Lawn Bowling Mitts

Awhile ago, I was asked to make some fingerless mitts for a lady with arthritis in her wrists, to keep her wrists warm while waiting for her turn to lawn bowl. Since, traditionally, lawn bowlers wear white, I was asked to use some baby yarn from my stash. They turned out like this.

I couldn't find a pattern for mitts in DK weight, so I made them up as I went along. Since I had no idea of the size of the recipients hands, I used a wide rib, which seemed to work for a wide variety of  hand sizes.

I have been asked for the pattern, so recently, I made a second pair, to figure out what my notes said. (I made notes, so the second mitt would match the first.)

This is a "wilder" version of the same yarn, and as I was knitting them I got even more requests for the pattern.

Yesterday, I actually typed up my notes, and produced my first pattern. My friend, Cheryl, of Grandma Coco's Designs, kindly proofread the draft for me. Any remaining mistakes are totally mine.


If you would like to knit a pair of Lawn Bowling Mitts (or texting mitts, or dog walking mitts), the  pattern is here:

Lawn Bowling Mitts Pattern

Meanwhile, for the kitten fans, Humphrey is currently an only kitten, since his siblings have returned to the shelter and been adopted. Not used to being alone, he has been hanging out with Dolly. I expect he will go for adoption later this week.

Fall Starts and Family Tree Finished

I went out this morning to discover this lovely creation, in my pine tree.

The early morning dew was sparkling on every thread. Obviously, someone stayed up late last night, knitting!

Meanwhile, my native hibiscus, with the lovely name of Swamp Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), is trying to squeeze the last bit of summer in.

When the flowers are fully open, they are the size of dinner plates, but I can't seem to catch one fully open. There are still lots of buds on it, so we may have flowers for a while, yet, if we can protect it from the frost.

I finally finished my Family Tree Shawl. That makes 6 shawls so far this year. I would think I was in a rut, except that they are all different patterns.

Here it is, in need of a good blocking.

I switched the Main Colour and Contrast Colour for the last section, and I am glad I did. I think the change in colour makes the tree stand out even more.

I like the look of the Latvian Braid, even if it is awkward to do on a piece as wide as this one. I am hoping that I can convince everything to lay flat and smooth, after I block it.

Family Tree - Clues 3 & 4

I am a week behind on this shawl. I started Clue 5 a full week after I received the clue. I know who to blame, too.

Pete is a cuddly teddy bear of a kitten, who just makes you want to pick him up and hug him. He has also figured out how to get the door open between the family room and the rest of the house, if the door isn't fully latched. So, I am spending time trying to catch him and put him back.

Claire just discovered how wonderful hands are for giving tummy rubs and pats. If I sit down with my knitting, around her, she climbs into my lap and bats at my hand to get me to use it on her tummy instead of my knitting.

Tummy Rub, Please

Humphrey got off to a slow start, and needed a couple of trips to the vet,  which used up 1 1/2  to 2 hours, each trip. The good news is that he is doing much better now, although he has acquired a taste for sitting on people to have his naps.

Humphrey and Claire

However, I am slowing making progress. Here is a picture of my finished Clue 3 and 4.

Close up of the "string of pearls".

Since I am running out of the Main Colour, I am going to switch the Main and Contrast for the final clue.

Tangling

I had an opportunity to attend a Zentangle workshop, being held as a fundraiser. I invited my future DIL to come to. We spent a lovely day, learning how to Zentangle. Since the weather was more like late October than early September, it seemed like a great way to spend a Saturday.

At the end of the workshops the participants made domino necklaces or frig magnets.

Mine is on the right and my DIL's is on the left. I think they look pretty good for our first attempt.

They are actual dominoes, see:

Now I would like to try it on my sewing machine!

KITTEN UPDATE

Alice, Gracie, and Emma were invited to take part in an "Adopt-athon" at a local pet store. Apparently they were a hit because they were adopted within the first few hours of the event. I am sure they are happy in their new homes.

Meanwhile, our new kitten staff are:

Humphery

Claire

Pete

Pete seems to be in constant movement, so I have to try and get a better picture of him. I haven't really had time to miss the previous batch!

Cats and Cwilts

I didn't get the little quilt finished before Marley went back to the shelter (it's a long story), however, it is finished now.

The "cwilt" is 18 inches by 24 inches.

I just did some simple quilting but it is good practice at quilting in straight lins.

Alice took it for a test nap.

More kitten pictures (for those who like kitten pictures) in yesterday's blog posting.

A "Quiet" Long Weekend

We had planned a quiet long weekend. We did have to return Marley to the shelter, so he could go up for adoption and find his new "forever" home.

What we didn't expect was to bring home this.

If you count the ears and divide by two, you discover there are 3 of them, three adorable 6 week old girls.

This is Alice.

This is Gracie, she moves too fast to get a good picture.

And this is Emma.

A five year old friend of mine was visiting and I asked her to suggest a name that begins with an "M", because she has an "M" on her forehead. She picked Emma. I suppose that is close! She is in a 2 litre berry basket and it's a perfect fit.

In my spare time, I am working on my Mystery Shawl. Only 42 more rows for this week!