Bits and Bites

Let's start with the bites.....

Now that Poppa is on the Board of Directors of our Condo Corp. he often has reason to visit one or another of the owners.  Recently there were water problems in one of the garden apartments.  He went to check it out and met the owner, who is an elderly lady who was born and raised in Sweden.  She came to Canada in her early twenties and worked as a pediatric nursing specialist at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto.  When she and her husband retired they moved into a unit in our complex.  She is a delightful lady with a plethora of stories to tell.  She was so pleased with Poppa for his assistance regarding the leak and damage to her balcony - she wanted to express her appreciation and sent over this loaf of homemade braided (in the Swedish tradition) bread.  As you can imagine - it was absolutely wonderful!  She tells us that her grandson makes it better than she does - but I can't imagine how!

Now for the bits!  Uncle Ernie was visiting one day while Aunt Lynda was at her quilting club and asked if he could please have another pair of socks.  I said of course and he mentioned that blue would be nice since he has green, beige and brown.  So I created these and made them with cables as his Dad always loved the socks with cables.  Poppa's Dad was the whole reason I started knitting socks.  He wore hand-knitted socks while he was in the Canadian Army during WW2, and wished he could have some like that.  Gramma Eileen had made him some, but they just weren't quite right and he asked me if I could make some.  I told him I would try.  Apparently I was successful because he couldn't get enough of them.  While working on a pair (probably about the 30th pair!) I decided to crank it up a notch (I was getting bored with plain socks), I decided to put cables on them.  That pair was his favourite - he would show them to everyone and only wore them to church!  When he passed away he still had several pairs.  By then, I had caught sock fever and since socks are small and easy to take-along, I started keeping an ongoing pair in the car for Poppa's visits to Canadian Tire and Home Depot - or when he just happened to find someone to talk to... I would get them out and usually had time to work several rounds before he returned to the car!  This was especially nice in Florida on a warm, breezy day.

|I made this pair and called them Sugar Plum, and as soon as they appeared on the Sock File, Auntie Colleen asked for them.  She must have one whole dresser full of socks!  She is my best advertisement and my best customer!  My favourite baby sister!

So, then with some hand-knitted tools for a twiddle muff in mind, and the theme for that muff being "in the tool shed", I made a spider and.....

.. then a little mouse....

........ then I attached all the tools on the sides which will be facing out, and some textured items on the sides which will be facing inwards.

One side........

... and the other.  I passed it along to Aunt Pauline when she was up on the weekend.  These are fun to create.  I want to make more when I have time.  All the local nursing homes love to get them - if you are looking for a fun project to use up yarn odds and ends in your stash - try these and take them to any nursing home in your area.  If you google Twiddle Muff, you can get lots of ideas!