Felted Mittens

Felted Mittens



My felting frenzy is over. This is my last project but I did have a great time with all of my felted projects over the past few months... two bags, two pairs of slippers, and two oven mitts.

This is yet another pattern from a great book called "Knit One, Felt Too".  The yarn I used is Kraemer Yarns "Naturally Nazareth Worsted Merino Blend" and the colorway is called "Autumn".  The pattern from the book is called "Double-Cuff Mittens".  The mittens are worked over 40 stitches on size US 11 double pointed needles.  You felt the mittens in the clothing washer until they are the right size.  Next, you knit two cuffs for the mittens on size US 4 needles.  I used a coordinating solid yarn as you can see, but the pattern calls for using the same yarn used for the mittens.  The cuff does not get felted. It just get stitched into the inside of the mitten. Pretty darn clever, right?  Below are some photos of this project in various stages of completion.

Below, I have not yet stitched in the cuffs.



Finally stitched in those cuff (below).  The mittens are a little big on me but the snugger ribbed cuffs will keep any cold air drafts out of the mittens.  So smart!



Below... look how big these mittens are before felting!  Yowza!






Above... here are those knitted cuffs I was telling you about.



Above... Here you can see the mitten turned inside out.  I found I needed to use straight pins to hold the cuffs in place while stitching the cuff to the mitten using needle and thread.

This was a very fun project. Happy Knitting!

Hand Warmers

Hand Warmers




My mother-in-law saw the mittens I've been making lately.  She said she had an elderly friend who wears fingerless mitts all the time due to cold hands.  She asked if I could make a pair so I whipped these up yesterday. The yarn is Plymouth Yarn "Stained Glazz"; I used less than one ball of yarn for the pair.  I used Susan B. Anderson's pattern called "Waiting for Winter". It's the same pattern I've been using for mittens in the past few weeks.  I cast on only 32 stitches for these mitts since this worsted weight yarn is slightly plumper than the yarn I used for the other two pairs of mittens I made recently.  I am happy with how these turned out. I hope they fit the recipient well!

More Mittens

More Mittens

This is pair #2 of mittens I've made in the past few weeks. I purchased four balls of wool yarn called "Gina" by Plymouth Yarns. I intended to make a scarf but decided the pattern was not enjoyable for me.  Instead, I made two pairs of mittens.  The pattern I used is by Susan B. Anderson and it is called "Waiting for Winter".  The pattern link is HERE.  I do enjoy these sense of accomplishment I am feeling from making up some quick projects like mittens. I also recently made a hat for myself.  I'll share some information about that soon. I wore my new hat on a walk this morning and it kept my ears nice and warm.  Also, I kind of like the way the hat looked on me. Sometimes hats sit funny on my head since I wear glasses.  I like my new hat.  

Warm Woolen Mittens

Warm Woolen Mittens

I had these mittens knit up in a jiffy.  I bought this yarn at my local knit shop to make a scarf. The yarn is called "Gina" and it's made by Plymouth Yarns. I decided I did not want to make the scarf after all so I made these mittens.  The pattern I used is by Susan B. Anderson and the pattern name is "Waiting for Winter Mittens/Fingerless Mitts."  The pattern link is HERE.

My mittens are warm and mismatched and I like them that way. I am ready for winter!

Mini Mitten Mania

Mini Mitten Mania!

Finding a little bit of time to knit... here and there...

These are a few of the pairs of mittens I've made in the past few months... some were gone before I could snap photos...

It takes nearly an hour to make one little mitten.... but they are so much cuter in pairs, don't you think?

 

All of these were knit with left over bits of sock yarn on small 2.75 mm needles. 

I like how each pair has their own "personality". 

Happy Knitting!

Cabernet Sauvignon Mittens

Another pair of mittens in Berroco Boboli yarn. The pattern is called "Woodhaven" and it's a free pattern from Berroco.  I picked this yarn for my coworker, Mrs. W, as she loves purple!  We exchange handmade gifts each year; she paints ceramics and, of course, I knit.  We've worked together since January 2007.

