Vehnän Mitts - a free pattern

Recently, I was trolling the web for funky ribbing stitches to finish off my Knucks. When I found the prefect ribbing, I kept noticing a beautiful stitch being displayed in the sidebar. The website had dubbed it the "Wind in the Wheat" stitch.
I loved it so much, I had to make some mitts out of it. And, since I have some unexplainable obsession with all things Finnish, I decided to name them Vehnän Mitts; Vehnän being Finnish for wheat. (Well, really, it means "common wheat"). Vehnän Lapaset is roughly translated to Wheat Mitts, but I thought that may be a bit unwieldy on the tongue.

You can knit these mitts in a weekend and they take less than a skein.

What you need
Yarn: Any DK weight. Shown in Gloss DK yarn by KnitPicks, in cream; number 24985
Needles: A Set of US number Five DPNS or circular long enough for Magic Loop method.
Notions Tapestry needle, stitch marker
Note: If you’re making these gloves with only two DPNs or using the Magic Loop method, the stitches will rearrange themselves on the needles. I recommend arranging the stitches back to an even amount on each needle every time you work round 12.

Wheat in the Wind stitch adapted from the instructions found here: http://www.craftcookie.com/knitting-stitches/eyelet-lace-stitches/162-wheat-in-the-wind

Wheat in the Wind stitch
Rounds 1 & 3: p1, k11; repeat from *
Round 2 & all other even rounds: Knit all sts
Round 5: * p1, k1, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k4; repeat from *
Round 7: * p1, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k3; repeat from *
Round 9: * p1, k3, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k2; repeat from *
Round 11: * p1, k4, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k1; repeat from *
Round 12: Knit all sts
These rounds form the Wheat in the Wind stitch.

- Instructions
Arm/Wrist
CO 36 sts on three DPNs. Join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist. Place marker to indicate beginning of round.
Work one inch of k1, p1 ribbing. K one row.
Work Wheat in the Wind rounds 1 – 12 three times. A total of 36 rows worked.
Work Wheat in the wind rounds one and two.

Place Thumb
Work 18 sts in patt, knit next six sts with scrap yarn. Move the six sts worked back to the right needle. With working yarn, resume in patt until the end of the round.

Hand
Finish working remaining Winds in the Wheat rounds.
K 3 rounds straight.
Work one inch in K1, P1 ribbing.
Bind off in patt.

Thumb
Carefully remove waste yarn and place resulting live sts on needles; there will be 6 sts below the opening and 5 sts above. Attach yarn and k 6 sts below the opening; pick up and k 2 sts in space between below and above. K 5 sts from above opening; pick up and k 2 sts in space between this needle and lower needle. 15 sts.
K one row.
Next row: K6, K2tog, K to end of round. 14 sts.
Work K1, P1 ribbing for three rounds.
Bind off in patt.

Finishing
Weave in all ends. Enjoy!

Abbreviations
Sl1kw: Slip one stitch knit-wise
PSSO: Pass slipped stitch over
YO: Yarn over
K2Tog: Knit two stitches together

Pattern copyright 2012 Natalie Gonzalez. Please do not make these to sell, unless for charity.

We have some winners!

Wow, I can't believe how many entries there were for the skein giveaway! That is a record for me, thanks everyone for checking my Blog out!
Yeah yeah, you're all just waiting for the winners, I know...Well, firstly, here's the soap winner:

Using the random number generator from the super cool awesome folks at random.org, I have the winner! It's comment number 10, which is...

Well thank YOU, mamagiff, for entering! I am messaging you on Ravelry as I type (yes I am that talented, and have four hands) to find out where to ship your booty!
Now for the giveaway I think you've all been waiting for...Do I hear a drum roll? No? Just choose a winner already? Yes!
The mini skein giveaway winner is...

Which is:

Yay congrats you winners! I will be messaging you for addresses.
(TA Noonan please e-mail me within 48 hours of this post at natalie@nantucketknitter.com with your mailing address!)
Now, this giveaway was successful. Like, way beyond what I thought it would be. I sold enough patterns through the exposure to the site to pay for shipping both giveaways, which makes it all worthwhile for me.
For now, it's going to be a monthly thing - at least, I am going to have a Christmas themed giveaway next month. It may have to be moved to bi-monthly, depending on how it goes, but I for one am keeping my finger's crossed that it can be every month!
Now, I am excited for next month's giveaway. Not sure quite when it's going to start yet, but it'll probably be around the 15th of November and run 'til the 30th.
Want a hint about what it's going to include? Yes? Well, how about some Bonbons? And not just any Bonbons, but sparkly ones! Thus far, I know that next month will include two packs of Bonbons mini skeins, one is celebrate and one in sparkle!
Which other colorways caught your eye? Let me know in the comments!
Oh, another thing. Next month's giveaway may just be hosted on my other Blog, Smiles are Contagious, as it's going to include some things maybe not directly related to knitting, and I try to keep things on here just for knitting. But, again, we'll see!
Oh, almost forgot. I've also got something in next month's giveaway for any small knitters in your life. 'Cause I am all about starting them onto this particular addiction as early as possible!

