Heather's Mittens -- your early present!

There may be a couple of months remaining until the holiday season proper, but here's a gift for you today:Yes, the pattern for Heather's Mittens (on Ravelry) has just been released. Grab it here or over here on Ravlery. As promised, instructions are provided to make both regular and fingerless mittens. I know some of you prefer the latter over the former, so I'm happy to oblige.

These mitts go up very quickly making them a gret addition to your holiday knitting. Go on and grab that pattern!

More info about my gift to all y'all...

Progress continues on the new, free mitten pattern:At this point, she just needs a thumb. Did I mention that the pattern is going to feature instructions on how to make these as a pair of fingerless mittens? The gifting potential just increased tenfold! Oh, and her name is Heather, after (unsurprisingly,) Heather. Look for the pattern on Saturday, 25 October 2008. It would be finished tomorrow night if I wasn't going to a DAVID BYRNE show.
Viva Señor Byrne!

Don't forget to swing by here (or on Ravelry) on Saturday for that new pattern!

Just a wee taste!

This should tide you over...

What you see up there is the beginnings of my latest mitten, but there's a twist -- it's going to be a FREE mitten pattern! This will be my present to all you lovely knitters for the 2008 holiday season.

Look for the pattern by 1 November 2008 at the very, very latest (it will most likely surface this week -- 19 - 25 October.) You will have plenty of time to make a pair for yourself or for someone special this holiday season!

I hope you've enjoyed this little nibble!

Phedre's ready -- knit as thou wilt!

Where the mittens can't, won't, don't stop:This is Phedre, my newest mitten. Her pattern's just been released and you can pick it up both here on Ravelry and here on Etsy, in plenty of time for your holiday/winter knitting.

Here's her palm, complete with hidden thumb:I'm sure that some of you only have to look at this mitten to immediately get the reference, but for the sake of the uninitiated (among whom I numbered a scant couple of months ago) I will explain. I've already told you about how I can hardly see, do or read anything without thinking of how it would translate into mitten-form, and this mittens is further proof of that fact. Well, I've been reading Jacqueline Carey’s Legacy of Kushiel series, which features the heroine Phèdre. Phèdre's entire back is tattooed with a briar rose motif (her "marque,") which denotes that she has pledged herself as a sacred courtesan. I just couldn't resist being presented with such a distinctive and pretty symbol and I knew, fairly early on, that I would have to work it into a mitten.

PLEASE NOTE: NO SPOILERS PLEASE! I have not yet finished reading the entire Kushiel series! At this point, however, I am nearly finished reading Kushiel's Avatar, which is the third book in the series.

Here are some other things that you might like to know about Phedre:

The pattern is a clear, concise, 4-page .pdf file with large charts and images.

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

Gauge: 10 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in both of the following colours: Garnet Heather (MC) and Black (CC,) or any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice, and a 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 0 (2 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, the tiniest bit of lace knitting, and chart reading.

I hope you like the mittens! Knit as thou wilt!

On inspiration.

I'm beginning to think that I have a serous problem -- I can barely look at anything, be it textures, colours or any combination thereof without wondering how these elements woulds come together in a mitten. No shape, colour or texture is exempt from undergoing this process within my brain; it just happens.

I suppose if I were anyone other than me (and by this I mean forever destined to take the long, difficult path and then once done turn around and see the obvious, simple one) these urges would find no need to be expressed in mitten-form. I'm guessing that other people would just pick up pen or brush or clay and set about committing those shapes, colours and textures that seem so important to paper, canvas or clay respectively in a timely manner without having to make thousands of tiny stitches in the process (I actually did the math the other day -- I was appalled to find out how many stitches are actually in a pair of mittens knit on 2 mm needles. This knowledge, however, has not staunched the urge to continue producing such mittens. Long and difficult, indeed.)

Moreover, I find myself stopping and considering the most unlikely of things, on the off-chance that they might prove to be the next somethings that I'll need to deal with. Take the simple act of doing the laundry. Dirty shirts go in the wash, clean ones come out. Those clean shirts end up on the chair in the front room waiting to be folded. It's time for me to pull myself away from whatever else I'm doing for some quality folding-time......and I freeze. I'm too busy staring at the colours on the chair, the random way in which the laundry was taken out of the basket and laid there, waiting to be put away. Clearly this needs to be properly documented before this fortuitous spectacle (or clean t-shirts, to the rest of the world,) is broken up and put into its dresser drawers!

So, yes, I stood there and took pictures of my laundry. Allow me to warn you that if you do this the people you live with may look at you strangely (in some cases, more strangely. Anyway.) If this colour combination turns up in a mitten, please do not be terribly surprised -- my brain's already working away at this one.

