Hello friends, and good-bye November! Is tomorrow morning seriously bringing us December? Yikes. Here is our very last “What is it?” game puzzle… for November, that is. (Scared you a little, didn’t I?)
Play by the rules, friends, and leave us a comment with your guess (to be posted Friday along with the revealing photo of what exactly this item is). As always, thanks for playing!
Yes, ’tis the season! Peace on earth, good will toward men. So, check this out:
The Ott-light sponsored Mitten Commitment is a call to action to crafters nationwide who knit, crochet or sew—to open their hearts and use their time and talents to craft a pair of handmade mittens that will be donated to The Salvation Army and distributed to people in need this winter.
Interested crafters, wishing to make a handmade difference, are encouraged to be as creative or traditional as they wish with their mitten creations, which can be made for any size and with whatever materials and embellishments the crafter chooses.
Super cute patterns to get you started, and all the necessary information on how to participate is found on the OttLite blog: http://pitch.pe/179912
Designed by Susan Shilmyer, project submitted courtesy of Caron International
• Caron International NaturallyCaron.com Country Yarn (75% Microdenier acrylic, 25% Merino wool; 3 oz/85 gr, 185 yds/170m) in No. 0017 Claret (MC) and No. 0015 Deep Taupe (CC), one ball each
• US size 6 needle (4 mm) one pair, or size to obtain gauge
• Crochet hook, US size G/6 (4 mm), one
• Stitch markers, pillow (see “Notes” for size of knitted piece and size pillow accordingly), tapestry needles
For product information, see sources on page 77.
Notes:
• On all RS rows, slip all slip stitches with yarn in back; on all WS rows, slip all slip stitches with yarn in front.
• When changing colors at right edge on RS, bring new color up from under the previous color.
• Gauge: In Stockinette stitch, 18 sts and 26 rows = 4”/10 cm.
• Stitches used are Stockinette stitch (St st) and Single crochet (sc).
• Finished size of piece is approximately 14” x 14”.
Front
1. Using MC, cast on 75 sts.
2. Foundation row (WS): Purl.
Establish Pattern
1. Row 1 (RS): With CC, k2 *k1, sl 1, k1, sl 1, k2; repeat from * to last st, end k1.
2. Row 2: K1, *k2, sl 1, p1, sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.
3. Row 3: With MC, k2, *sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
4. Row 4: K2, *(sl 1, p1) twice, sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
5. Row 5: With CC, knit to end.
6. Row 6: Knit to end.
7. Row 7: With MC, k2, *sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
8. Row 8: K2, *(sl 1, p1) twice, sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
9. Row 9: With CC, k2, *k1, sl 1, k1, sl 1, k2; repeat from * to last st, k1.
10. Row 10: K1, *k2, sl 1, p1, sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.
11. Row 11: With MC, k2, *k2, sl 1, k3; repeat from * to last st, k1.
12. Row 12: P1, *p3, sl 1, p2; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.
13. Row 13: With CC, k1, sl 1, *k5, sl 1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
14. Row 14: K1, sl 1, *k2, p1, k2, sl 1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
15. Row 15: With MC, k2, *sl 1, k1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
16. Row 16: P1, *p1, (sl 1, k1) twice, sl 1, p1; repeat from * to last st, p1.
17. Row 17: With CC, k1, sl 1, *k5, sl 1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
18. Row 18: K1, sl 1, *k2, p1, k2, sl 1; repeat from * to last st, k1.
19. Row 19: With MC, k2, *k2, sl 1, k3; repeat from * to last st, k1.
20. Row 20: P1, *p3, sl 1, p2; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.
21. Repeat rows 1–20 four times more.
22. Change to MC, k1 row. Bind off all sts purlwise.
Back
1. With MC, cast on 61 sts.
2. Work in St st until piece measures 13-1/2” from beginning, end WS row. Bind off all sts.
Finishing
1. Block pieces to measurements. Weave in ends.
Edging
1. With RS facing and crochet hook, work 1 row sc evenly around each piece.
2. With WS of front and back pieces together, work 1 row sc in top loops of sc edge on 3 sides; insert pillow and complete last side.
For more ideas, projects, and product, please visit the Caron International website: www.caron.com.
