New mitten -- Psychic Hearts -- is out

The pattern for Psychic Hearts is now available! The best part? It's only $3 for the rest of the summer! So if you're crazy enough to want to get a jump on winter and knit mittens in the heat (like me,) well, here you go.
Named for the Thurston Moore song of the same name, these cute colourwork mittens are a perfect introduction to the world of fine-gauge colourwork knitting. The pattern is easily memorized and worked, and is a great way to use up odd scraps of leftover fingering-yarn. Use two alternating colours or as many as you’d like to make these mittens your own!

NOTE: The pattern also includes instructions for making these as fingerless mittens.

Get it here, on Etsy or here, on Ravelry.

Here are some other things you might like to know about Psychic Hearts:

Size: Women’s Medium (or any hand that is 8” in circumference.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Doe (Main Colour -- MC,) and the following Contrast Colours (partial balls may be used since relatively little of each is required): Raspberry Heather (CA,) Masala (CB,) Bark (CD,) Golden Heather (CE,) and Tidepool Heather (CF.) Alternately, any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice may be used. A 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches is also required.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 1 (2.25 mm) or size necessary to obtain gauge.

Notions: A stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional,) and a sewing needle to weave in ends.

Skills Needed: Knitting in the round, stranded knitting and chart reading.

New mittens on the move

The charts are done and the pattern is written! With any luck the Psychic Hearts mitten pattern should be released today.

All I have to do is finish the finger decreases and give it a thumb......and them steam block it and take proper pictures. Yep, almost there!

The observant will note the difference in colour between this picture and the last one. This one is a better representation of the actual mitten's colour.

Startitis at Pittsworth

We're suffering from a nasty case of Startitis over here at Pittsworth Manor these days. Look! I have proof:It's a new mitten! Well, it's a mitten knit (so far) up to the thumb, at any rate. It's a cute, quick little pattern that I've taken to calling Psychic Hearts. I think it might be safe to say that it's the first (and only) knitting pattern named for a Thurston Moore song.

Yes, I have Thurston on the brain, having just seen Sonic Youth this past Monday night. Oh, it was an amazing show! It took my right ear until Wednesday to fully recover. I haven't had that sort of painful fun at a show since I saw Spiritualized last September. I'm seriously considering wearing earplugs at concerts from now on.

In any event, I hope to polish this mitten off soon (maybe tomorrow?) and release the pattern shortly thereafter. Maybe I'll even do some kind of crazy sale on the new pattern, in celebration of those of us who love knitting our mittens, even if it is July. We'll see.