The Mitten Contract

Brother-in-law Mark needed a pair of wool mittens to wear under his chopper mitts. He asked if I could knit him a pair. I said, "Sure, send me a tracing of your hands." And with that, the mitten contract began.

I was warned in advance that his hands were "strong, but delicate with long graceful fingers often associated with concert pianists." When I got the tracing, I knew I should order two skeins of yarn!


I decided to go with Wonderfully Woolly Worsted Weight from Green Mountain Spinnery in natural grey. It seemed appropriate to use 100% New England Wool since Mark lives in Vermont and besides, I've always wanted to try this yarn. When it arrived, I knew I had made the right choice.


Using Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, and advice from John, I knit a pair of mittens that John says are "just right." If it weren't for the fact that they are a little too big for him, I'm not sure he'd let me send them to his brother.


Knit at 6 stitches per inch, these mittens should be hard-wearing and warm. The 1x1 ribbed cuff is longer than typical for regular mittens, so that it will extend beyond the chopper mitts.


Extra length was added to the hand and thumb to accommodate Mark's extra large hands.


I mailing them off today.

I sure hope they fit.

Make It Work

I originally planned on knitting a vest from the brown Shetland wool I spun. I even got as far as working several inches of a vest I liked, but changed my mind when I realized the yarn was not working well with the stitch pattern.



So instead, I combined it with some other handspun to knit a simple hat and a pair of mittens. I like this much better!



Mittens
Yarn: My Hand Spun Worsted Weight Wool
Needles: US 7 DPNs
Changes: Added extra length to hand and thumb



Hat
Yarn: My Hand Spun Worsted Weight Wool
Needles: US 7 Circular and DPNs
Number of Stitches: 90

There was a nip in the air at the beach on Friday, so I've already gotten some use out this set and I'm sure to use it even more this week in Utah. Leaving for the airport shortly.

Good-bye beach. Hello mountains.


Largest Piece of Driftwood Ever
(approximately 90 feet)

Knitted for Christmas

The Christmas knitting can now be revealed.


My Hat of Choice and Maine Morning Mitts
Yarn: Monos del Uruguay
Color: Persimmon
Needles: US 8 (hat), US 7 (mitts)
Great patterns! I'd love a set for myself.



Cotton Washcloths
Yarn: Lion Cotton
Colors: Maize and Khaki
Needles: US 7
Began decreases after 60 stitches.
Paired with Bay Rum Soap from Herbaria.



Boyfriend Hat
Yarn: Lion Wool
Color: Cocoa
Needles: US 7
Cast on 90 stitches and added one inch to length.
Love the decreases!

More Mini Mittens

There will be mini mittens on the Christmas tree after all!


Mini Mittens from Handspun

It didn't feel right to give up so quickly, so when Susan shared another pattern, I had to try it. Mini Mittens designed by Leslie Ann Bestor suits me so much better! They are knitted flat and then seamed which is easier to manage and less fiddly than knitting in the round on double pointed needles.

If you are looking for a quick and easy pattern, this is the one I recommend. The first mitten took only 30 minutes to finish and that included the sewing (whip stitch). The more I knitted, the faster I got and before I knew it, three pairs were finished. It was addicting.


Mini Mittens in Two Sizes

Now all I need is a Christmas tree.

Just One

I came across the cutest Mini Mitten Ornaments the other day. They are knitted from leftover sock yarn. I had visions of knitting several of them until I made the first one.



It became clear to me right away that this little mitten will never have a mate. So tiny, so fiddly (for me) on double pointed needles that I almost didn't finish the first one. I stuck with it though and an hour later I had an adorable mitten that's not even as big as my little finger.



Though this pattern is not for me, you might be interested. It's well written and the results are really cute. Others have made several pairs in record time. So don't discount trying it just because I gave up. You'll know by the time you reach the thumb whether it's something you want finish or not.



When you print out the pattern, you'll have a good idea of how tiny they really are. Mine matches perfectly to the picture.

Mitten Knittin'

The sun is shining today, but it's been cold and rainy here ever since Thanksgiving. The perfect weather to stay inside and Knit Unto Others.

Last post, I was looking for yarn in the stash to knit mittens for the Soaring Eagles Project. Since the yarn should be washer and dryer friendly, I ended up in the acrylic bin. What I have in there is mostly pastel colored yarn for preemie hats, but I found some colors suitable for elementary aged children.



I started with a pattern called Child's Mitten. It's based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's adult mittens. I had so much fun with the first pair, that I immediately knitted a second pair.



Next, I tried 45-Minute Mittens (link on the side bar) by Susan B. Anderson, using Lion Brand Homespun and US 10.5 needles. I like the nubby texture of these mittens.



And then, I tried the pattern for Tweedy Mittens, though the yarn I used is not tweedy at all.



Mittens are very satisfying to knit. I could have kept going, but I decided to move on to another charity project for this week. I might squeeze in another pair though. We'll see.

My Mittens

So now you know what I was knitting--not socks, but mittens. Believe it or not, these are the first mittens I have ever owned. It's not very often that you need to wear mittens or gloves down here in Texas, but I'm ready just in case. I hear there is a cold front heading our way in a few days...