Thank you all for your Thanksgiving wishes. We hope you also enjoyed a Thanksgiving filled with family, food and friends (whether it was yesterday OR last month–for our Canadian friends). This week our “what is it?” game had a food theme as well. Many of you did know that this item is a cheese crock, and two of you even knew that it was a Wispride cheese crock. Kudos to you, Kristen and Mary Jean! I remember scooping out cheddar cheese from this when I was small. Although the cheese is still sold, you will find it in the refrigerated section in a plastic cup-like container. To read this week’s guesses, click here, and scroll down to the bottom of the original “What is it?” post.
We know most of you are busy with friends, family, and Thanksgiving preparations, but JUST IN CASE you came to our blog to see the Wednesday puzzle, we didn’t want to disappoint. So, please take a peek at this week’s puzzle, and leave us a comment with your guess as to what this item is (we will post the guesses on Friday). If you have time in between your door buster holiday shopping trips and turkey sandwich on Friday, then please stop back to see the item revealed.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
We featured a review of the delightful book Buttonwood Farm by Maggie Bonanomi, and promised you a giveaway…well, friends, we have a winner!
Congratulations to Jane, who was randomly selected to receive a copy of the book! Here is her comment:
I do have a farm. A small one. With a very funky old house that was built in 1890, a newer barn and a cottage. I bought it 10 years ago and spent the first winter sitting on my couch watching my hair blow in front of the window while the snow blew in under the doors. Consequently, I spent the first few years putting on a new roof, installing new efficient windows, blowing in insulation and installing a new heating system. It’s in very northern NH. The previous owners used it as an herb farm and they called it Sweet Memories farm. I don’t use it as a business but have put in a huge veggie garden that I live out of year round. I raise a flock of chickens, ducks, and guinea hens. I also grow the hops I use to brew my beer and the berries I use to make my jam. I call it “The Money Pit.” 
Yay, Jane! Thanks for telling us about your farm. And thanks to everyone for sharing your farm names–we enjoyed reading them all! Click here to read the review, and to see all the comments. Jane–send an e-mail to editors@createanddecorate.com with your mailing address so we can get your prize to you ASAP. We hope you enjoy 🙂
Check back often–we always have a fun giveaway up our sleeves!
Happy, happy weekend! Thank you all for playing our “What is it?” game this week. We had so many guesses (to read them, click here and scroll down), and quite a few of you knew that this item is a vintage nut grinder. Such a fun little piece, with a very pretty base. Noelle encouraged me to carefully jiggle the cap off so that we could peek inside the inner workings. I just purchased it when the two of us took a trip to Lancaster, PA a few weeks ago, and haven’t come up with a purpose for this pretty grinder yet. It’s intended use isn’t very practical for me, but I like at all the same. Perhaps it will simply hold a few stems of daisies next summer.
Happy Wednesday, Friends! You know what to do: Take a guess as to what this vintage item is, leave a comment with your guess (that we won’t post until Friday), and check back in with us on Friday to see this full image revealed.
Well, “What is it?”
We’re pulling this one off our shelves to share with you!
By Maggie Bonanomi, Kansas City Star Books
A beautiful stone farmhouse in the Pennsylvania countryside, a stand of buttonwood trees casting shade, a little retreat from the fast pace of everyday life…who wouldn’t be inspired?
Maggie Bonanomi’s great uncle owned this exact house, one he built outside of Philadelphia in the 1800s as a respite from the hospital where he was a doctor. It was this house that pushed Maggie into write this lovely book, filled with primitive projects for your home, be it stone farmhouse or not.
Ticking pillows add the perfect touch of farmhouse, plus, they’re a cinch to sew up, and they can be made in any color ticking you like. Needle keeps and pincushions can be made from virtually anything; Maggie was inspired by vintage wooden boxes and antique velvet pen wipes.
And for adorable factor alone, the stuffed strawberries, made from dyed velvet, win hands-down. Pile them in an antique glass jar or wooden bowl for a burst of summer year-round.
Instructions are written for pros and novices alike, and color photos and patterns (hand-drawn by Maggie herself) are included.
To enter another one of our fantabulous giveaways, please leave a comment telling us either: if you could have a farm what would you name it, or if you already own a farm what is it called? We randomly draw a winner on Monday, November 21, 2011.
Without a doubt the image piece from this week’s puzzle does belong to a vintage suitcase! (We didn’t stump too many of you this week.)
For those of you who are new to this game, please know that we only post these guessing game comments on Friday, so everyone has a chance to guess without the influence of another person’s speculation. Thanks for playing! To read all of the guesses, click here, and scroll down.
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