Hello out there in the Urban Yarns world, perhaps we haven’t met yet: I’m Alexa. I’ve been around the shop for a couple of years now and I knit, a lot. I thought I would use this weekly blog post to share some of the projects I’m working on and techniques I may have picked up along the way. To kick it off I thought I would start with something I know best: mittens!
I love mittens. I know love seems like a strong word but really, I love them. They are so warm and cozy, they remind me of snow (I have to be reminded from time to time as there was none on the streets of Vancouver this year) and of childhood, with mittens attached together with a string. I have knit many pairs this year and I was recently informed that January is National Knit Mittens month. There is even a ravelry group dedicated to it (here). These are a few of the mittens I have been working on.
First up are the infamous Fiddleheads. These mittens are very warm with a charming fuzzy lining. They aren’t exactly a beginner project but a good way to master fair isle knitting (that’s knitting with 2 colours at a time, one held behind the other). Mittens are a relatively small project so they are a good opportunity to learn something new.
For the Fiddlehead Mittens you will need:
1. The pattern, which is only available online here or through ravelry here.
2. Yarn: 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport, Melange, or Alpaca Silk in the main colour and up to 5 contrasting colours. For the lining you will need 1 skein of the Brushed Suri.
3. Needles: I used 3.5mm short double pointed needles. As usual if you are tighter knitter go up a size, looser knitter go down a size. Length of needle is also a preference thing.
The most important thing to remember when choosing your colours is to have a lot of contrast between your main colour and your contrast colours. They are called contrast colours for a reason. If you use navy blue against black you won’t be able to see the lovely fiddleheads form. If you choose a very light or very dark colour for the main it makes your life a lot easier. I am happy with my colour choices of the past but with so many options in the Blue Sky Alpacas Melange, Sport, and Alpaca Silk we are always contemplating new colour choices around the shop. These are a few:
The other pair of mittens I’ve been working on are my newest pattern: the Antler Mittens. They have a nice long cuff (which I enjoy but if you don’t, it’s an easy alteration) and they are cabled. I made them with the ever luxurious Worsted Hand Dyes to match my scarf. To whip up this pair you will need:
1. The pattern, availble at the shop
2. 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes
3. 5mm doubled pointed needles.
Even though these mittens are long they are done in a thick yarn so they knit up nice and quick. There is still plenty of January left to knit up a pair of mittens!
On the left side, we have blossom, a sweet and girly pink. And on the right is a beautiful dark green called seaweed. Try knitting this on a 20mm needle to create a gorgeous neck scarf. Cast on 10-12 stitches and knit in rib.
