22 November 2009

Yesterday was a mittens class. It was great fun and mittens make a great quick gift for almost anyone. It takes an afternoon to knit a pair of adult mittens in a worsted weight yarn.

Mittens sound mundane but a quick trip to a craft store holds all of the promise that mittens can offer. Fabric paint makes for an interesting experiment on the palms of the mittens. Dog or cat paw prints or just tiger stripes makes for an interesting pattern and makes the gloves less slippery on steering wheels.

For that special person and a bit of bling, add crystal to the back side of the mittens. Swarovski crystals add a lot of sparkle and would be stunning.

I have received a partial shipment of Mushishi yarn from Plymouth. It is a wool/silk blend that is very soft and knits to 5 sts to the inch on a US 7 needle. There is over 490 yards to a ball and the ball includes patterns for hat and scarf in both knit and crochet.

I have an additional pattern for hat, fingerless mittens and leggings that use just a single ball.