Got Mitts?

The only saving grace I can think of for the month of January is that it’s mitten season. January is dark, cold, snowy and once the bloom of New Year has worn off, it’s just a generally grumpus kind of month. So, what better tonic to stave off the gloom and doom than a wicked good pair or three of mittens?

In the general cheer, giggles, and mittens-as-freakin’-art category, you can’t beat the patterns of spillyjane. [url=http://spillyjane.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://spillyjane.blogspot.com[/url] Like beer? There’s a mitten. Are you a fan of vegetables, flamingos or blue hippos? There’s a mitten. Collect Polish pottery? There’s a mitten. (Many thanks to spillyjane for letting me snag a few pictures.)





Now, the good news is that if you’re new to mitten knittin’ you don’t have to start out very complex. In fact, even if your first mittens are a one-way ticket to Disasterville there’s still hope. My first attempt at mittens a couple of years ago resulted in a single mitten with no thumb. As soon as I come up with a clever name for it, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, it’s sunk in the bottom of a project bag, occasionally rising to the top just to mock me. I have a friend whose first mitten also resulted in just one (even though we all know they seem to function better in pairs), but hers had the added bonus of a thumb that would have done Uma Thurman proud in Even Cowgirls Get The Blues. I tell you this to explain my current love and utter fascination with:

The Fingerless Mitt

Now this is just one flat out brilliant idea. I rank it up there with salad in a bag. Behold the wonders of the fingerless mitt:

You can knit them flat.
You can knit them in the round.
You can knit them with partial fingers and a partial thumb.
You can knit them with no fingers and no thumb (unlike my first mitten attempt, you actually leave a hole for the thumb to poke through – much handier.)
You can knit them with no fingers and a partial thumb.
You can use a pattern.
You can design your own.
You can use fine yarn, bulky yarn, or anything in between.

They can be elegant:



They can be functional:



They can be so-freakin-cute-I-can-hardly-stand-it:


Kitten mitts pattern by Tiny Owl Knits http://tinyowlknits.blogspot.com/

See? The possibilities are endless!!

I have a pair I wear everyday at work to win the war against my cold cubbie. I feel like a cross between Oliver Twist and Madonna in the Like A Virgin years when I wear them. It’s an odd combination, but you know what I mean.

Pop in to see Diane at the Knit Knook and she’ll hook you up with everything you need and the perfect pattern for your skill level. And, if anyone comes up with a great marketing idea for a single mitten with no thumb, please let me know. I’ll cut you in.

You crack me up! These are awesome. You really are trying to get me to start knitting.

"Like a Virgin" Okay there you go.

perfect! so now you just need to make some kitten mittens or shall we call them kit mitts? Too cute. I want a pair!

Awesome! I am doing a pair for my first Christmas gift for the Knit Knooks Chirtsmas Club for January. I love 'em!

Well, I am a crocheter and thinking of trying them.

No pressure, pondlady.....snort.
CG, considering how fast they knit up, I'll bet they'd go even faster crocheting.
I'm making the kitten mitts for my February project for the Knook Christmas Club. I want a pair, too, but this pair will go in a shadow box with some vintage kitten postcards for a friend - hoping it comes out as cute in the box as it is in my head!

I'm sure they will. Post a picture when you are done!

Hey, turns out we're on the leading edge of fashion - who knew?
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011101170301

Truthfully, there are times when I wish I had a pair at work!