Jake’s Mittens

When I was up in Washington DC earlier this month, I told my brother-in-law Jake that I’d make him some mittens like the ones I made for his daughter, if he bought the yarn. That’s a standing offer I make to family and friends…you buy the yarn, I knit the thing. The caveat is that you have to pick yarn that I also like and can stand to knit with.

He picked charcoal grey. If you know anything about me, it’s that I’ll never knit with grey if I can help it. So he conceded that I could put in an acid green stripe, “if you want”. I started these mitts on the airplane ride home and finished up a few days later. I have to admit that I’m pretty proud of the clever shaping where the palm meets the thumb gusset.

Jake’s wife Stacy took the photos of him wearing the mitts. That’s another rule of knitted gift-wear. I have to get a photo of the recipient wearing the item. I have a blog to maintain, after all.

Here’s a picture of a mitt on me before I sent it. I think it shows a more accurate idea of the colors used. I will also grudgingly admit that I enjoyed making something grey.

For once, knitters, I made a project without Koigu. I’ll admit, though, that I thought is WAS Koigu when I picked it up and have no idea what it actually is. WAIT…The chartreuse IS a scrap of Koigu that has been in my stash for years, so no…I lied. Stacy bought the grey at a charming and friendly yarn shop in Bethesda, MD.

I’m currently working on a pair for Stacy, too, though she bought something colorful and RED and gorgeous. I can’t wait to show you once they’re finished!

M’s Mittens

Zach and the Boogedy and I came to Washington DC to visit family for the week. This cold weather makes me want to knit, and I was really glad I brought some scraps of Koigu pppm on the plane to play around with. My 6-year-old niece flipped over the idea that I might make something just for her. I really only had enough to make some tiny, ribbed fingerless mitts.

She hounded me every day to make sure I finished them! Every little kid should have an aunt who knits something special when she comes to town!

These mittens were even more exciting than the nutella-filled crepes we made the kids for breakfast (which I forgot to wash off before photographing these mitts).

Here are some photos of the cousins piling stuff on top of my brother-in-law while he tried to work last night:

Flamingo Mittens

I flipped for this pattern and just HAD to make these flamingo mittens! But for whom?

My mom, of course, because even though she lives so far away, her hands are about the same size as mine, so I could just make them to fit me and know that they would probably fit her!

Every stitch of these was fun, thanks to this mottled, hand-painted pink yarn that I bought on Etsy. The black is super-soft Capretta from KnitPicks and the pattern is from SpillyJane.

I have been working on these for weeks, but they arrived just in time to cheer her up after a fall that broke her shoulder a few days ago. I hope she feels good enough to be out for walks again before the weather gets too warm to wear these.

I love my mom!

Fingerless “Blitz”ens

These wild-lighting mittens have to be the prettiest thing I’ve ever knitted. And they have the added bonus of being for ME!

Problem 1: They’re really snug, but maybe they’ll stretch out a bit…please?

Problem 2: I’m moving to Florida, where I doubt I’ll really need these wooly wonders.

And before you ask, no, you can’t have them. They’re too small for you, too!

They’re coming to Florida with me. I’m hoping for another freak winter that freezes the iguanas out of the trees in Miami.

For the knitters: I used less than one ball of Schoppel Wolle Zauberball in color “fuchsienbeet”. That color name cracks me up. I used size 1 needles, knit the mittens flat, and seamed them. I made up this pattern, and it was really easy.

Update: I didn’t take them with me to Florida. I faced the music and admitted they were too tight. I gave them to a teenaged niece and hoped she wouldn’t outgrow them too fast! I have never needed mittens since moving here.  I did, however, bring the leftover yarn! Check out the baby hat I made with it here!

Fingerless Mittens

I made these super luxury soft fingerless mittens for my friend Jenn in Half Moon Bay for xmas. She got them late, though, after a back injury mid-December seriously slowed down my crafting. She and I have been friends since we worked together at a small cooking school in Los Angeles a few years ago.

Jenn is a kind soul with a no-nonsense attitude. I made her these downy mittens because she seemed like she needed something soft just now.

I used a lovely heathered oatmeal alpaca yarn called Baby Twist, in a stretchy, one-size-fits-all 1×1 rib. By some stroke of luck, she says they match her winter coat perfectly!

Handspun Mittens

I knitted these little boy mittens over the Thanksgiving break. We drove to Boise late Wednesday night (arriving at 3am!) and I spent most of Thursday Cooking and Cooking at my in-laws’ home. Zach took the Boogedy and the Chibberty out for a walk along the lake that is behind the house, just to get them out of my hair. Dinner was wonderful and I ended up taking the Boogedy in for a nap while people were still eating, because he was just so tired. I conked right out too and ended up being completely unhelpful in the cleanup portion of the dinner. I felt only slightly guilty.

I made these little mittens for the Boogedy on Friday during my down time, while he played with his cousins. I used a small fraction of the handspun yarn Kristin gave me for my birthday. The yarn turned turquoise all of a sudden at the top of the second mitten, and I decided to leave it that way, because the color is so gorgeous.