Dogs Steal Yarn: I love to have options

November 16, 2004

I love to have options

I wanted to make a pair of hybrid mittens--you know, the kind where the mitten cap flips back to free your fingers for little things like turning keys in locks, swiping metro cards, eating cookies...

I wasn't happy with an existing pattern I found, and to fix that pattern would have taken just as long as fudging something on my own, so fudge I did.

I present to you, the knitblog community, the results of said fudging. Flip-top mittens:

I started by adapting the mitten pattern in Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns from dpns to a two-circular-needles pattern. Using that pattern as a base, all I needed to do was knit a few strategically placed rows on the palm side on waste yarn to make the gap, throw in some buttonloops and buttons...y bueno... I love these things and if I lose one I'll cry. I really will. Maybe I should invest in those clips that attach little kids' mittens to their coat sleeves?

I bought the yarn at Rhinebeck. It's Spirit Trail Fiberworks merino sock yarn. I've been calling the colorway Spirulina, but they call it 38-04-04-01.

Besides the choice of mitteny warmth or fingers free for cookie-eating, you can also use the resulting profile to make hand monsters! (C is for cookie AND Cari, don't ya know.)

Posted by cari at November 16, 2004 01:05 PM

Comments

Hey! Cute mittens and a clever design.

Apparently we are all talking to the hand here today.

Posted by: claudia

Awesome! I am so making those. Thanks for sharing your fudging secrets! ;0)

Posted by: alison

Cute mittens! Great job creating, too!

Posted by: Jackie

Oh yay! They came out so great!

Posted by: Jackie

Those are just adorable, & the colors are simply lurvely. Sorry I missed the gang this weekend, hope to catch up with you soon.

Posted by: mindy

umm, those are SO cute. great fudging, I say. I might just have to fudge some up myself.

hee hee. talk to the hand.

Posted by: Carrie

Oh - I love the mittens! I had a pair once, but alas, there was some unfortunate business that involved the mittens, too many martinis, and a train ride, and well, the mittens went to mitten heaven. Sigh...

I think the clips are a v. good idea. :)

Posted by: Elisa

Oh, I love your mittens! DH has had many of the store-bought kind, but I've never liked exactly how they are. I love that yours are MITTENS instead of gloves, and your flap is small... all the store ones are huge! Thanks for showing us what you did :)

Posted by: Leisel

great design! and fabulous color. i love how that flip top doesn't open low on the palm.

Posted by: froggy

C is SO for Cari. And cute-as-hell.
xo

Posted by: Rachael

Spirulina turned out very well. Kudos.

How about them leaves? Are the dogs having fun rolling around in them?

Posted by: Iris

Wow, mittens you can still flip someone off with! Genius!

Posted by: Silvia

The LES approves. I need bloglines. I'm missing out on all the fun.
Instead of clips, I like the idea of having them on a long string, going over the shoulders, down the arms. When you're wearing a coat, nobody sees it. If you take off a mit, it dangles. Clips sound like they could come off?

Posted by: valentina

hi.

i've been lurking, lured here via a link from someone else's blog, though whose i can't remember.

they're GLITTENS! my sister-in-law from new jersey called them that, and i love the word, so yes, you made glittens, and they're awesome. i don't usually like variegated yarn, but this particular one is nice.

Posted by: jen

Spirulina! Very high protein vegetarian mittens. I'm all for it. ;-)

Posted by: Norma

Those are soooo pretty! And look at all your pretty leaves, too. Get raking, girl.

Mmm, fudge...

Posted by: alison

Wow, that was fast! They look awesome! Nice choice on the buttons, too.

Posted by: Jenn

Cute!

Posted by: Becky

So now it's 7:40 am and I'm already hungry for cookies. I love the way the mittens (excuse me, glittens) turned out, with the button and pointyness and everything. Hooray!

Posted by: Em

I bought the clips, they didn't work too well. The kind I bought didn't connect to my sleeves reliably. So if you don't want to lose a mitten, make yourself a string. Ultimately, I've decided against both options because either way they dangle when I'm cleaning up after my dog.

Posted by: Mary

Genius! I hope you copyrighted these...

Posted by: Cree

Very cool gloves. It's definately nice to have a choice!!!

Posted by: Eilene

LOVE the glittens. awesome yarn choice as well. cool button...
the whole kit 'n kaboodle rocks.

Posted by: susan

Late to the party--AGAIN!! But, impressed nonetheless by your fabulous mittens. I love them!

Posted by: elisabeth