Stay-put, long-cuff toddler mittens

Determined to knit Bee a pair of winter mittens that she couldn't pull right off of her hands, I devised these long-cuff, thumbless toddler mitts. They're knit from the top down, ending with a stretchy bind-off. For maximum stay-put power, the mile-long cuff is very close-fitting. And the simple colorwork chart is the easiest intarsia possible -- about as much colorwork as I can handle without causing my brain to burst like a water balloon. Enjoy!

Size: 12 - 24 months

Materials:
#5 dpns
#3 dpns
1 skein Rowan Cork in color A (or other yarn in same weight)
small amount of Rowan Cork in color B, for intarsia pattern (or other yarn in same weight)
tapestry needle for weaving in ends

white = color A
black = color B
(click chart to enlarge)

Directions:
CO 4 with color A. Join to work in round, but don't PM.
KFB every st until 26 sts rem.
Place marker to mark new beginning of round.
R1: k12, KFB of next st, k12, KFB of next st
R2: k
R3: k13, KFB of next st, k13, KFB of next st
R4: k
R5: k14, KFB of next st, k14, KFB of next st
R6: k
R7: k15, KFB of next st, k15, KFB of next st. 34 sts rem.
R8: k
Work chart, using colors A and B.
After finishing chart, work 16 rounds.
Dec for cuff:
K2, k2tog, k12, k2tog, k to end.
NR: *k2, k2tog* around. 24 sts rem.
NR: k1, *k2tog, k4* to last 3 sts. End k3.. 20 sts rem.
Switch to size 3 needles and work 1/1 rib for 4".
BO using JSSBO and a size 5 needle.

Pescovegetarian goldenrod.

Goldenrod being my idée fixe, I've got another g-rod FO to show ya'll. Finished these great mittens from the Pescovegetarian pattern (Rav link) for myself a couple of months ago, using the same Patons Classic worsted described in my Intuitive Goldenrod post. I love them truly.

The pattern is really lovely, and it's easier than it looks. But don’t use kitchener to finish, because it looks terrible on these mitts; to get the cute little point on each mitt, just pull through the last ten stitches as the pattern instructs. Trust me… I ended up blocking these using some sturdy twine to reshape the tops from the inside after realizing how crappy the grafting looked. And I normally love kitchener.

Used 8s the whole way through, with worsted held double. (Went down a needle size to fit my thin hands and for serious warmth/density.) The chart can be seen a little bigger if you click on the photo in Veera’s blog post. It takes you to her Flickr album. I mention it because some Ravelers complained that there’s no key (x = purls). But the key is visible in the Flickr image.

Other mods and stuff: to fit bony hands, CO 24. 1/1 rib for 18 rounds for a close-fitting cuff. Maintaining rib patt, increase to 30 sts in final rib row (work 4, m1, rep). Knit 2 full chart repeats before starting gusset increases. Where it says “Work two rounds. In the beg of 2nd needle k1, m1, k4, m1, knit to end of rnd,” work 2 FULL rounds, then do the M1s on the next round. Start top decreases when there are 10 ‘arrows’ on the mitten (not counting the little half one at the bottom), ending with a chart row 4.

Oh, and there’s a typo in this instruction: “Always make a ssk decrease in the beg of 2nd rnd and a k2tog decrease in the end of 3rd rnd.” It should say ‘needle’ instead of ‘rnd’ -- i.e., do a ssk at the beginning of needle 2, and a k2tog at the end of needle 3, every round. You’re done when 10 sts remain. The thumb was about 12 rounds long before decreases.

This is one of those "reverse shaping for the second mitten" set of instructions, so we're on our own with the left thumb gusset. Here's how to do it:
Knit sts on 1st and 2nd needles as usual. On 3rd needle, knit to last 3 sts, then m1, k2, m1, k1.
Work two full rounds. NR: on needle 3, k to last 5 sts, then m1, k4, m1, k1. Work two more full rnds.
NR: On needle 3, k to last 7 sts. CO2. Slip 6 sts to holder, k1.

And, believe it or not, I still have TWO MORE goldenrod things to show you. Dear Jesus! What is wrong with me!

Intuitive goldenrod.

Early in the winter, I determined that the best way to turn my magenta cold-weather coat from frumpy to arty is to trim it with a slew of winter accessories in goldenrod. (Hey, in art school I learned that magenta and goldenrod go together. It's color theory, friends.)

