Pattern #51 Cabled Cuff Mittens

The Case of Thumbs on a Mitten

Hey Everybody, it is Em!!!

I'm so excited to present you with the finished...Cabled Cuff Mittens!

I wanted to show you photos of my other finished project, the Reverse Stockinette Mittens, however my camera is currently MIA. Therefore, I cannot post anything about my new mittens until it is found. Either way I am very proud of these mittens. They are truly a quick knit.  Now, these mittens are at their new home, with my friend Sarah.  They are nice and long and fit very nicely on Sarah.  They have enough room to stuff an extra layer of mittens or even part of a coat.

I want to restate how I really enjoyed this pattern.  I didn't find any errors.  I read, on Raverly, that it is advised to knit a 2-4 rows of st st, before you start the cabling pattern.  That way it is easier to graft.   I personally didn't find this something important to do.  However, if you prefer to have a little bit of material before you start, it is not a bad idea to knit a row or two.

I also saw an amazing spin on this pattern.  AnnetteTR on Ravelry made her cabled mittens white with blue cabling.  It was the coolest version of the mittens ever.  I asked AnnetteTR how she did this.  Her description was simple. Since I do not know her personally, I do not feel comfortable posting her tips nor her photos on our site.  However, please PLEASE look her up and click "love" on her mittens.  They are to die for!

I wanted to also talk about the art of making thumbs.

When I first started making mittens, I always struggled at making the thumbs look convincing. If anything, they looked strange and tacky. I pondered on HOW could I make better thumbs? I didn't really learn the secret of making thumbs look awesome until I started taking some risks.

Here is what I discovered about making the thumb look normal. I wished somebody told me this when I was learning about thumbs!

1) Don't fret about holes that are between your thumb and the rest of the mitten. You can always sew them shut.

I didn't understand that it was an option to sew something shut. I always spent so much energy trying to pick up stitches that my thumbs looked mutated. Now, I pick up just one or two and sew those shut later.  I cut a long tail and use that strand of yarn to weave in ends, as well as, close up the seam.

2) Pick up the correct number of stitches...plus one more.

I always pick up one extra stitch than what the pattern calls for. Then I knit those two together. This helps make that picked up stitch stronger.

3) The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

In time...your thumbs won't look strange. Mine don't anymore.

I hope that helped!!!!  If not, I hope you enjoyed the photos of my newly made mittens! Again, I cannot rave on how awesome this pattern was!!!

Have a great week!

Em

Pattern #39 Cables & Stripes Mittens

Hey Everybody It's Em!

Brittany and I are going to try to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the entry so you know who is talking! We are sorry if there was any confusion in prior entries. We will do our best to identify ourselves in the future!!!!

Now onto the knitting...

The reason I bought this book...was because of these mittens!!!

I love the cable mittens!

Two of my friends in school requested for me to make them a pair. The first pair I finished are used with Eco Cascade. I won it last year at Stitches Midwest:) Since the yarn is a little finer (at least I felt it was) than the worsted 220, I feel my personal pair of these mittens are a little thin. If I could go back I would have made these with an actual worsted weight yarn.


I think that is why the mittens are much smaller than the other pair too. I followed the pattern exactly and the mittens came out two difference sizes. I don't have a picture of the other mitten, but when I finish them, I'll post a picture!

The pattern is a little misleading. I thought the pattern went all away around the mittens. Turns out, it is only the top of the hand that gets the awesome pattern.

That is okay, I enjoyed the fact it was only on part of the hand. When the other hand has just the st st it makes them different. Plus, it makes things fit in the hands nicer. Once I got the pattern down, the knitting went by quickly. I liked how the cables were layed out like a checkerboard. It kept things interesting during the knitting.

The thing I don't like about this pattern? The color changes. It's not the pattern's fault, I just don't like don't color changes. While Brittany doesn't mind the sewing, I do. That is because I am an epic failure at it. When I join yarn, there is always some kind of hole that I have to resew up. There have been times my knitting has come apart because the ends were cut too early. Now, I try to weave all my ends in, but I detest it greatly. I am just not a fan. Therefore, I was glad with my friend Angie mentioned she wanted these in one color.

I didn't find these difficult. I would encourage first time mitten makers who are going to go beyond st st for the first time to try this knit. The cabling is simple and it looks so flashy!

Over and Out!
Em

Pattern #42 Bunny Mittens!

Hey It's Em!

I love knitting mittens!!! They are some of my favorite things to make. I've been working on all sorts of different types of mittens. Most recently, I have been working on the Bunny Mittens from 60 Quick Knits book. Thus far, I love the pattern. It is simply written. They were also very quick to make. I made one mitten in only a few hours!!! I just finished off the pink nose only a few minutes ago.

Where should these beautiful mittens go? I do not know any young girls that would benefit from these awesome mittens, so I am thinking of donating these mittens to the Green Bay Girl Choir Art Gala Fundraiser. The girls need arts and crafts to be autioned off. This will help girls who are not able to afford Girl Choir to have financial opportunities to join the choir.

I need to pick up some buttons for my bunnies eyes. I'm thinking of some tiny pastel pink buttons. The tiny ones that go on men shirts. Add a little pink thread and VOILA, I have cute little bunny mittens!

I'm also trying to locate some type of tool to help me make a pom-pom for the tail. The last time I made a pom-pom like that I ended up having the thing fall apart on me. If I'm going to be donating this (or whatever-ing this) I do not want it to fall apart!!!

That is all for now!
Em

Pattern #40 Tweed Mittens

When deciding on Christmas gifts, I chose mostly 60 Quick Knits. This was of course before Em and I made our resolution. I really enjoy looking at all the lovely patterns in the book. I settled on the tweed mittens and used some yarn I bought from our LYS. The pattern was rather simple and I started knitting them during a rummage sale in the middle of the summer. Of all the mittens I have made these mittens had the nicest thumbs. These mittens were not short like the Checkered Mittens, but instead a nice height. Again I used Cascade 220 to make these. As you can see my sister-in-law enjoyed getting them. They will definitely keep her hands warm this winter and for many winters to come.

Yarn Information: Cascade 220 Heather #2419 (Aster) and Cascade 220 Paints #9921 (Caribbean Sea)

As always, if you would like to see more pictures check out my Flickr Account.
Brittany

Pattern #34 Checkered Mittens

The Checkered Mittens were one of the first projects I made from the 60 Quick Knits book. As soon as I saw this pattern I thought of my mom. I started and finished them in July but my mom did not receive them until Christmas Eve. I enjoyed making them, though the thumb was a bit difficult. I noticed after completing them that there was an errata on the thumb. I did not use the errata, though I just adjusted them on my own. The other thing I would like to change is the height of the mittens. I think they seem a snug on my fingers, but my mom has a smaller hand so they work for her.

After my mom received the mittens she said that they seemed very warm. I told her that they were made of wool. She was surprised at the quality of wool and the fact they were not itchy. This is one of the many reasons I love Cascade 220 yarn. It is warm, quality wool that does not cost an arm and a leg to buy.

Yarn information: Cascade 220 Paints #9924 (Blueberry Bliss) & Cascade 220 #7815 (Summer Sky)

For more pictures check out my Flickr Account!
Brittany