It's (S)no Joke.

Ok. Enough is enough. I want it to stop snowing now. I have had enough of slippery pavements and freezing winds. As I type I am wrapped in a shawl whilst wearing fingerless mitts and hugging a wheat bag!! My flat is usually pretty snug but at the moment I just can't seem to get warm. As the whole country appears to be gripped in the icy fingers of winter I thought I would share some of my crochet mitt projects with you - maybe you too could whip up a pair of mitts to wear in the house!!!

Last year I did a crochet course at K1 Yarns which involved crocheting a pair of long wrist warmers/mitts from Fybrespates handpainted yarn. At the end of 4 hours tuition and a couple of weeks of 'home work' we all ended up with a pair of these that can be worn long.....

or folded to be worn short........

Please excuse the cadavar like quality of the hands in the photos - until I started trying to take pics I didn't appreciate how difficult it is to take pics of your own hands in mitts (impossible to get both hands!)

Doing this course really opened my eyes to the possibilities of crochet as I had , up until then, thought that it was all a bit granny/lacy for my liking. This stitch produced a rather nice chunky rib which is really stretchy. Buoyed up with this minor success I started to experiment with different stitches and produced these mitts to my own design using Lambs Pride Wool which comes in a lovely array of colours.............

I really love the stitch definition on these...

and so simple (and quick) to make!  I used the bulky wool and they are a little chunky and itchy but it's all a learning process isn't it?

I also made a scarf in Colinette Point5 in colourway Vincents Apron......

which has a really lovely texture too.

Then I tried another type of stitch and came up with this Ruff style neck warmer ( Colinette Point5 in Wasabi Squeeze)which is secured by a vintage button..........

which was inspired by my love of polo necks (I am welded to them in the winter)This ruff can be worn with crew neck jumpers and cardies to turn them into a polo neck! I have only worn it in the house so far as it is a little bizarre. Having gained a little confidence by making up my own things I thought it would be a good idea to try and work from a simple pattern and having found a lovely skein of Noro Cashmere Island in my stash I went online to find a pattern. After a little bit of searching I settled on this pattern from The Crafty Beaver

I made these especially for my trip to Harris in October and was very pleased that I did as it was a little chilly. The colours seem to echo the colours in the landscape up there.........

Although I love the colours I felt that the stitch pattern was a little lost and the wool was so soft it stretched out of shape very quickly (so much so that I might have a go at felting them to shrink them) so I made another pair in a firmer Aran weight wool from my collection of New Lanark wool....

which keep their shape better. I changed the pattern slightly in that I added a couple of rows of double crochet at the cuff as I felt they fitted better that way....

I love mitts as you get something wearable very quickly and from just one skein/ball of wool (I have a very short attention span) It is a great way to use up odds and ends and they also make very nice gifts! So why not give it a go? Loads of patterns can be found here and all for free! Or maybe try a short course - see if there is one in your area. They are a great way to get started or even to decide if it is something you would like to pursue. Go on - get mitting!

Hope you are all keeping warm this weekendx

Comments

[Gigibird]

I've just finished some wrist warmers too!
I am really pleased how they came out and they do make a difference - they really do keep the wrists warm!

[Petit Filoux]

What a lot of mittens!! Especially love the first ones you made to your own design and the scarf - well done you!! x

[Bella Bheag]

Haven't you been busy Suzanne - very impressive! I thought I might try to re-learn how to crochet (learned the basics decades ago but have long since forgotten)after seeing the much publicised latest "Learn how to crochet" magazine offer. Unfortunately, I have scoured all good newsagents/magazine sellers - to no avail (if Borders had still been open I'm sure I would have got one there!). Anyway, next time we meet up maybe you could bring along your crochet hook and get me started - you clever crafty person you!! (Recognised the Harris mittens immediately! I really should blog about our fab trip there shouldn't I?)xx