So, above you can see one piece from my personal "goldenrod collection" -- and, of course, me, looking like a burnout. Nice matted hair, Shaggy, where's Scoob? But anyway, this is my new favorite hat, perfectly slouchy and cute and goldenrod (or, as the creative minds at Patons term it, "yellow"). Despite the openwork lace, which, incidentally, was really fun to knit, this hat is warm because of the ear-covering ribbing, thick wool, and sheer amount of fabric involved in the slouch. I modified a Rav pattern called "Intuitive," adapting for bulky yarn -- more accurately, worsted weight held double.

Next post will feature my Pescovegetarian Goldenrod (mysterious, right?). Yes, sharing a pile-up of knitting FOs means a series of blog posts with titles that look like Captcha "are you human?" tests.

A gratitude that is never threadbare.

On this day, I enjoyed this editorial.

Family, food, and hanging out in the kitchen are some of my favorite things, so this holiday always ends up being a cozy, fun, happy one at our house. And although "[i]t is not the feast we give thanks for, but our presence at it," I am also grateful for the eats. And I am telling you -- I would put any amount of money on this -- no person on this planet could possibly tell that this was a vegan pumpkin pie with a block tofu in it! It's the best pumpkin pie I have ever had.

I'm thankful every day for my Ben and my Bee, and we had a beautiful holiday today with family. What a fun day. The little girl learned how to throw a ball today, and she GAVE ME A KISS, kind of a real kiss, for the first time! My heart pretty much melted and dripped out my big toe. Of course, I'd been begging her to give me a smooch on the cheek for about a week, ever since I realized she had entered some kind of mind-boggling, mental-sponge phase of existence during which we seem to be able to be able to teach her how to do just about anything.* I know learning how to give mommy a peck on the cheek isn't, at this point, much different than learning how to clap, or wave bye-bye, but I don't care. I choose to confer meaning upon this particular baby trick. I choose to consider it an act of affection [requiring significant persuasion].

I hope your holiday, Dear Reader, was filled, too, with tofu desserts and reluctant baby kisses! Happy Thanksgiving!

* Except sleep.

How to make a paper flower garland, plus birthday party recap

I keep meaning to write a little something about Bee's birthday party, a small but agreeable affair involving homemade cake, some magenta paper roses, and a handful of friends, neighbors, and like-aged toddlers. Now that I get around to blogging about it, of course, I realize that the first sentence of this paragraph sums it up compactly and completely. What else to say, except that we had a sweet little time? And that I am a lucky mama for sure. It's going to be a beautiful thing, watching these little ones -- Bee and her peers -- grow big.

Now. As for those cutie-cute paper flowers. What happened is, I made a rose garland for an inexpensive party decoration. (I'll tell you how below. It is really no big thing.) Ridiculously, I failed to get an acceptable picture of the finished garland, but I do have these pretty a priori pics of the paper flowers pre-stringing. They will do, I say. They made kind of a charming decoration in the dining room that day, and, nowadays, the roses are strung around the perimeter of Bee's white wicker bedroom mirror, a cute birthday souvenir that she would chew up at the first opportunity.

Here's how to make a paper rose garland.

You need:

One package of colored tissue paper, the kind used for gift wrapping.
A roll of green painters' tape ("frog tape").
Scissors.
A pen or marker. It's nice if the ink is close in color to that of the tissue paper, but a bit darker, so that your lines won't be visible on the finished flowers.
Sewing needle.
Green or transparent thread.
2 thumbtacks.

Instructions:

1. Unfold the tissue paper. Lay three or four sheets on top of each other (you're going to be maximizing your cutting by cutting through several sheets at once -- time is money, people!).
2. Use the roll of green painters' tape to trace circles onto the top sheet of tissue paper. Trace around the outer edge unless you want miniature flowers -- in which case, use the inner edge. Trace as many circles as you can fit onto the top sheet.
3. Cut out all the circles, cutting through all sheets.
4. Assemble the flowers. Grab four little circles, hold them together, and loosely fold in half. You're not going for a crease here... just sort of gently hold the circles in a folded-in-half position. Grab the center and twist so that the circles stay together.
5. Wrap about an inch and a half of green tape around the twisted part to make a bit of a stem.
6. Fluff out the petals!
7. After you've made all the flowers you can stand, thread the needle and sew through each of the flowers. They don't all need to go on facing the same direction. In fact, it looks better if they're not too meticulously arranged. Don't overthink it.
8. Leave enough thread at the beginning and end of the garland that you can tie a loop at each end. Use thumbtacks to hang. Do enlist somebody (do you have a husband or something?) to help you carry the garland when you're hanging it up. One human being at each end, please! If the thread gets tangled, you're in for several minutes of pre-party cussing.
   

And, postscript, I think an esteemed board of some kind should award me a Crafting Under Duress prize before the end of 2011, because I did a significant portion of this silly project* while holding a snoring baby in my arms.
* Not the part with the scissors.