The pair of mittens I finished last week reminded me of Monet's water lily paintings because of the colors in the yarn. This time around, the yarn used for these mittens reminded me of the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon I just poured for myself this evening.  A nice glass of wine to relax and celebrate the fact that my Christmas knitting and my Christmas cards are done, done, done!

Dr. Seuss Mitts

For some reason, when I was finishing these mitts, the colors and random pattern reminded me of a colorful Dr. Seuss book...
so I am calling these my "Dr. Seuss Mitts".

 

 

A few weeks back, I went to my local yarn shop, Grandma's Beads and Yarn. I've not been able to go much this summer but, now that school is back in session, I am able to go hang out with the girls on Thursdays.  It's always a treat to see my friends.  While I am at the shop, I keep telling myself... I don't need yarn, I don't need MORE yarn... but I put my knitting down on the table at the shop and walk around and look at all the pretty, yummy yarn.  I found this intriguing, solitary ball of yarn called Knitcol (from Italy).  I think it's a merino wool sport or DK weight yarn.  The color combination was unusual and the yarn spoke to me... buy me... make mitts.

 

So I did. 

 

I squeeked out a very matchy-matchy pair of fingerless mitts.  I had to piece things together a bit at the end to make things match.  I wish I could have ended the mitts with a dark color and the mitts do stretch out a bit when I wear them.  Whatever the case may be, I liked finding inspiration in a colorful, solitary ball of yarn.  

Woven Fingerless Gloves



Woven Fingerless Gloves
Pattern from book "Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders"
Yarn:  Jojoland "Melody" superwashwool (fingering weight)





What a super fun knit.  I had these done in a little over a week and I loved that I could actually memorize the pattern, which is rare for me!  If the woven pattern does look familiar, I recently used the same textured pattern in a coffee cup cozy. I can see myself making this pattern over and over.  The gloves fit me perfectly!



Glove #1 had great color variation



Glove #2 had very little color variation.  Great pattern just not the best choice of yarn for this project.  Gloves fit great and I love them despite the color flaws. 



The Emporer's New Mitts

Do you recall the story of the Emporer and his new clothes?  I do.
A clever gal on Ravelry created a similar "pattern" and made it available for free on Ravelry today. So far, over 275 Ravelry members have already completd the project.  Apparently this is a magically quick knit. If you are looking for a good chuckle, read more about this pattern.  Also, I HIGHLY recommend you check out the completed projects and read what folks have to say about this project.

The pattern link is here:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-emperors-new-mitts

Purple Turtle Tracks

 Oh, I love this pattern.  I've made it a few times before. The pattern for these Emilee Dee Mitts can be found on Ravelry; the link is HERE.  The lace pattern is called "Turtle Tracks".  It looks like cables but there are none.  The design is made from yarn overs, k2tog's and ssk's. 

 I used Berroco Comfort DK yarn in a dark purple; however, in these photos, the yarn looks rather blue, doesn't it!? Funny how that works!  If you've never made mitts before, and you like the look of these mitts, I really think you'll enjoy this project.  This was the first mitt pattern I ever followed and I keep coming back to make more. 

This is my 4th pair of fingerless mitts for a charity called "Mitts of Steel" for dialysis patients who suffer from cold hands.  I think I might need to make a pair for me since I like them so much.  I had the mitts on as I was taking pictures and I noticed how nice it was to have my fingers free so I could adjust my camera easily. 

More Fingerless Mitts...

Another pair of fingerless mitts for Mitts of Steal.  This time I used Berroco Comfort DK yarn in the colorway "rosebud".  You will being seeing a LOT of this yarn... I bought an entire bag to make chemo caps, but it's also a nice choice for fingerless mitts.  This is a pattern called Four Rib Braid Cable Mitts and the pattern can be found HERE (it is a free pattern).  Despite the fancy looking cables, these mitts are not too difficult.  These mitts turned out rather small but I had a few friends (with small hands) try them on and they fit well according my guinea pigs test models.

