Somehow I got home the other day with only one of my very, very, very, most favorite fingerless mitts. I have been intending to make 2 more pairs of these because I love them so much. But of course I haven't started yet. And here I am needing them now.
Luckily I got some cashmere sweater sleeves that have been turned into mitts at an art show right before Christmas. Extra lucky I bought them even though I didn't think I would need them since I was going to knit some myself. Extra, extra lucky I know myself well enough to know I wouldn't get them done anytime soon.
The cashmere is delightfully soft and cozy. BUT... for those days when it is super cold (below 20 degrees) I pull out the big guns. When I first made these I thought they were too long. Silly me. They are great for tucking up into the sleeves of your coat to keep that freezing wind out. Here is a link to the pattern if you are interested. Bella's Mittens
I made mine out of Big Baby Alpaca. Super warm and not one bit itchy. Mittens and itchy do not go together. I know. I have a pair of super itchy mittens. I want to like them, but I can't.
I'm thinking of attaching all my mittens to my coat sleeves in the future. Just in case someone tries to sneak them out of my pocket and drop them on the sidewalk.
Carol, you are supposed to make a long string attached from one mitten to the other and run it up your coat sleeve , around your neck and down the other. Don't you remember seeing those? I think it would even work. It would be a LONG string so you could get the mitten down low enough to slip on.
Posted by: Caroline Berk | 01/05/2013 at 07:09 AM
I'm with Caroline. My mom knitted my 3 sisters and myself new mittens every year and they were always attached with a long string. I was just requesting a pair for my 4yr. old last weekend...
Posted by: Jenny | 01/05/2013 at 07:38 AM
What memories this has let loose. Growing up in upstate NY, I can remember vividly,
Coming into the house, fingers frozen wet inside mittened hands. Taking off my
Jacket and hanging it on a hook in the mudroom. The red woolen mitts dripping
Wet and dangling from my jacket. I can remember the soggy smell, looking at my
Beet-red hands and running into the kitchen for something warm and sugary to drink.
Thank y ou Carol for stirring that memory
Posted by: Barbara Tarbox | 01/05/2013 at 09:56 AM
Speaking of losing favorite things: I have lost not mitts but one each of two pair of earrings. I have never lost earrings ever in my very long life, but in 2012 I lost my two favorites. So not fair.
The memory of of the frozen, beet red hands, the soggy wet mittens, brought back the cloak room of my kindergarten class when I lived in St. Louis, MO...the smell of those wool coats warming up gagged me. I can't stand the smell of lamb chops to this day because they give off that same "wet wool" smell. UGH. Never have been able to eat lamb.
I hope you were able to retrace your steps and that the mitt was turned in by some kind soul. Could be worse: I found a credit card on the floor of Starbucks inside the Barnes & Noble the weekend before Xmas...you know that had to be an ordeal for the person who lost it.
Posted by: Joan Clarke | 01/05/2013 at 04:06 PM
I forgot to mention this: Can you line the itchy mitts with a piece of silk? Hand stitched to the inside of the mitt at the opening? Seems like a solution rather than toss the itchy ones...or maybe line with flannel?
Posted by: Joan Clarke | 01/05/2013 at 04:08 PM