January's Mittens

For Christmas my dear friend gave me Page-A-Day’s calendar Never Not Knitting by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot. Each day has some interesting tidbit about knitting, Tuesday’s are tip days and on the weekend there is a quote from someone that can be applied to knitting. I love this calendar because even if I’m not knitting, it keeps my mind active about something I love. Well a couple of days into the new year she has a idea/tip about using up your sock yarn that you have stashed by making your own sock-of-the-month club. While I do posses a few skeins of sock yarn, I don’t have nearly enough to have made use of the tip for socks. However I did modify it to mittens!

Living up here in the Inland Northwest we are blessed with winter lasting between October to April (yes I said blessed, remember I’m a knitter). This means I get to knit wooly accessories for my babies such as mittens. So with the tip from the Yarn Harlot, access to Ravelry’s database of free mitten patterns I made my very own, one-of-a-kind, mitten of the month club. I am uber excited about it, especially now that I have finished this month’s mittens.

They are for Vinny as the yarn I used was the yarn he picked out during one of our bribery trips to the yarn shop. Note-yes I do bribe my children to behave themselves with trips to the yarn shop. No I have not brainwashed my children into liking yarn and the yarn shop, they truly enjoy it (I have pictures of them after I’ve received a shipment of yarn think Christmas). Yes I know how blessed I am.

The pattern, Bev’s 2 Needle Knit Mittens for Kids, is super easy and fast and a great first time project as it has all that you need to know for a lifetime of endless pleasure in knitting. They are knit on 2 needles, so you can knit both at the same time if you want. It has increases and holding stitches plus seaming. I made the smallest size, used the Old Norwegian Long Tail Cast-On (simply because I just learned it and I could) which I happen to like and has the added bonus of extra stretchiness.

Vinny with his mittens on...so happy.

Yeah, he really isn't praying but sure looks cute!

Specs and Modifications: Yarn used Universal’s Dolce Merino, color Tangerine purchased at In Stitches. Needles 3 and 5, I increased from 28 to 32 stitches evenly throughout the row instead of increasing 2 stitches at each end, also I knit straight for 12 rows instead of 10 after the thumb. I used a backstitch to seam and added an I-cord to attach the mittens together so I don’t lose just one (trust me, it’s a must with kids)

Look at that seam! Isn't it awesome!
(okay, so maybe I go a little overboard with the knitting stuff, maybe...)

Here are a couple pics of the kids (minus Lincoln, he was at school) just because I know that you're all really just baby junkies wanting to see cute kid pics.

True brotherly love, "I don't want you touching me."
Ooooh, just what every brother wants...to be licked by his baby sister!

Have a blessed weekend!