy etsying!

Too Much Time, Too Much Scrap Yarn: Knit Dolls

My trio of knit dolls using scrap yarn from my stash were a diversion from my usually practical knitting. I had fun choosing the colors and styling the clothes. They are knit on three needles making tubes for all of the body parts.

For the boys, I used a crochet hook to hook the hair into the stitches like you would rug hooking on a canvas. Then, I untwisted the yarn's ply to give them a full head of hair. I hand stitched each strand of the girl's hair onto her head and had fun making the braids. The faces are felt.

What do you get up to with your needles or hooks when you have too much time on your hands and too much scrap yarn?

Happy fiber arting!

1950s Red Party Dress This Vintage Thingies Thursday

This lipstick red 1950's vintage party dress makes you want to head out to a dance! My mom sure danced in this in the 1950's.

The red bodice is sprinkled with red and pink sequins and covered by a patterned lace. You can see some of the sequins sparkling. The bodice is form fitting to the hip where the skirt begins to flare out. It's hard to see from the photo, but a layer of flouncy toile covers the skirt. I would have modeled this for my VTT friends, if the dress still fit. It's just a bit too small.

The label says it was "styled" by Ricky of Toronto. Ricky can style for me anytime (if he's still around!).

Even when I could fit into this pretty red dress, I wouldn't have worn it to a party. The sequins are fragile and so is the toile. After all, it is vintage!

See what other vintage fashions may be at Coloradolady this VTT.

Happy VTT!

Wool-less Wednesday: Feathers and Fur But No Fiber

Well, it's that time of year again when I set up the birdfeeder for the winter. Watching birds feed outside my kitchen window in the winter is something I've done for about 10 years. Whatever the weather, I'm sometimes still in my pajamas on cold winter mornings making sure these delicate creatures are fed.

This delicate creature is my cat. I also make sure she is fed but not with feathers! She too loves to watch the birds at the feeder. However, I think her motivation is a bit different than mine.

Whatever creatures you may watch...

Happy creature watching!

The Knitwit: Not Necessarily a Good Thing

The latest Martha Stewart Living magazine December 2009 has an article in the Crafts section resurrecting a questionable gadget from the 1960s and 70s called the Knitwit. This gadget is also known as a daisy wheel or flower loom. I remember having my own Knitwit back in the 70s. I no longer have the Knitwit, but I do have the original pattern book.

I remember the frustration of making the flowers that are sewn together to make the projects in the pattern book. Winding your yarn around the prongs on the Knit Wit was one thing, but the overcasting and lockstitching to hold your flimsy delicate creation together in the form of a flower was another. Just look at the instructions. And this does not include the two pages of accompanying written directions!

Make 150 of these Knitwit flowers. Join 150 of these Knitwit flowers together. You'll have this lovely afghan. Remember, you'll never get that time back!

For those of you who may still wish to try the Knitwit despite my dire warning and don't want to spend the $20.00 to buy the Knitwit kit at Knitwit.com,  you can make your own!  Here's the DIY for a flower loom made from wooden dowels and hot glue. Or, if you're into pins and cardboard, try your hand at making this daisy wheel.

Yes, I am bitter over my Knitwit experience from which I obviously have not fully recovered. Oh, well...

Happy crafting!

Red Rose Tea Figurines this Vintage Thingies Thursday

These vintage ceramic Red Rose Tea figurines are from an early 1970s Canadian figurine series. They came in specially marked boxes of  Red Rose Tea. Since my mom drank Red Rose Tea, I had fun collecting them. Wade of England maufactured these ceramic creatures. They didn't become widely available in the United States until the early 1980s.

This tropical fish has the Wade stamp at the bottom of the base. Most of the ceramic animals were in neutral tones and not as colorful as this fish.

This kitten  has a bit of color in its pink ball of wool.

If I show a feline, then I must in good conscience show a canine. The expression on this cute puppy's face suggests he's mischevious.

Finally, a fawn with a speckled coat.

While I am no longer a collector of these figurines, I have a small box full of them which are now memories from my childhood.

I'm sure Coloradolady has more vintage thingies to discover.

Happy VTT!

Remembering War Time Knitters On Remembrance Day

During WWI and WW II knitters were called upon to knit socks, mittens, hats, sweaters and many other items that were needed for these war efforts.

