Fits for Mitts

Way back in March my mom had mentioned that she was having trouble writing while it was so cold because her hands would start to get cold and hurt. Minnesota winters and a drafty house are never a happy pair. Luckily I found this easy pattern for a pair of fingerless mitts and decided to knit her some up. I was hoping to give these to her for mothers day but I took too long blocking them and couldn't give them to her when she was here in Chicago.

I used Knit Picks (surprise) Gloss DK yarn in Gulf Stream, a beautiful rich blue. A blend of wool and silk these are on the softer side and still have enough heft to keep them warm. I picked up the Gloss back when they were having a sale on luxury fiber, I wanted to try it out but didn't want the expense of knitting a sweater up in it. Because these are only a two skein pattern even at its normal price these would be a very affordable project.

The edging that you see is actually a sewn down edge, I probably would opt to do a ribbed edge next time for a snugger fit but this was a quick little project and definitely a great gift to make up. I keep telling myself that I will make a set of mittens one of these days and this was a way to get me more excited about trying a pair.

Unfortunately their usefulness has passed (mostly, it was 45 degrees here in Chicago yesterday. 45 people! It is MAY!) But my complaining about the bitter cold aside I will package these puppies up soon and send them out.

Big thanks to Janella for being my model. As I discovered it's really difficult to take pictures of your own hands while trying to hold a camera.

Sunday Snapshot

Just a quick set of mitts I'm making up for my mom before I see her this weekend. She has been complaining of her arthritis acting up in her hand while she writes and as an MFA candidate for a creative writing program, that is kind of an issue. I'm making them up quickly because I'll be trekking up to Minneapolis this weekend for my great-grandmothers funeral. Its a very sad reason to be going home but my Grandma Hadlich lived a wonderful and long life, she was 102 when she died and I'm just thankful she is no longer in pain.

On a much lighter note, these mitts are made of out some wonderful Knit Picks DK Gloss Yarn I got from their lux fiber sale. A blend of merino wool and silk it is sturdy enough to last those long nights of my mama writing away by oil lamp but still soft enough not to irritate her delicate skin.

The pattern is very simple and straight forward though if I was going to knit them again I would do them in a thinner gauge yarn, maybe more of a fingering or sport weight. It wouldn't knit up as quickly but I think I'd like the delicate look more.