Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A hand for hands, plus to-die-for mitts

I found this cool glove-dryer in the shed at the cottage this summer:


It is so perfect for me, though not because I am a successful knitter of things for hands.  I still can't face all the fingers of a glove, and as you may recall the twined mitts I knit so diligently over the summer still don't have their ends run in, plus I actually bought a pair of handknit mitts so I wouldn't have to make them myself, ahem.

Nope, it's perfect for me and I expect for any of you reading Hugs, because we use our hands for more than, say, getting bok choy into a pan for lunch.  You know, when we feel called upon to make up for eating the world's biggest cinnamon-sugar bun from the bakery for breakfast, because it was labeled 'breakfast bun', which is pretty misleading if you ask me because there didn't seem to be any additional vitamins or minerals in there.  Not even a raisin.  (And golly was it delicious.)

Look at all the great stuff we do with our hands - knit, crochet, sew, make art, admire yarn and fiber, and sometimes even spin it to boot.

The hand is inside the cottage now, hanging up on a wall.


It's a lot more reflective of me than the loon-related art there that reflects the location, and I love that my uncle not only found it in some shop but valued it enough to buy it.

* * * * *

As is probably true for you, I normally find hand-making crafty things relaxing... but yesterday it was more like work.

First I sat in on a sewing bee and spent two and a half hours on one solitary hemming job (next time I will just baste) and my hands were so sore!  Even though I did dig out a thimble eventually.  Still, good to hang out with girlfriends old and new.  And Marilou brought oatmeal raisin cookies.  Does eating those make up for there not being raisins in my 'breakfast bun' I wonder?

Later I sat in on a class for kids.  My goal in such situations is always to be unobtrusively productive and bombed because the boys just as much as the girls kept turning around, away from where they were supposed to be looking, to check out my knitting.  Which I was doing pretty slowly owing to the still-sore hands, leading to a double Fail on the double goal.  I kept dropping the knitting lower and lower into my lap but I guess the stripes were too eye-catching: whoops!  Must find something less interesting to do another time.

* * * * *

I know I said I am lousy at making covers for my hands, but I am so changing my tune for Louise's new mitts (which I am afraid do not fall into the 'less interesting' category):


They are called Diagon Alley.  There is a matching hat.  I am in love.  Also I have some of the requisite yarn. (are you surprised?) 

You can get the pattern for both with four other patterns (including my Strawberry Sundae hat!) with the purchase of two skeins of her Gobelin yarn, which I can highly recommend as a luscious knitting experience.

And now if you will excuse me, there is a couch with my name on it, plus a sock that is waiting for a toe.  See you tomorrow!

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