NuttyIrishmanKnits

Aspen

Aspen Mittens by me!

Knit using Knit Picks City Tweed, HW in Cottontail and Romance.

Knit on size US 7 circs in magic loop.

Ravelers find Aspen here.

My family loves skiing... and thankfully all have taken to it fairly easily (we won't mention the school of kindergarteners I nearly took out last year).  And what we really enjoy most about skiing is our time spent together on the mountain.  Warm fires, hot chocolate, warm woolies, playing cards.  Honestly I think it's these things that keep us coming back! 

But one of the things I love the most about being in the mountains is the solitude, and stillness.  Even in a little ski village, with hundreds of skiers, I can step outside at night and it's quiet.  Just the mountain, covered in snow, and it's heavily laden Aspens towering over you.  It's magical.

This is where the inspiration came from for my Aspen Mittens.  I love vintage, rustic knits.  And these mittens fit the bill.  They are a simple ski mitten knit in a thick hearty tweed from Knit Picks called City Tweed.  With only a braid embellishment on the cuff the mitten hugs your hand and wrist comfortably, easily slipping under an overcoat.  And by working the mitten in two colors a warm lining is created for extra warmth.

Pattern gauge is given in three sizes, adult small, medium, and large.  And these sizes are achieved by simply changing needle sizes.

I love the City Tweed used in this pattern too!  It's a heavy worsted yarn that smooths like a dream when blocked and softens even more.  (I call this the "puffiness factor...")  You could use any worsted or heavy worsted yarn you like tho, just change needle sizes to obtain gauge. 

Aspen is a quick knit and there's still time before Christmas to knit up if you're looking for a quick Christmas gift!  I hope you enjoy Aspen...  I'm looking forward to wearing mine on the slopes in 2010!  And if I don't post again before Christmas, here's wishing you a happy holiday season!  XOXO!

Happy Knitting~

Jennifer

Mittens!

My friend Shelly Stilger, owner of my local yarn shop Twist, asked me to write the November pattern for our shop's mitten of the month club.  I haven't written a pattern in a long (!) time and thought this would be a great kick-in-the-pants deadline... something I haven't had in a seemingly much longer (!) time.  I knew I wanted to do something classic and traditional, and after mulling it over for a couple of days, I decided on Scandinavian Lovikka mittens.  Simple mittens that are felted for added warmth and fulled for added softness the Lovikka pattern dates back to turn of 19th century Sweden.  And I love the simplicity of the embroidered cuffs and trimming used in the embellishments.

I used Araucania Azapa yarn for these mitts, a great bulky Donegal tweed that felts well.  It also knits up amazing fast, both mittens taking less than 4 hours to complete.  The really fun part of this pattern is left in the details.  I felted mine to fit a child (7 inch width, 9 inch length), but changing felting time can result in a larger mitten.  Then using a pet grooming brush the fibers are combed and trimmed, resulting in a really soft and dense fabric.  Simple embroidery and a braid finish things off, and within a weekend you have a fun and traditional pair of Scandinavian mittens! 

The pattern is for sale online here and in my pattern store on Ravelry.  You can also swing by Twist if you're in the area and get your supplies for the November mitten.  I have more photos coming soon... and there will be a store sample at the shop for you to pet! 

I hope you all enjoy the mitten pattern!  Happy Knitting!

Lovikka Mitten Pattern: $3.00