(I surely can’t be the only person whose first thought upon hearing the words “weekend update” is Norm MacDonald. Or am I just showing how long it’s been since I last watched SNL?)
Anyway, to business! I had the occasion to attend a bridal shower for my cousin — the occasion, of course, being that she is engaged — and as has become tradition, I made her gift.
BRIDAL SHOWER MITT & POTHOLDER SET
Pattern: Felted Oven Mitt and Trivet from Felted Knits by Bev Galaskas; washclothes in single crochet and seed stitch
Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in White and Forest Heather; Sugar’n’Cream Cotton in Countryside and Summer Splash
Needles: US 11/8mm and US 13/9mm for the oven mitts and potholders; 5.5mm crochet hook and US 8/5.0mm for the washclothes
Notes:
I picked the colors to match the color scheme in the bride’s registry, completely forgetting that white never, ever felts as well as darker colors. The end result (which i attempted to skillfull hide with my artful arranging for the photograph) is a his-and-hers set. I think it adds to the charm and uniqueness of this set, of course, and there will be no mention of the adjectives I used when I was reminded of this fact of felting.
The oven mitt and coaster/trivet (what I call a potholder) patterns are my most used patterns out of Bev Galaskas’s marvelous Felted Knits book. I don’t do a lot of felting, but it just clicks for me in this pattern. You want a good, sturdy, waterproof layer between you and a hot pan, and felted wool is ideal for the task. I’ve used them for about a half-dozen wedding presents now, and it always goes over well — potholders and mitts seem to be one of those things that everyone needs but nobody thinks of until they’ve grabbed that hot pot with a bare hand. It’s an quick and easy pattern, and it’s satisfying to shrink it down. I tried a few yarns before settling on Wool of the Andes held doubled. It felts up very evenly and smoothly and has a nice heft. (Keep this in mind if choosing it for sweaters, as well, to avoid heartbreak.) It’s also economical, especially in a project like this where you’re going to wash the stitches into invisibility.
I also felt comfortable with crochet to actually try a real project with it! This little washcloth is just a simple single crochet. Nothing fancy, no tricks. Just single crochet over and over and over. It went a lot faster than the other washcloth, which was in seed stitch, and came out with some very interesting patterns when it pooled. This crochet thing is starting to grow on me. I might even try it again!
Prior to all this showering, I spent a few days up in Vermont with my mom, visiting my sister. She’s about to graduate college, has a job all lined up and is staying up there — I’m very proud of her, if I might just mention that. We took in the beauty of Lake Champlain and the mighty Green Mountains:
and I might have visited a few yarn stores (o hai thar Kaleidoscope and Northeast Fiber Arts Center). My mom, who is a quilter, then got her revenge by dragging me with her to several quilt shops. We are a very multi-craftual family. I am really fond of Vermont, and I’m glad my sister is staying up there so I can keep visiting the yarn shops her. Hi, Sis! Thanks for humoring the yarn habit!