So, remember ages ago I talked about some mittens I had been
wrestling with?
Well, the other day I found the confidence to pick them up
again and actually get them finished. I had developed a strange kind of phobia
of them – I had such traumatic memories of throwing them across the room,
screaming at the pattern and generally getting too emotionally involved in the
whole thing.
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed working in the KnitPick’sCity Tweed – it’s a lovely soft wool and knits up with a subtle shine which
makes the finished product really forgiving and malleable. As I was making
mittens/wrist warmers, the softness is much appreciated. Okay, so I may be a
few seasons off for appreciating warmness, but with global warming and all that
you never can tell what the weather is going to do!!
The project, on the whole, was fairly mental. I think my
problem was taking on too much too quickly. I struggle to find things that I
want to knit, and it took us ages to find a pattern. Eventually we came across
Simple Knitting by Erika Knight, which is a really lovely, well-published guide
to knitting.
It suited me perfectly, it is full of lovely, timeless patterns
which I know I will knit in the future. It seemed like a sound investment, as
it also acts as a guide to all things knitting, with a beautifully illustrated
guide to stitches, seaming and other such larks. So the mittens pattern was
rated at 2 out of 4, and what with my previous hat and scarf attempts, I felt
like this was a good step up.
Turns out, the pattern was a lot harder than anticipated,
and I had to get my mum’s help when shaping the thumb gusset. However, I did
learn so much over the course of the project. I learnt the importance of
patience! I realised that I don’t have to be the quickest knitter in the world,
and I learnt that it’s more important to keep going at it rather than to get
mad and try and forget all about it.
Anyway, here they are:
I chose not to block my mittens as the author suggests,
mainly because my hands are small and I knew that the length would irritate me.
I really like the rolled back look at the top, and it means that they’re a bit
more useful when it comes to actually doing stuff whilst wearing them. I can’t
wait for autumn to bust these out!
 |
| Modelled by my unnaturally tanned mother. |
Even though there were times when I thought that these
mittens would spell the end of my hobby, I am so happy with the finished
product and I feel like it was a real achievement to get through it. The only
thing I would say is that the rating on this pattern should be moved from 2/4
to 3/4. Shaping the thumb gusset is really hard and there were a few mistakes
in the pattern that only a knitter with a few years of experience could
determine.
If you’re a beginner
or want to learn more about knitting in general I’d really recommend this book, and the project!
I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to publishing, and I find many of the
glossier knitting books brash and garish. Thankfully this one has really been
thought about, and the book as a whole is lovely, It’s got a really homely feel
to it, and the photography by Yuki Sugiura is really complimentary. I love it
that the publishers haven’t cut corners, and I’m glad to start off my
collection of knitting books with this gem.
All in all, overjoyed at how they've turned out. I'm going to be the only girl at the beach this summer with mittens on!
