We now have two new family members called Molly and Maggie.
They are gerbils (ökenråttor). They will gnaw everything they can get their teeth on. I shudder when I think about what would happen if they were let loose in my yarn stash. They could totally trash the whole flat.
But they are very cute and they live in a cage, from where there is no escape. I hope. And they are both females, so there won´t be lots and lots of little gerbils soon. I hope.
Molly in the cage.
Maggie is very tame already and will purr in your hand.
Don´t worry there will be knitting content.
Because my daughter expressed a wish to have a new pair of mittens with - wait for it – gerbils!
Of course there is no pattern for a pair of gerbil mittens. Or at least I couldn´t find one. Okay, so maybe I didn´t look that hard because I didn´t think there would be much point. Instead I got pen and paper out and started drawing.
My daughter helped and it was nice to do something together. Soon she will be a teenager and I will be the last person on this earth that she wants to sit next to and do stuff with. And she won´t be caught dead in something her mother knit for her (sob).
When the pattern was finished I got out my precious Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn and started knitting.
Ta-da!
Six grey rats and one pink.
I haven´t asked the gerbils how they felt about being portrayed in this fashion, but at least my daughter was pleased.
Thumb gusset close up!
By the way, I´m now member no 2 in a club called Friends of the Thumb Gusset.I believe that my friend Eva-Lotta just signed up to be member no 3 and blogless Karin Kahnlund (who is member no 1 and also the founder of this club) and I welcome her to our little gang. We want everyone to join!
And if I could only figure out how to, I´d start a Thumb gusset group on Ravelry.
In a more natural environment.
Mycket söta! Både vantarna och ökenråttorna. Håller tummarna att de inte ska rymma.
Posted by: Gunilla T | November 23, 2009 at 02:08 PM
is the number at the top '06'?
Posted by: Karen | November 23, 2009 at 03:42 PM
The number at the top is actually 08.
That is because this pattern was also a free pattern for the members of the Swedish knitting community "Sticka". Last week there was a "Mitten Event" about regional patterns and I decided to make a "Stockholm mitten".
08 is the prefix for telephone numbers in the Stockholm area and also a nickname for us who live there.
And because rats are so common in a big city like Stockholm I thought it would be suitable to make a mitten all call it "08-rat". In Swedish it even rhymes: "08-råtta".
Posted by: Johanne | November 23, 2009 at 11:47 PM
entrådigt rosagrönt finns att tillgå
/mariamaillös
Posted by: maria | November 24, 2009 at 02:19 AM
Wow, how lucky to have a mom like you!
Posted by: jackie | November 24, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Underbara vantar, Johanne
och Elise!!!
Jättejättefint mönster.
Råttsvansar är ju det man minst längtar efter, men som mönsterelement är de ju bara väldigt dekorativa.
Verkligen gulliga rådisar också.
Själv har jag bara dammråttor - och möss i källaren...
morsan
Posted by: Barbro Ager | November 25, 2009 at 03:21 AM
3 members are an okay start, here is the link on how to
http://www.ravelry.com/wiki/pages/CreatingGroups
Posted by: Lydia | November 25, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Will you be offering the gerbil pattern on the Loopy Ewe? Excellent pattern!
Posted by: Sherilan | November 26, 2009 at 06:06 PM
Fantastska!! Lyllos Elise! Så sjyssta vantar! Och VÄLDIGT gulliga gerbiler!
Posted by: Clarissa | November 28, 2009 at 03:57 AM
I'm not keen on Gerbils- we were over-run with them when I was a girl (escaped from the local special school!)But I LOVE your Gerbil mitts. How talented you are!
Posted by: Lindragon | November 28, 2009 at 02:12 PM