Ingress Resistance Key Knitting Chart

Just designed this chart for us in fingerless mittens or knuckle gloves which I have yet to design. Wanted to share this as I haven't posted in a while. Nothing much of note has been happening around here to post about!
Anyways, enjoy:

Happy Blogaversary Giveaway

The contest is now closed! Please check back tomorrow morning to see if you are the winner!

Happy second Blogaversary to me! On March 1, 2011, I wrote my first Blog post. To celebrate this event, I've teamed up with a couple of very cool local merchants, Ambrosia and Nell Van Vorst, to bring you what I think is my best giveaway yet!
Ambrosia is an amazing shop! They specialize in the coolest chocolates I have ever tried, in flavors such as Raspberry (dark chocolate,*coconut puree,*honey,*raspberries,*eau de vie), Peaches & Cream (milk chocolate,*peaches,*coconut puree,*honey caramel), and Quetzalli (dark chocolate,*coconut puree,*cocoa nibs,*chili blend,*vanilla,*cinnamon,*honey) plus many others. How sweet do those sound??
They not only make epic chocolates, but they make tea, yarn (!) and honey as well.
I present to you, donated by Ambrosia...the Knitter's Delight:

Included in this prize box is a skein of yarn, made on Nantucket. They shear and wind the yarn themselves! Also, you get Lemon Balm Tea, and a jar of local honey.
I know you're asking, 'but Natalie, what awesome cup can I drink that tea with?' Well, one of the things Nell Van Vorst does, and very well, is make artistic, unique, one of a kind teacups. (Plus plates and teapots and vases and tiles, her talent seems endless!)
She is donating a handmade, hand painted Winter Berry teacup. Dishwasher and microwave safe! Check out her Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NellVanVorst
Need something to knit with that unique hand spun yarn? Included in the prizes is a copy of all of my patterns that normally have to be paid for, a total of four patterns. You can make a whale, a Happy Accident Toddler Hat, an elephant baby hat, or a soap holder!
Now, what happens if your hands get cold while knitting. We can't have that happening! You also get a pair of hand knit Simple Harm Warmers:

(Colors will be different than those pictured as each skein is different.)
Plus, chocolate!

Aren't those whales cute?!

All of the prizes are:
- hand spun yarn
- lemon balm tea
- a jar of local honey
- handmade hand painted Winter Berry teacup
- hand knit fingerless mitts
- four patterns
- chocolates

How do you win all this awesomeness? As usual, there are lots of ways to enter. (Being sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.)

- One, just leave a comment.
- Two, like Ambrosia, Nell Van Vorst AND Nantucket Knitter on Facebook, then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Three, share this Blog post in some way, then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Four, follow my Blog then leave a comment saying you've done so. If you're already a follower, just leave a comment saying that!

On March 8th around noon est, I will pick a winner with the random number generator from the folks at random.org.

Please leave some way to contact you in at least one of your comments! If you're an anonymous or no reply blogger, please leave an email or ravelry user name. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, please check back on march 8th to see if you're the winner!
The winner MUST contact me within fourty-eight hours or another winner will be chosen.
While the contest is open internationally, you must make certain I am allowed to send things such as tea, honey, and chocolate to your country.

Friday Finishes - A New Linky Party

I miss having a linky party on Fridays so much, I decided to to start my own Friday linky. Plus, having a reason to have a finish every week isn't a bad thing either.
Please join me this Friday, and hopefully many thereafter, in this party! You can post any finish, from knitting, sewing, crocheting, cooking, even finishing that book you keep meaning to pick up! Hey, even cleaning your house. Anything you finished over the week, link here on Fridays!
I am going to be hosting the party on this Blog, as my other one I try to keep just for knitting, and I will probably want to link to other projects as well.
When you join, just link back to my blog in your post with my Friday Finishes button, or a link, whatever, and try to leave comments on anyone else who enters - I hope others enter! *Finger's Crossed.*

Mini Christmas Stockings, Anyone?!

Soo excited to try these:
Mini Christmas Stockings. And this was a pretty much pointless post, I just go too excited when I saw those.

Cashmere Spirogyra?!

Just really proud of these mitts I made for my mom for her birthday and wanted to share! They are made out of hand dyed 100% cashmere. This cashmere is dyed in batches so small, the company doesn't even make dye lots. They are made with the pattern Spirogyra from knitty.com, and they were a blast.

Lena Loo Legwarmers, and others

These are legwarmers I knit for my daughter. She's one fancy little girl - they're made from hand painted silk blend yarn. It's been lyring around for so long, I just had to use it. You can't tell from the pic, but they've got a lace and cable pattern on the front. They've got a ruffle on the end, and they're just epic. I only wish I made them a tad longer. They've been dubbed "Lena Loo Legwarmers", as her nickname is (one of the many, anyways) is Lena Loo.

Here's a pair of mitts I knit for my friend Danielle. I am so in love with them, I didn't want to give them to her. But as she paid me for them, I really had no choice.

In red as well. Oh, by the way, they're made with cashmere blend yarn. Yum!

All pretty and wrapped up.

The palm cable on the mitts. Shameless advertising - it can all be purchased at Natalie's Knits. Oh, I dyed my own yarn today. With Food Coloring. Mine didn't come out that bright, but I'm okay with that. It's a nice shell pink / Whitish variagated (sorry if the spelling is rubbish) wool, and I'm calling it Nantucket Red to fancy it up. In case you don't know what Nantucket Red is.

Favorite Thing Friiiiiiiiday!

My Favorite Thing at the moment is making money doing something I love. I uploaded a picture of a mitt I knitted to Facebook recently, and I've gotten quite a few commissions (don't have spellcheck on this computer don't know if that's spealt right :p) for them. So....yay.
Favorite Things Friday

Magdalena Mitts

OKAY - Magdalena Mitts

This is the first pattern I have ever created. Thought I would share and see if anyone else would do it!


Using US size one DPN, CO 45 st

Round one - *p1, k1, p2, k1, repeat from *
Round two thru four - repeat round one
Round five - *p1, wrap 4, repeat from *
Round six thru nine - repeat round one
Round ten - p1, k1, *p1, wrap four, repeat from *, using two st from next round to complete patt. Do not, however, change starting point of next round.
Repeat rounds one thru ten once. (Rounds 11 thru 20)
Rounds 21 thru 24 - repeat round one
Round 25 - Repeat round five
Round 26 - Repeat round one


Placing Thumb:
Round 27 - p1, k1, p2, k1, k5 with scrap yarn, slip last five st back to left needle, finish round in patt with working yarn

Rounds 28 & 29 - Repeat round one
Round 30 - Repeat round ten
Rounds 31 thru 34 - Repeat round one
Round 35 - Repeat round five
Rounds 36 thru 39 - Repeat round one
Round 40 - Repeat round ten
Rounds 41 thru 44 - Repeat round one
Round 45 - Repeat round five

BO all st.


Thumb:
Carefully remove scrap yarn, placing five st on one dpn, and four on the other. K5 on lower DPN, pickup 2 st. K4 on second DPN, pickup 1 st. k2, p2 one round. BO purlwise.


Finishing:
Weave in all ends.

Wrap four: With yarn in back, slip next four st purlwise. Bring yarn to front. Slip st back to left needle. Bring yarn in back. Slip stitches back to right needle. Keep tension quite firm.