Who needs mothers day?

We don't do 'Mothers day' in our family with the theory that mothers are special every day and not just because the calendar says so. So it is always a pleasure and a treat when my lovely DD comes home with some flowers for no other reason than she saw them and thought I would like them. That really makes me feel loved.


I've been making a flower too,

for this months Baker's Dozen square I decided on the Crocodile stitch dahlia block, which wasn't as difficult as it first looked thanks to a well written pattern (as long as you remember it uses american crochet terms)

And talking of crochet (do you see how everything follows on neatly in this post?) I seem to have caught the hooky bug and this little lady flew off my hook this weekend


She is actually supposed to be a bunny but having embroidered the face DD and I decided she looked much more like a bear, so I adapted the ears to match and here she is, a bit of a strange little creature, but she will be finding her way into a charity parcel of some sort and hopefully a little person will give her a new home and love her.

Little Love Project

Working for a large company has it's advantages - each year they allow us one working day to do something charitable (whilst still paying us) and usually it involves something like gardening for a local hospice, repainting a childrens club, digging at the local National Trust place or some other similarly energetic endeavour.

This year for us it was different, a clever knitty friend, Denise, who you can find over at ToadRockStreet thought of the wonderful idea of having a charity knitting day! I mean, what could be better than spending all day knitting and being paid for it!
She discovered that the Little Love Project, a local charity providing items for Special Care Baby Units, were having problems finding people to knit for them and set about organising our day (and a brilliant job she did too). I was asked to help on the technical side as she seems to be under the impression that I am a little bit obsessed with knitting, now where did that idea come from I wonder ;0) and Susie our department secretary (well that's what she calls herself but it is a considerable understatement of her abilities) joined us to share her administrative skills, and on 12th June the big day arrived.

I had knitted several samples


as had Denise and Susie and we laid them out with the patterns


We had some donations of yarn (doesn't it look great displayed in those baskets?)

there was a table of food (well if you knew the office I work in that wouldn't suprise you at all) and music in the background, hostesses (the non-knitters in our office who came to welcome people and provide us with tea and coffee) in fact, everything you could need.

Over the course of the day no less than 37 people came to join us, some for the day, some for a morning or afternoon, and few who couldn't get time away from their jobs dropped in during their lunch hours and we had a marvelous sewer who made the cutest baby gowns (for those little angels who don't make it). The local press came and took photos, the psychologist founder of the Little Love Project, Tanya Wright, joined us and at the end of the day there were almost 130 items ready or almost ready to be given to the charity.

An amazing result from an amazing day.

The response was so good that we are now starting a charity knitting club at work, continuing to support Little Love but adding in some different challenges from time to time for variety.

I wish I had taken more pictures, and/or had a better eye for them, "tries hard could do better springs to mind", I really don't think I have done the day justice but it really was the best day at work I have had, ever!

Simple Preemie Mittens

I was asked to find a simple pattern for preemie mitts for a little project we have going at work (more about that in another post) but despite trawling the web I failed dismally. I sat there frustrated for a few moments before a lttle light bulb came on above my head - if there wasn't one to be found, then I would write one!
So here, for my colleagues, and anyone else who would like to knit some for charity, is the ellusive

Simple Preemie Mitten Pattern

Available in two sizes; tiny and small
using 2.75mm and 3.25mm needles and oddments of 4ply

Using smaller needles cast on 23st (27sts)
Work 8 (10) rows in K1,P1 rib

Change to larger needles and, starting with a knit row, knit in stocking stitch until work
measures 1 3/4" (2") from cast on, ending with a purl row.

Shaping the top.
Larger size only:
K1,(sl1,K1,psso,K8,K2tog,K1) twice (23sts)
next and every alternate row - purl
both sizes
K1, (sl1,K1,psso, K6,K2tog, K1) twice (19sts)
next and every alternate row - purl
K1, (sl1,K1,psso, K4, K2tog, K1) twice (15sts)
smaller size only
K1, (sl1,K1,psso, K2, K2tog, K1) twice (11sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining 11sts, (15sts), draw up firmly and fasten off. Join seam as flat as possible.

Please feel free to use this pattern for charity or your own personal use, but please do not use it, or any items made from it, for profit.