Appreciation for a Hand Knitted Gift

At times I worry that the recipient of my knitting labors will not truly understand what they hold in their hands.  I have an appreciation for cashmere, merino, and organic fibers, and hope that the new owner of my gift will too.  I'm also hoping they will know how to care for the piece, and that it doesn't find itself in the dryer one day, shrunken to doll size.  I did some research on the internet and found all sorts of fabric care symbols and decided to put them on a card, which can be attached to the knitted gift.  I also included a space for the fiber content, so now the texture (and expense!) of that cashmere and silk blend can really be appreciated. 

I have these in jpeg, pdf, and word 2003 version.  I also made a gray version, which is more subtle.  Feel free to copy this photo and use if you can, or message me with your email address and I will send you the file you need.  You will need to print them off onto card stock to make them a bit more durable.  I plan to put a cute sticker on the back saying hand knitted by Rhonda, with a cute little lamb.  Find a way to make your own, and you will know the recipient of your hard work will have more of an appreciation.

eReader Cozy

What started many months ago as just a little thing I made for myself, evolved into months of reworking, reknitting, and revising so I could write a pattern.  The Felted eReader Cozy, aka Felted Kindle Kozy, has been revised for the last time (I think!).  Because the eReaders keep getting released in newer, better, and smaller versions, it's difficult to make a cozy the perfect size.  My cozy pattern is for Kindle's 2nd generation reader, but would likely work for other versions.  I sent the idea off to be considered for a knitting pattern calendar; we will see what happens.  I feel like I have finally reached completion with this pattern and can move on to something else; it's a relief.

This pattern writing was simple, as far as patterns go, because it was just a big rectangle.  Finding the time to put it all together in a pattern was not so easy.  I would now like to take on something with a bit of shaping involved.  Perhaps it's time to start the pattern for the chunky headband. I have to admit, I learned a lot about knitting through pattern writing.  I had to watch many online tutorials about felting, stitching seams, pattern writing using special knit grid paper; all adding up to hours of research.  I never realized that a knit stitch is actually taller than a purl!  Or that wool will shrink about 30% in the felting process. I had to figure out how large to make the rectangle if it was indeed going to shrink 30 percent.  Thanks to my son, Jordan, who talked me through the math before I had a melt down.   It was like studying engineering; technical and filled with mathematical formulas!