The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
We are expecting a large or else small snowstorm, so I'm trying to get things hunkered down here. But how about a quick look at some crafting and then on to our links!
I made two pairs of these Minky Mittens — one for Deirdre's little boy and one for Nora. (These are Nora's.)
I adore the colorwork. Not only is it super appealing to look at, it feels so great. It's my first try using two colors! I will put my notes on Ravelry (I'm leilamarie on there) soon.
Basically, the pattern needs tweaking if you want the thumbs to be offset, which of course you do, and for the tops to be a little more shapely in the decrease/top. I like this simple, old-fashioned pattern for mittens. I like that it's a chart (not a pattern chart but a chart of sizes), and it's clearly written.
But of course I liked the colorwork on these — and then trying to adapt the pattern spelled doom for my knitting distraction problem.
I could have knit 5 pairs of mittens in the time it took me to knit one, but it got done in the end. This, alas, is the story of my knitting life. Dive in, try to hack/adapt, knit, tink (undo), get in a twist, redo, repeat.
By the way, using two colors makes the mittens much warmer, because you are essentially doubling up on the layers of wool.
I will show you a few more things I made later on!
Today's links:
- A blog I always find edifying: Fr. Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment. A priest of the Ordinariate, Fr. Hunwicke is erudite, clear, and refreshingly direct.
- Have you looked at duolingo? If you want to brush up on a language or give your kids easy, motivating practice, I think this app/site is a good one. I'm brushing up on my French and German and find it a little obsessing! The Chief is doing Spanish and Bridget is doing French.
- I love reading about my favorite authors: P. G. Wodehouse in the New Yorker.
- This probably needs a post of its own, but I will throw it on here now: A scan of an old book from the time before the changes in the Church when many people tried to bring traditional chant back into worship. In this case, a lovely book of songs that tell salvation history using ancient chants. The illustrations are charming! It's important to read the instructions on how to sing chant, which differs from more familiar metrical music in that it is more relaxed and is never forced into an even rhythm. I also suggest getting children used to hearing monks singing these same tunes (with the liturgical texts) so they know how they should sound. In other words, the originals should be the model, and then the little poems in this book can be part of their religious education.
From the archives:
- If you live somewhere cold, you need to know how to dress properly — and how to dress your children. Did you know that children (and everyone, really) can get chilblains if not dressed for the weather, even indoors? Do you want to lower your heat a little so it's less stuffy and more economical? Well, you need this information! (And please, if you live in Arizona or something, spare me the rant about how you are NOT putting an undershirt on your child. I get it.)
- This time of year I get a lot of emails from parents who are feeling overwhelmed by homeschooling. That's normal. Step back a little and adjust your vision.
Today is the feast of St. Raymond Penafort, a canon lawyer of great faith and devotion. Let's pray for his intercession in these confused days! And a happy Epiphany to you all, whether you celebrated yesterday or are celebrating tomorrow!
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Angelique says
Traditionalcatholicliving.com has some sound recordings of those chants for children. Thanks for reminding me of them! I might use them with my 1st grader next year.
Elisa says
I’m Protestant and celebrating my first Epiphany tomorrow. Our pastor is coming over to bless and chalk our house and we are having King Cake. I wish I’d known these traditions when my boys were still at home, but better late than never. Thanks for the inspiration.
NY Mom says
Beautiful mittens! Color-stranding is sooo satisfying and makes such a sturdy piece in the end. Similar to this is using wool roving when you knit the bottoms – meaning the sole – of socks. It adds a super-warm layer, especially for heavier socks that will be worn in snow boots. It will eventually be compacted, but still adds that extra layer of warmth. You carry it along as though you were carrying a second color, and weave along as you go.
I have a pattern book from the Nomis Yarn Co. , Stoughton, MA, from 1946, filled with those Norwegian sweaters for adults and children. I almost never see them – or the heavier Lopi sweaters – worn anymore. The Norwegian patterns were my first attempts at color-stranding, and I was amazed at how easy and fun it was.
And…YEARS ago, I read an article in Yankee Magazine about an octogenarian knitter in Maine who was a boiled-wool knitted mitten maker for the fishermen there. I recall a photo of her stirring this heavy pot on her stove as she literally boiled her knitted things to shrink and tighten them. I remember being incredibly impressed and inspired at this vestige of New England practicality. As they say (now)…skillz!
Leila says
NY Mom, I really want to knit with roving! I can just feel the mitts made with htose little tufts.
I felted Bridget’s hat — a post to come on that. It made it so much warmer, I think!
Jennifer Gregory Miller says
That copy of “Story of Redemption for Children” was mine, scanned by CMAA. It is so good! I’m glad to see it’s getting popular. I think it can tie in very closely with the atrium, also, since it follows salvation history and the Liturgical Year. The original is two or three color, but scanning in color was too expensive at the time.
Corpus Christi Watershed has lovely videos/recordings of each song but the introduction.
http://www.ccwatershed.org/blog/2015/oct/26/story-redemption-children-1952/
Leila says
Jennifer, that’s so amazing! I came across it because my friend had a copy from her mother’s house, and I wanted her husband to scan it for me. It occurred to me to check online to save him the job, and sure enough, there it was!
I didn’t notice that it was not as colorful (I only saw her copy briefly). Maybe we can do something about that.
I would like to see this sort of thing used in the Atrium. I think it would correct some of the lapses, both in music and in emphasis.
Mrs. B. says
If I tell my husband about something “erudite British priest” wrote, he knows it’s Fr. Hunwicke I’m talking about 🙂 And he’s so witty too!
I want to make mittens for my youngest, too, but I think I will stick to one color: I haven’t knit anything with two colors yet, nor in the round – I think it’s time for a very easy hat. I got knitting fever last week and made a headband of chucky lace for my daughter in less than 24 hours – the joining seam was far from perfect, but she’s delighted with it.
We did celebrate the Epiphany on the 6th, thanks to our parish priest who said an unscheduled traditional Mass. It feels wrong to have the Epiphany on any other day – old Befana only knows of Jan. 6th!
I dream of a new Pope Gregory who will soon give the Church a harmonized calendar, eliminating contradictions like the current state of the Epiphany. How can the Church be truly universal if a major feast is on one day in a country, and another day in another country? Of course the Church even now has different rites with slightly different calendars (Ambrosian rite people are the luckiest: no Ash Wednesday and a longer Advent!), but within the Roman rite we can’t go on with national differences, and even worse with one traditional calendar and a Novus Ordo calendar. The old calendar needs to be updated to add feast days for more recent saints. The new calendar could use some pruning of bad novelties. End of rant 😉
Teri Pittman says
I have this book: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/fox–geese–fences-a-collection-of-traditional-maine-mittens
I still have a pair of stranded mittens that I made for my late husband. They really are warm. I’ve got some Shetland yarn that doesn’t have a project. Might be worthwhile to knit a pair of two of mittens.
Helena says
Oh my goodness, I LOVE Fr. Hunwicke! So wise, so grounded, and so witty. In fact, your blog and his have changed how I think about the pedagogical potentials of the internet.