Finally Finished: Double-Rolled Mittens

Double-rolled mittens in Project Spectrum colors, possibly should be renamed "Goofy Mittens":(Didja notice that I wore another one of my knits today?)

These mittens just look really silly to me and they make me laugh! Especially the "shag on the cuff" (as Ms. Hansen calls it):I made eight million mistakes on these but I was too lazy to fix them. On the first mitten, I used needles that were too big and then switched halfway through so the thumb has a funny crook to it. The second mitten came out a smidge too short so I just tried to stretch it out during the wet block. They'll do!Pattern Notes: "Double-Rolled Mittens" from the book Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen. Knit with Bartlett Yarns 2-ply Fisherman (also used for the shaggy cuffs) and lined with Bartlett pencil roving.

If you're not comfortable with a bit of self-interpretation, you're probably not gonna like any of the patterns in this book. They are written in a pretty loose style and there seem to be errors or vague parts in some of them. Just do a little trial-and-error if you're confused and you should be able to figure it out!

Also, a note on the "shag"--I made the ribbed cuffs to the length specified in the pattern and they seemed way too short at first. However, adding the shag to the cuffs really lengthened them! Also, if you are going to use worsted weight wool I would recommend using something slightly larger than the pencil that's recommended for wrapping it. The pieces are just a tad shorter than I would have liked.

So...spring training is under way and opening day is less than a month off. My first little flower seedlings are happily growing:And we're still stuck with Siberia-like temps. And can you believe this pile of snow:It reaches the second story! So much for the view huh? I think I will need to start a regular feature of photos documenting its melting, because I'm pretty sure there's going to be remnants of it well into May! Oh well, at least starting Saturday we are looking at temps in the mid to upper 30's. Break out the shorts!

Ack, sorry for being away so long! :) Unfortunately not a lot of progress has been made on my knitting projects, either. I finished the body of the fair-isle cardigan and a preliminary try-on seemed to indicate that it just may work. I've been ready to start a sleeve for awhile but I never did the gauge calcs like I did for the body. I'll have to sit down this weekend to figure it out...shouldn't be too hard but I need to do it while I am well-rested, non-distracted, and alert, ha ha.

I also started another Project Spectrum item. In extreme closeup, these are going to be the "Double-Rolled Mittens" from the book Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen.They are made in purplish-blue Bartlett Yarn 2-ply and the "rolling" (fleece lining) is done with Bartlett Yarn pencil roving in a gray color, which you can see peeking through the stitches.

This is what the inside of the mitten looks like:Mmm, fleecy warm goodness!

You may recall that I've already made the Maplewood Mittens and the Labrador Diamonds Mittens from this book, and while they're not the simplest patterns around, the history nerd in me just can't resist them.

This is old news, but the storm we got last week gave us a good 20 inches of snow. Here is a photo of it, in the blue-gray-white color scheme no less!And, there won't be any photos of the lake for awhile...the view has been blocked, by this nice 8 foot snow bank!Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!