And speaking of mittens, because how can I not have a new mitten on the needles or freshly released these days, there's another one coming this weekend:This is Phèdre (Ravelry link.) She'll be out this weekend. You might recognize her from Jacqueline Carey's Legacy of Kushiel series. Please note -- I have not yet finished reading this series, so PLEASE, no spoilers from those of you who have, thanks! I'll let you all know the second the pattern's out, as usual. Now I'm off to go tackle another mitten...it truly never ends.

The NEW Wintertime for Adriana mittens are on the loose!

If I'm not careful, I'm going to OD on mittens.
Hah! Who am I kidding?! I love them to bits, and these ones in particular!

My friend Adriana has an annual tradtion where she knits a strictly seasonal project every holidau season. Usually this project ends up being a pair of socks, but this year she decided that a pair of mittens was in order. More specifically, she decided that a pair of mittens designed by me for her was especially in order. I was only to happy to comply, and these are the result -- Wintertime for Adriana (Ravelry link): Mittens that are classic without being stuffy and seasonal without being cloying. These are the perfect mittens to wear while on your holiday visits or to give to the people you're visiting.

Here are some other things that you might like to know about Wintertime for Adriana:

The pattern is a clear, concise, 4-page .pdf file with large charts and images.

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

Gauge: 10 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Spearmint (Main Colour -- MC,) and the following Contrast Colours (CC): Blush (CA,) Red (CB,) Garnet Heather (CD,) Ivy (CE) and Cream (CF.) Note – Knit Picks Palette in Red been discontinued. Please substitute with Knit Picks’ Palette in Pimento (CB,) if necessary to preserve the original colour scheme. 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 0 (2 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, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Enjoy the new mittens! I'll be back soon, with yet another mitteny offering -- I'm just waiting for the yarn to arrive in the mail.

The Swedish Fish pattern is ready!

Just as promised, here is the Swedish Fish mitten pattern (Ravelry link), ready to swim home with you. Why not spice up your holiday knitting this season by trying the fish? You can catch the pattern here on Etsy or here on Ravelry.

Bands of colourful, funky fish frolic across these unique mittens. The pattern is easily memorized so the knitting moves quickly and the colours are irresistible! Go on, try the fish!

Here are some other things you might like to know about the Swedish Fish:

The pattern is a clear, concise, 4-page .pdf file with large charts and images, which I will send via your PayPal email address as soon as I possibly can.

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

Gauge: 10 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Twig (Main Colour -- MC,) and the following Contrast Colours (CC) : Red (CA,) Yellow (CB,) Green (CD,) Iris Heather (CE,) Garnet Heather (CF) and Golden Heather (CG.) Note – Twig, Red, Yellow and Green have been discontinued. The following substitutions may be used: Knit Picks’ Palette in Doe (MC,) Pimento (CA,) Semolina (CB) and Clover (CD) to preserve the original colour scheme. 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 0 (2 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, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Enjoy the fishies!

Because you might like to see a new mitten.

Here's more of the new mitten, called Wintertime For Adriana (Ravelry link): It's really coming along well! I'm just putting the thumb in now.

I'm in hiding from my Xmas knitting! I don't even want to think about it yet! It may involve lots of lacy scarves!

Go on, try the fish!

Hey! Look what's finished...
Yes, it's a Swedish Fish mitten (Ravelry link). The pattern will be available by this weekend (September 20-21!)

And...another mitten just might be happening....and it just might be Adriana's fault. She's wanted me to design a mitten for her for quite some time, now, so here we go:There's not that much to see yet, but I'm pleased with it so far.

The Willistead mitten pattern is out!

Just in time to start your Xmas knitting, here's the Willistead pattern (Ravelry link,) ready to go! You can pick it up here on Etsy or over here on Ravelry.Colourwork mittens inspired by a walk in Willistead park in Windsor, Ontario past the lovely old Art Nouveau ironwork gates. Every motif on these mittens is an painstakingly accurate reproducton of the motifs on that gate.

Since this mitten only requires one to use two colours of yarn on every row it is an ideal project for those new to colourwork.

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

The pattern is a clear, concise, 4-page .pdf file with large charts and images.

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

Gauge: 10 stitches = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in Stockinette st.

Yarn: One ball of Knit Picks’ Palette (231yd / 50g) in each of the following colours: Green Tea Heather (MC) and Calypso Heather (CC,) or any other fingering yarn in these colours or colours of your choice, and a 15” piece of waste yarn of the same weight in a contrasting colour to hold the thumb stitches.

Needles: One set of five (5) double pointed needles in US 0 (2 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, twisted stitches, and chart reading.

Enjoy the mittens!