Fantastic Fingerless Gloves

 

 

Fantastic Fingerless Gloves

 

 

 

For Christmas this year we went very "budget-friendly" and I made almost all the gifts we gave... which included five pairs of these gloves  :)  They are the easiest peasiest little things to create!  In fact, I am making another pair for a friend this week who saw one of my gifted pairs.  This is a beginner pattern, nothing but knit and pearl and a darning needle to sew up the sides!  So, while the snow falls tonight I will be making another pair  - you should too!

 

This pattern was found at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/waffle-stitch-fingerless-gloves a wonderful site with LOTS of ideas, check it out for yourself :)

 

Pattern: 

Supplies:

80 -100 yards worsted weight 3 ply yarn

Size 7 knitting needles

A darning needle

What to do:

Cast on 36 stitches

Do 1 waffle stitch set: 1 set is 4 rows - Rows 1 & 2 K2 P2 (to end) Rows 3 & 4 Knit all stitches

Next, 10 rows of stockinette ( Knit one row, Pearl one row)

Work waffle set 7 more times

Do 4 rows of stockinette

Work waffle set 1 time

Knit 2 rows

Bind off

 

To sew up the sides I left a long "tail" on my knitted piece and sewed from the top down to the start of the waffle set and left a gap for my thumb 3 waffle sets long.  I begin sewing again on the beginning of the fourth set and sewed to the end of the glove (hopefully the picture clears this up).  I did it several different ways, and this seemed to be the best. 

 

 

Leave a comment with any questions you may have!  Enjoy this easy, fun and rewarding project - get knitting!

 

 

Sugar Scrub

 

Sugar Scrubs

My husband and I just got back from a lovely vacation to Cozumel - it was beautiful!  And the best part?  My skin looked amazing!  It was soft, supple, and moisturized (so moisturized it almost looked fake!).  OK, so maybe that wasn't the best part...  But for me, that is a feat!  My skin is always terribly dry and cracked in the New England winters.  So, now that I am back from my winter respite, it is time to break out the sugar scrub and keep my hands Cozumel-like.

 

 

The recipe for this could not be simpler!  I am going to guess you have the ingredients on hand already, so run to your kitchen and whip this up!

 

 

Sugar Scrub Basic Recipe



2 cups of White Sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Light Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Peppermint Extract

Mix together in a bowl and store in an airtight container (I have had mine for two months now with no "rotting" problems).  To use, place about one tablespoon on your hands and scrub together gently for 30 seconds or so and rinse in warm water - voila!  Exfoliated and moisturized skin!  I did not find this combination too greasy but, if you do, go ahead and leave out the extra 2 tablespoons of oil.  The extract is also optional.  I tend to be very sensitive to scents, but this is gentle enough I had no issues with it.  You can mix it up with essential oils if you would prefer something other than peppermint - get creative, you can't go wrong with this stuff!  It is also wonderful on dry feet, knees, and elbows, go ahead and make a double batch and leave a container of it in your shower - Enjoy!

Twine "Baskets"

If you are anything like me, you are horrified by the price of baskets these days...  We splurged on one really nice TV stand for our living room, but, it has been ruined by stacking our DVDs on it!  So, they other day I decided I wanted a basket or two to fix it up real pretty :)  Problem was, I am way too cheap to buy them!  So, I took leftover twine (which can be bought at local craft stores or super stores) and I took some of my leftover Christmas boxes (a shoe box and amazon box) and I got to work!

I heated up my hot glue gun and cut the flaps off the top of the box then ran a strand of glue along the bottom of the box and attached the twine all the way around.  It is best to glue the entirety of the first strand on to the box so the twine does not slip off the bottom.  Then, becoming sparing with the glue, I would chose a different spot to glue on each side just to make sure it was attached at various points.  If this doesn't make sense, please feel free to ask questions!  I don't have pictures because I did it when my husband wasn't available to take pictures, and he is my photographer :) 

You can use any size box you wish, and I believe there are several size twines - I chose the thin one because that is what I had leftovers of.  Have fun making these cheap "baskets"!