Cozy Thermal Mitts

A year or two ago, Mom & I visited a somewhat local farm that had advertised a selection of handspun yarn, weaving, knitting, felting, etc.  While it wasn’t what we were expecting, and definitely not what I was hoping for, I did pick up a few goodies.  I found a couple skeins of handspun yarn, direct from the sheep raised on the farm.  One skein was an undyed, natural color.  I knit Lamb from Scratch with it, about this time last year.   

The other skein was a pretty, variegated purple, blue and pink skein.  It also had a couple strands of sparkly thread spun throughout. 

I have been wanting to knit this yarn for a long time but could never come up with a project I was happy with.  Every time I thought I had it, I changed my mind.  The yarn isn’t particularly soft so I knew it couldn’t be a cowl or anything like that.  I considered a hat, but wasn’t really thrilled about that either. 

Which left me wanting to make fingerless mitts.  I found the pattern Cozy Thermal Mitts, shown in a yarn with a similar appearance to handspun.  I liked how the example looked so I cast on myself. 

Are you noticing a trend with the recent items I’ve knit?  They’re all simple.  Quick.  I guess instant gratification is what I need at the moment.  These mitts are no exception. 

Once I had them knit, I put them on to test them out.  I won’t lie when I say I was a bit disappointed when I started feeling a little irritation on my wrists.  The mitts are a bit scratchy, not soft like I’m used to. 

Originally, the yarn was purchased with the intention to gift something to Sis.  Then I never found a pattern.  When these were finished I decided I would try them out, see how they looked when complete and then decide.  If I was uncomfortable, I knew she would be too.  (She’s a very tactile person.)

But I decided to send them to Sis anyway.  I think she may be able to wear them over another pair of gloves.  She got glove liners from Mom & C at Christmas, and since she lives in Colorado, these would be perfect to slide on over top of her gloves.  Added warmth, with the ability to manipulate her fingers.  Win-win in my opinion! 

I enjoyed the pattern and the textural interest the stitch pattern created.  They took a small amount of yarn – I only had 124 yards and I didn’t even use it all (although there’s only a tiny bit left).  I would recommend this pattern to those of you who have one skein of worsted weight yarn that you just don’t know what to do with.