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Easy Winter Mittens ala Charlie Brown

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wynter mitts classic eliteHere in Arkansas we’re finally getting cool mornings, though the afternoons are still warming up nicely. Over the weekend my daughter went out to get the newspaper and had to bundle in pants and a fleece jacket, then she didn’t want to take her hands out of her pockets to pick it up!

So I guess it must be time to start thinking about mittens. These Wynter Mitts by Susan Mills for Classic Elite Yarns are bigger than would fit the girl, but they’re adorable, and I just might have to knit some for myself and make a wee version for her. The bold chevron and yellow and black coloring of course bring Charlie Brown to mind, but they’d be bold and beautiful in whatever two colors you choose. You could even use two shades of the same color (the girl would love purple!) or just work them solid for a super fast project that will have your hands warm in no time.

Are you knitting for cold weather already? I’d love to know what’s on the needles.

[Photo via Classic Elite Yarns.]

Jorid Linvik’s Big Book of Knitted Mittens: 45 Distinctive Scandinavian Designs is sure to inspire you to want to knit some fun mittens, whether embellished with classic motifs like birds, hearts, moose and classic colorwork designs or those with a more modern feel liks guitars and skulls, a giraffe, penguins or a turquoise lizard.

The book includes a lot of instructions on how to make your mittens come out right, including a discussion of how different gauges can give you different sizes of mittens (and which mittens can be worked to different sizes for kids and adults). The charts are a little different from others you might have seen in that they show how to divide the stitches on the needles and where to place the thumb.

Looking for more knitting patterns for Mittens? Check these out on Etsy. 

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Comments

  1. Currently I have 3 dead fish hats, a Shark hat and 2 dragon hats then 6 sweaters to knit for my Daughter, Son-in-Law and the 4 kiddies.

Have you read?

Knit a Garter Stitch Blanket with a Twist

When I first started knitting again after a long absence from the craft (which has now been almost 25 years ago!) I really didn’t like garter stitch that much. I found it super boring, somehow even more boring than knitting stockinette stitch in the round, even though it’s exactly the same thing.

Over the years I’ve softened my opinion, and even grown to like garter stitch. There’s nothing wrong with being plain, and actually the texture of garter stitch is more interesting than stockinette.

Also there are fun things you can do with garter stitch to make it more interesting if you want to, such as adding stripes, working on the bias, or doing fun effects to change the look.

That’s the way with the Bernat Twist My Way Garter Knit Blanket. Using combinations of casting on and binding off creates what they call a Swiss cheese effect along two sides of the blanket. This is a lot of fun in the self-striping ombre yarn they chose for the pattern, but it would also be fun in a solid color or making your own stripes.

Despite the dramatic effect, this pattern is rated easy. It’s worked from side to side (if you consider the “cheesy” edges the top and bottom) and has an eight-row repeat that involves binding off and then casting on again to make the holes. They’re kind of like giant buttonholes.

Once you get the hang of it it’s a pretty easy repeat to remember, and it will be smooth knitting as big as you want to make it.

You can download this pattern from the Yarnspirations website for free, or you can buy a kit direct from them that includes the yarn you need (and knitting needles if you need those, too). Bernat Sport Ombre Twist, which is what is used in the pattern, comes in 12 self patterning colors and is a DK weight acrylic yarn.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]