Linden Mittens
I finally did a thing that I always equated with little old ladies knitting when I was a child. I made mittens. They’re the Linden Mittens by Jane Richmond.
I can see why people like making mittens and socks so much. You get to see the colors change, never quite sure where they’ll go next, and you get a finished object in a fairly short amount of time. They’re also portable and often mindless. There was no way I could have finished these during the last week unless that were true.
There’s something special about adding a good, basic skill, like making a simple pair of mitts, to my toolbox. I can see myself running and walking in these next winter. (Yeah, it’s not at all cold here anymore.) Or I might whip up a few pairs with stray sock yarn for gifts. The best part is that the reverse side is just as cute.
I just followed directions for these. They’re the sport weight version in Felici Kingpin. I used a long size 1 circular to magic loop them two at a time. I’ve been working on them in short snatches of time and, still, they knit up quickly.
As I look at these pictures two things come to mind: Bright and Shiny and Sleestack. My husband says Happy Hands Club. Whatever.
Check out the other beautiful versions of these mitts in the Linden KAL on Ravelry. Some are Felici in different color ways, some are other brands of self-striping, or self-patterning, and there are quite a few brilliant solids. Check them out, here.
You also might want to grab some Felici in fingering weight while it’s still available.
(more on ravelry, kollabora, flickr)
For more about making these: beginning and two at a time.
The mittens turned out so well! I finished mine yesterday, gave them a good bath last night and they are dry this morning. We are expecting snow again tomorrow and cold temps the rest of the week…maybe I'll get a bit of wear out of them before tucking them away until next year 🙂
hahaha! "happy hands club"… that movie is amazing, as is the photo of you mimicking the gesture. the mittens look great! you picked a great colorway.
Adorable! I love that colorway! I like them inside-out, too. I'd wear mine that way, but I'm lazy and didn't weave in the thumb ends. 🙂 I'm finishing up a striped pair today and they are pretty fun, but not as smartly color-coordinated as Felici's stripes.
These are gorgeous! I'm impressed by how well the stripes match. It can be hard to make that happen with self striping yarn.
I saw yours and love them, Kristen!! I can't get over your yarn name and that color combo. It seems perfect for mitts. I was really surprised that I got to use my mittens last night at a track meet. That may be the only time this year, but I was pleased.
It's a fave for sure. I've also been watching the "Bright and Shiny" clip off and on for two days. I laugh every single time.
I tried extra hard on the end weaving so I could flip them inside- out, Vanessa. Normally, I might not have bothered. My ancient legwarmers/ hair shirts for my legs are proof of that. 🙂
Thanks, Andi! I used two balls and started after the first color change on each of them. Thankfully, they were both at the same point in the color repeats.
Aw, they're cute! I love the stripes. One of my first projects were a pair of fingerless mitts, and they were so much fun! I tried making a pair of mitts for my Grandma one year, but uh, they turned out waaaay different sizes. Still don't know how I managed that one… 😀
Ha! I have sizing issues so I can totally imagine how that happened, Heather! I don't know why I haven't made mittens sooner. Two at a time is a good way to get a consistent size between mittens and it helps me finish things to have them done at the same time. Thanks!