In Canada, the Canadian Red Cross organized knitters. The following quote is from the minutes of the meeting of the Red Cross Society of Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island in 1940:

At this time we were all accustomed to knitting – indeed did not every mitten, sock, hat and scarf come as a result of our abilities – but not all were familiar with following patterns. The Red Cross booklet "Knitting Instructions for War Work" was printed in November 1940 and after looking at the instructions for heavy service socks with shaped leg, double heel and flat toe; toque useful for a sleeping cap, or half mitts with finger sections, we realize the amount of time and skill required for each item and a beginner might well be content to produce a seaman's scarf!! Knitted and quilted into every item in hand were prayers, love and concern for the person who would eventually wear the socks or mittens. (my emphasis)

The American Red Cross led the charge in the United States encouraging people to knit for the allied soldiers overseas. This is a poster from WWI.

The Khaki Knitting Book was published in New York in 1917 with the purpose of providing patterns for those who wanted to knit for the WWI war effort. It had dozens of patterns for things like Men's Trench Caps, Knitted Eye Bandages and Regulation Socks. This is an example of one of the patterns:

Also from the Khaki Knitting Book is this poem which speaks to the  power of our knitting.

Remember.

A Neck Warming for Another Neck Warmer!

I recently finished knitting this neck warmer. The uneven rib pattern is great for a bulky yarn like the Shetland Chunky I used. The light blue color shows off  its texture and chunkiness. 

What else is great about using this rib pattern with a bulky yarn is the elimination of the need for button holes. The buttons fit through the ribbing where ever you want to put them. Simplicity! Or is that the sign of a lazy knitter?

Happy knitting!

G' Day: It's Katie the Knit Kangaroo!

My knitted kangaroo Katie and her baby had been packed away in a mover's cardboard box for about eight years. The box was stored in the dark recesses of my house's dormer crawl space. I came across this box while on my hands and knees choking on fiber glass insulation (Don't ask!).

I had forgotten about my knitted toy phase where I obsessively knit stuffed toys from patterns and my imagination. This kangaroo was knit some 20 years ago from a pattern in this 1950's Beehive Toys and Novelties pattern book which I dug out of my collection after rediscovering Katie.

If my peri-menopause memory serves me right, I think Katie was one of the many items I had made for my one and only craft show (Don't ask about that either!).

Here is the rest of the menagerie that I could have knit but didn't.

Oh wait, I remember also knitting Donna the Donkey who you can see in the background with the hat and flowers. She actually sold at my one and only craft show.

My problem now is what to do with Katie and her baby. I know she's only wool and stuffing, but I feel very guilty shoving her back in that mover's box.

Happy knitting and stuffing!

This post is brought to you by Fiber Arts Friday at Alpaca Farm Girl.

Vintage View-Master this Vintage Thingies Thursday

This is a well used vintage 1960s View-Master. I remember the fun I had as a kid entering the three-dimensional worlds offered by this toy.

My particular favourite View-Master reel was this 1965 Barbie’s Around the World Trip. I was fascinated by all of the spectacular locations travelled to by Barbie, Skipper, Midge and the perfect boyfriend Ken.

On the cover of the reel packet, see Barbie surf in Hawaii. See Ken get ready for a dunking.

Hey, hey, then there’s the Monkees! Anyone remember having a crush on Davy? Me neither. In this set of 1967 reels, the boys have an adventure called The Last Wheelbarrow to Pokeyville. Davy gets in a mess with a local yokel girl and has to be rescued by his fellow Monkees from a shotgun wedding! What was my mother thinking?

Who doesn’t love Peanuts? This 1966 reel packet shows the ever lovable Charlie Brown enduring more misfortunes. Snoopy has just ruined Charlie Brown’s attempt to get Pig-Pen out in a game of baseball.

Anyone have memories of looking into other worlds with their View-Master?

Get over to Coloradolady to discover more memories hidden in vintage treasures.

Happy VTT!

Wool-less Wednesday: Fiber Art Blogs

Okay, technically I'm still blogging about wool. But, I swear wool has not touched my hands in the creation of this post! I've been discovering some interesting fiber blogs this past week. A couple of my new faves are these blogs.

The Student Knitter is an upbeat blog with a nice mix of topics including of course knitting. Blogs with lots of the author's own work for all to see are the ones I look to visit. The Student Knitter's compendium of finished projects are here. Great ideas for your needles!

A humorous blog is Knit with Snot for You. I enjoy blogs that make me giggle. Why does this blog have such an "unusual" name? You can find out at this funny posting. Does it make you giggle?

Happy fiber blog reading!