Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Tea towels and the coziest of cozies

Wow, what a completely gorgeous day we are experiencing here! It was chilly and crisp this morning and now it's a sunny, breezy, LOVELY afternoon! Windows open, curtains fluttering in the cool breeze. Bliss.

Birthday weekend with Ginan and other assorted family members was a blast and a total success! I can now reveal that I knitted her a fantastic (if I do say so myself!) tea cozy of my own pattern. Simplistic, cushy, and in tea-friendly colors with sweet little accents that make it all my own. Er, her own. I put the cozy on the tea pot during church Sunday morning so it was there in all its glory when she got home! I love this pattern, and I need to get its rights reserved so I can share; it is so easy and wonderful and variations are endless. I came up with the pattern when I was sent an AWESOME care package on my birthday my last year in college from Fiance's mom. She sent me 3 different kinds of yarn and some cool patterns to try. How thoughtful, right?

I also crocheted Ginan a tea towel of the on-the-oven-door variety. For those of you out there who have tried to do this, let me save you a lot of time, hand aches, and general frustration. FIND A TINY HOLE PUNCHER. I tortured my hands trying to poke holes with just my crochet hook and brute strength long enough to know. It took me nearly an HOUR to make my first crocheted-top towel because I had not yet discovered the hole puncher. Next time I tried, I made two in 30 minutes, with no bruises or redness to show for it! Blessings! This is a great project for anyone. People always need towels for the kitchen, and personalizing them with the crocheted top is a great way to say, "Hey, I love you enough to spend time on this gift!". The towels also work great in guest bathrooms and, as I said, they can be crocheted to match the decor. LOVE these towels! I have dozens of them from my Auntie and used them all through college and will be taking them with me to my new apartment!

Yes, the time has come. Fiance is moving into the apartment (we will share upon marrying) in a week. A WEEK!!! I keep telling him that it's "our" apartment, even though he will be living there first. I have to keep up with a constant stream of this brainwashing so that "our" apartment does not have the same fate as "his" bachelor-pad apartment had. I can't wait to move in and add all of my homeyness to the place. And the kitchen is absolutely glorious; so spacious and lots of cabinets!! Soon those cabinets will be home to the appliances and dishes (and towels!) we register for (and make!) !!! This is such an exciting place of life for me right now! (can ya tell by the excessive use of exclamation marks?)

I have a bit of a gap until the next birthday, but I'm pretty excited to get started on HER. Ro is fun to make things for, and easy to match - find something red and she will love it. Make something for her kitchen and she will love it. Something for her coffee table and she will love it. She also likes to drop lots of hints on what she wants, so I really just have to pick a few from the mental list. So easy. =P Until then, though, that's all that's on the knitting front.

How awesome are my siblings/future husband with my birthday presents, though? Awesome enough to get me lots of iTunes and Amazon gift cards! I'm so used to rationing myself on books and music and now I get to go a little crazy. I'm so excited! The first book I bought is turning out to be kindof a dud, though. It had such great potential: murder mystery, centered on the role of an executioner in a small German town in the middle ages; children turning up dead with witches marks on them! I'm almost finished with it, and it's just not taking the kind of turns I'd hoped. I'm greatly disappointed. Luckily, a woman left "The Time Traveler's Wife" at the gym lending library, which I (tragically) can't get on my Kindle. So I'm reading that, too. Great book.

Hope everyone enjoys this weather while it lasts, and happy knitting!

lots of love, bianca

2 comments:

  1. Hahahaha!! You know me so well! And Gianna's birthday gifts were GLORIOUS and so beautiful -- have I mentioned how much of a genius you are with those knitting needles?

    PS. SO EXCITED about YOUR new apartment as the McDowell's-to-be!! Can't wait to see all of your homey touches :)

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  2. LOVE my cozy and my over-the-oven towel! You are a genius. And I love you. And am excited to see Ro's gifts in May. :)

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