The Joy of Mittens

Facing a possibility of an East Coast move this summer has been a major inspiration in my knitting. The thought of actually having a pressing need for certain clothing items that I never use now has opened up a world of possibility.

Take, for example, the mitten. Mittens are, in my book, one of the coolest things to knit. The small canvas offers immense possibilities for creativity because of the fact that it is so limited. But, living in Southern California, I never need them. My hands are never that cold. So, I have neglected them.

This winter I have worked on them eagerly, though, fueled especially by the beautiful patterns in The Loft Collection. I've already knitted Parson:

and am now busily at work on Leila Raabe's Burnham.

Both patterns were very entertaining, but in totally different ways. Parson was great because the diamond pattern and the pattern on the palm were both small repeating motifs that were fairly easy to knit (usually 3x1 repeats).

Burnham is very different. The pattern on the back of the hand is, frankly, brilliant. It consists of small motifs organized in a non-linear way and has been fascinating to knit.

This is the first mitten, unblocked yet, so please excuse the lumpy unevenness. Will definitely post again once it looks decent. The second one is actually farther along than the picture up top. I sat down after taking that picture and knit through the thumb gusset in two hours. That's pretty fast for me!

Both mitten-knitting experiences have, of course, been enhanced by the yarn Loft, which creates a fuzzy, velvety fabric that is perfect for colorwork. I think I might just knit Carlisle, so I have a complete set. :) We'll see...