Pattern: Mittens from Sarah Dallas Knitting (page 56)
Yarn: Noro Cash Irona (40% Silk, 30% Lamb's Wool, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon)
Colors: 2 skeins of #94 (green) and a small amount of #91 (rose)
Needles: US 2
Comments:

These mittens are knitted flat and then seamed. I originally thought I would prefer mittens knitted in the round, but I really liked this pattern.

Since I substituted Noro Cash Irona for Rowan Wool Cotton, I had to go down a needle size to get gauge. It was hard to knit this yarn on such tiny needles, but I like the results. The stitches are tight and I think this will make for a warmer mitten.

If you have used this yarn before, you know that the thickness varies randomly throughout the skein from thin to thick. On the first skein, the changes seemed to come at short intervals. On the second skein they came at longer intervals. This meant that some rows in the second mitten were knitted with all thin yarn or all thick yarn, but not mixed as in the first mitten. It had a slight effect on the guage and I had to knit four extra rows to get the second mitten to match the length of the first. So, be cautious when using this yarn for small projects that need to match. Be sure to measure your pieces and don't just expect that knitting the same number of rows will give you a matched pair. I don't think it would matter as much on larger knitted pieces.

Even after that word of caution, I would definitely use this yarn again. After a soak in Eucalan these mittens are just as soft as can be. Can you see how well they go with the scarf I made last year? Now all I need is a matching hat.

Mittens

This is the beginning (and end) of the mittens I mentioned I was making for myself. I decided to use some of the Brooks Farm yarn I bought recently and the pattern guide for basic mittens from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I realized something though--I have never owned a pair of mittens. Afterall, there's not a huge need for them in this part of Texas. I usually just wear a pair of store bought gloves if the weather gets cold enough. Because of this I really have no idea how mittens are supposed to fit, but I'm pretty sure they should fit loose enough to have some wiggle room for your fingers and this one does not. Too tight. And though I love the yarn, I now know I would rather have a pair of mittens from worsted weight yarn, not the fine guage this is. This yarn is too nice to use for something I'm not thrilled with. So, live and learn and rip out and start over.

However, this pair of mittens turned out just as I hoped they would.

I found this pattern yesterday on Diana's blog. They way I understand it, she took the pattern for Holiday Mitten Ornament from Frugal Knitting Haus and clearly rewrote the instructions. Also, it looks to me like she modified it to be knit with dpns, which I love. Her instruction page includes little boxes for checking off rows completed. Good idea! Since I knitted two mittens, I checked the boxes for the first one and erased them for the second one. A convenient way to keep track of your place. These mittens are about the size of a regular business card, not including the thumb. I'm using them to dress up a Christmas gift and later they can be hung on the Christmas tree. They were fun and quick to knit, only about two hours for both. For yarn I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. I think Diana used left over Cascade 220. It doesn't take much so use what you have.
P.S. When it came to finishing, I just ran the yarn through the remaining stitches instead of using the kitchener stitch. I also crocheted a chain and attached it to the edge of each mitten.

Mitten Knittin'

Sometimes I see a pattern and know that I have to try it out right away. That's how it was with these mittens. Thanks to Julia at Moth Heaven for sharing her design for these cute child-size mittens. What a talented knitter! I like the way she designed the thumb opening to be extra large, making it easy to slide on little hands. Go get the pattern and knit a pair for the Dulaan Project.

Knitting For Others

Here are some hats and mittens I've been working on for the Dulaan Project. They will be personally distributed to children in Mongolia this fall. Many of you already know about this worthy cause. For those of you who don't, be sure to check it out. Knitting for charity is a great way to help others and fun too. My first experience with charity knitting was just recently when I sent a donation of several 7"x9" swatches to Jennifer at Major Knitter for some Warm Up America blankets she is assembling. She is still accepting swatches and yarn donations (Red Heart) or you can contribute directly to Warm Up America. I encourage you to find a charity that sparks your interest and start knitting! I think you will find it very rewarding.

Yes, I'm Busy

Too busy to knit? Almost, but I have managed to work a little on some mittens. Hope to get several pairs completed for a charity project. More on that later. I also found some time to felt the clog. I thought about waiting until I could get more yarn to make the mate, but the suspense was killing me. It turned out well. A little wide but I think it will work.


What's been keeping me busy? One act play competitions. My son is in his high school play. They are performing Macbeth (he is Macbeth) and must keep the performance to 40 minutes. What a challenge. They've done a beautiful job and have advanced twice. Now they will compete at the region level. Way to go Needville! At each level there are six plays. One judge watches them all and advances two. I watch them all too. It's a long day starting at 1:00 p.m. It takes some time for the plays, awards, critiques and then the long drive home. Each time it's been about 1:30 a.m. before my head hit the pillow. I don't do well on that amount of sleep, but I wouldn't miss it. (Robyn, wish I could have been in two places at once. Dad said you did a great job. I will treasure your story forever.)


Last night the church youth group had their monthly devo at our house. About 25 people crowded into our small living room. Beautiful singing, good fellowship and homemade chili. It was a good time. Tonight I'm hosting our bunco group. The way we do it, the hostess provides a meal and the prizes. So, twelve for supper tonight! I'm serving salads and strawberry short cakes. The good thing about hosting two events back-to-back means I only have to clean the house once. Just wish I was operating on more sleep.