Mitten Palooza

With a slew of fall birthdays it’s been a bit like mitten-palooza here.

Stripy mittens are one of my favourite things and weaving in ends one of my least favourite. The clear solution is self striping yarn. I fell slightly in love with Adriafil Stella Jacq. It’s colour changes too quickly for a hat or a larger item, but that’s what makes it perfect for mittens.

 

 

The fact I found it on sale was an added bonus.

 

My affection for Knit Picks Felici sock yarn is boundless, so I was thrilled when they offered it in a worsted weight. One ball was just enough to match up the stripes without stressing about having enough of the right colour.

I may have ordered this year’s colours for next year’s mittens. 🙂

 

Sometimes I don’t want to match the stripes and just free knit (or at least as much as you can following a pattern). That’s when I love variegated or hand died yarn. I tried The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze in Superwash Worsted. The smaller hank was perfect for a pair of mittens.

I’ve picked up another for a January birthday.

I also went back to an old standby: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted:

I’d forgotten how soft it is.  (The colour is Tale as Old as Time for my Beauty and the Beast fan).

I’ve been playing around with my own version of a mitten pattern for a while. I was intrigued when Kate Atherley showed a copy of her new book Knit Mitts at Knit East.

 

I love her template for a mitten pattern. She did an even decrease for the top while I had been decreasing on the sides then Kitchener stitching the top, much like the toe of a sock.

I must say I like that version for a top better. I love the idea of being able to customize the pattern depending on size of person and weight of yarn and the guide in the book is excellent. There are some other patterns as well that I may try at some point.

 

In the meantime, I’m hoping I’ll finish my current pair of mittens (for me!)