Birthdays! Minion Hat and Mittens

Last night we celebrated 2 family birthdays! The UPS Store guy has turned 60 and our grandson C, has turned 2!

For part of C's birthday, I had crocheted a Minion hat and then knitted minion mittens for him.
 

 For the hat, I used a pattern that I purchased on Ravelry. Here is a link to the pattern. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/minion-hat-with-optional-earflaps-us-and-uk-terms

 For the mittens, I combined a couple of different knitting patterns to get the right size, so I cannot tell you a pattern to use. However......
-First, I cast on with the royal blue yarn to knit the cuff in a k1p1 ribbing.
-When the cuff was finished, I changed to the yellow and knit with it through the thumb gusset increases.
-After the gusset was finished, I changed to the black for a few rows to make the "headband."
-Then changed back to the yellow yarn to finish the top of the mitten and the thumb.
-To make the eye, I used a size F(US) hook and single crocheted the eye using the black, white and gray yarns. Securely sewed the eye to each mitten and embroidered a little mouth on each.

A hint on mouths.  :)  I always thought I had to do a perfect mouth. Just the right smile and the right curvature and the right placement.  So, I didn't think I was any good at faces.  THEN I discovered that I was all wrong!   Make the mouths crooked and a little off to the side on purpose.  Definitely make a smile, of some sort, and you are set! 

It doesn't matter if it is a minion smile or a regular doll, teddy bear smile. Just purposely put it off center and you will be just fine.

The Phillipines

Here at our home, our heat is on, the sun shown above today and the fall colors are starting to show up on the leaves outside. Today was windy, and cool, 46 degrees F at the moment and will get colder as the night comes upon us.  I love the cooler weather, helps it feel like Thanksgiving and Christmas when it is cooler outside.

In the Phillipines, though, portions of the islands are devastated by the typhoon Haiyan.  Winds about 195 mph and 230 mph gusts! Wow! I wonder how my house would do in a storm like that?

Our prayers and our thoughts should definitely be with these folks and with those trying to help. Samaritan's Purse was one of the first groups on the ground to assess the damage last Friday.  They are sending a 747 jet liner, full of supplies, over there this weekend. Here is a video of one home they found amoung the thousands.