I am knitting another hat right now out of my "One Skein Wonder Book" (with more Berroco Comfort DK yarn in "rosebud"... SURPRISE!) and should have it done soon... stay tuned!

More Mittens... One-Skein Wonder Project #1a

A pair of mittens for my good friend, Tracy.  She and her Boston Terriers (Freckles and Leila) go for walks nearly every day at a great park just outside of town.  She'll need these to keep her hands toasty warm, as the weather is now turning cold.  I join the trio on Fridays when school is in session.  It's great fun!

I used the pattern from my book "Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders".  This is the same pattern I used a few weeks ago with some modifications.  The pattern is called "Handful-of-Color Mittens" (pattern information HERE: Not a free pattern, sorry!).  The original pattern calls for a sort-of rolled cuff.  In this pair, I completed 15 rounds of knit2, purl2 ribbing and then I completed 15 rounds of stockinette before starting the gusset increases.  This mittens are roomy and long. I like long cuffs on mittens so you can tuck them into the sleeves of your jacket without any gaps for cold air to sneak in.  When I make this pattern again, I might consider using smaller needles for the cuff portion.

This colorful yarn comes from my Mom's stash... Thanks, Mom!  It was a partial skein and to me it appears to be Bernat Sox in a colorway called "Crazy Hot" (a nylon/acrylic blend).   I do love Bernat yarns!

PINKtober!

The challenge is on... it's "PINKtober!"  The gals on my Ravelry group called "12 months = 24 hats" (where our goal is to make at least two hats for chemo patients each month) is encouraging folks to make pink projects during October 2011 as it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I've got a head start:

I came up with this pattern on my own.  I started out intending to make a different pattern, got a little full of myself and did not consult the pattern, and then, several rows into the cap, I realized I had too many stitches. Duh!  I couldn't bear to frog it, so.... Ta-Dah!  A new design!  Yarn is Berroco Comfort DK in "rosebud".  Hat will go to "Halos of Hope" (caps for chemo patients).

The pattern link here on this blog can be found here:  Ribbons of Hope Hat
For the pattern link (PDF printable format) on Ravelry, click HERE.

Also making this pretty cabled mitts for Mitts of Steal (fingerless mitts for dialysis patients with cold hands).

Fruit Stripe Fingerless Mitts

Fruit Stripe Mitts

I used leftover Berroco Comfort DK yarn (from chemo caps) to make another pair of fingerless mitts (for a charity called Mitts of Steal... dialysis patients who suffer from cold hands).  I used the same pattern from a few weeks ago ("Emilee Dee Mitts" the pattern link is HERE); only this time I eliminated the lace and just knit in stockinette. 

I am calling these mitts "Fruit Stripe Mitts" because the colors remind me of fruit... the bottom blue reminds me of blueberries; the middle green reminds me of kiwis or granny smith apples, and the top purple reminds me of concord grapes. Why is it that yarn reminds me of food... silly girl. 

Smitten with my Mittens (One Skein Wonder Project #1)

I am smitten with my mittens! 

This is Project #1 from my quest to make lots of projects from the book entitled "Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders".  These mittens are made from two balls of wool in a self-patterning yarn called "Abiente" from the manufacture Schoppel Wolle in a color called "Heckenrosen".  Since this German yarn had an interesting name, I had to try to figure out the English translation.  I know "rosen" to translate to "roses" (plural) in German thanks to my many, many years of studying German.  I Googled "heckenrosen" and found beautiful blossoms which looked like apple blossoms.  I found a Wikipedia article and wouldn't you know... it was in German.  My best guess is that "heckenrosen" translates to "wild roses".  If I am wrong and you know differently, please let me know... I'd be curious to know!

I worked really hard to make these match!

I used this type of yarn (in a different colorway) for a pair of socks for my sister. 
Turns out this yarn, is actually sportweight and not sock weight. 
I did not notice that until I was typing in my project on my Ravelry. Duh!
Makes for some nice thick mittens (or socks).