If I do not hear from the winner(s) within 48 hours of this post I will pick an alternate winner(s).

Hey everyone, remember to check out my other Blog this Friday for my very first Linky Blog Party:

Wee Fairy Folk Tutorial

Some wee fairy folk, out of some objects from around the house and some stuff we found on our walks. Perfect for a stormy day indoor activity!

(I am so sorry for the quality of this and some of the next few images. The lighting is not the best right now and apparently I can't camera.) First, bend a pipe cleaner into the rough shape of a body - two arms, two legs and a neck. Forget the head - who needs a head?!

Then you make a skirt. Cut however many pieces into whatever size circle you want, with small holes in the center of each one.

Then stick the legs through and push it up to the waist!

The shirt is a rectangle with a hole in the center. Stick the neck through the hole and tie around the waist with a bit of string.

This is what it will look like!

Then take a break to enjoy the four year old's acorn art!

Then take a bead, attach some fun wool hair with a wee acorn for a hat and glue it on the neck. Make it a mate to play with and let them romp in an indoor fairy garden!
There you have it - an indoor hurricane activity sure to last for longer than a handful of puzzles! Enjoy!

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 reading that book book you never finished! Hey, even cleaning your house. Anything you finished over the week, link here on Fridays!
I am going to be hosting the party on my other Blog, Smiles are Contagious, as this one I try to keep just for knitting, and I will probably want to link to other projects as well. But I will probably link up from this one with knitting projects.
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 enter - I hope others enter! *Finger's Crossed.*

Mini Skein Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed! Finding out the winners now, check back soon!

Hey all you Bee Keeper Quilter's out there! And I won't forget you Mini Mania Scarfer's. Not to mention anyone making ornaments or toys...
Anyone want to win 15 mini skeins?!

I was going through my stash and realized I have way too much yarn, and lots of it is the half skein variety. And I know all of us Bee Keeper's are always looking for new and awesome (awesome!) yarn to add to their quilts. So I thought - why not give some of it away?
I am giving away the 13 pictured plus two surprise solid minis.
Pictures left to right
First row:1-6 are Storied Yarns, 7 is one I dyed.
Second Row: 1-3 are sparkly mini skeins from Knit Picks, 4-5 are random sock yarns, self striping, and 6 is a Madeline Tosh sock yarn.
Same old rules. You can enter lots of times.
- Just leave a comment.
- Share this post then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Follow this blog then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Like me on Facebook, then leave a comment saying you've done so. The link to FB is above in the links section.
That's four chances!
I will leave this contest open for a while, I want any Bee Keeper or scarf maker to have a chance to see this and enter if they so desire.
So, how about Halloweenish?! The contest will close October 30, 'round about noon time est.
If you're leaving a comment as anonymous or are a no-reply blogger, either leave your e-mail (or some other way of contacting you, such are your Ravelry name) in the comment or be sure to check back here on Nov 1st to see if you've won!

New Pattern and a Giveaway!

This contest it closed. Please check back on the 31st to see if you've won! (I am having one entry for both contest winners.)
(Giveaway info towards the bottom)
I just posted a brand new pattern to Ravelry. A trio of awesome soap holders!
I have been knitting away at Christmas stuff, and I have been trying to make a soap caddy type thing for a Winter Swap I am doing. I have all of this wonderful organic homemade soap and nothing to package it in! After going through many patterns I didn't quite like I decided to make my own.
Click here to get knitting!

There is an owl, a woven stitch, and a funky textured one.
These caddies are awesome! They knit up in a flash and are great for newbies to working in the round. Knit out of ‘washcloth yarn’, they can be hung in your shower and double as washcloths. Leave the soap inside for a louffa type thing!

Now for that giveaway! In honor of my new pattern, I am giving away a woven stitch soap holder along with a bar of wonderful Drift Away Soap. Also, you will receive a paper copy of the pattern.
The soap is amazing! A natural scent called Nantucket Gardens (a loverly lavender scent with seasalts and seaweed), by DriftAway Soaps. It is 4.4 oz.
Same old rules. You can enter lots of times.
- Just leave a comment.
- Share this post then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Follow this blog then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Like me on Facebook, then leave a comment saying you've done so. The link to FB is above in the links section.
That's four chances!
I will leave this contest open til...let's say Saturday the 27th around noon time est.
- Buy a soap holder here: my etsy store
- DriftAway Soaps: www.driftawaysoap.com
- Soap ingredients: Organic extra virgin olive oil, water, organic coconut oil, organic sunflower oil, lye (none remains after saponification), organic avocado oil, organic hempseed oil, essential oils of clarysage, cedarwood, bergamot, and lavender; powdered seaweed, sea salt

28

I am.