Mini Mitten Monday: Put to Work by a Four Year Old

I babysat a 4 year old last Saturday. Just playing with her wasn't enough--she really wanted new mittens for her doll E___, which is on loan from her mother. E___ has one mitten, shown on the right above, but it's probably more than 30 years old and has a hole on the other side. Plus, there's only one, so in 4-year-old perspective, it's really no good. I think that the lack of a second mitten is actually worse to her than the giant hole!

So as we watched Snoopy Come Home, I took a close look at the original mitten, and set out to make a replica. The original mitten appears to have been knitted flat, and then seamed. I think that the thumb may have just been stuck on at the end, but I'm not totally sure. It's been awhile since I took a crack at a mini mitten, and this mitten needed to be a bit larger than the ornament mittens I've made. I just used the original as a guide and took a crack at it, and I think it looks pretty close to the original (but knit in the round). The thumb is essentially a 5-stitch icord, which was also pretty easy. One mitten down, one more to go!

Mini Mitten Monday: I've Got a Fever

and the only prescription is more Mini Mittens:

Nine in one week (on top of an usually heavy work week), that's got to be some sort of a record, isn't it? Note that the red mitten in the photo above was completed a long time ago, as the REAL 9th mitten didn't show up for the photo shoot. Primadonna.

I've really enjoyed seeing the bits of different scrap yarn while I've been knitting these, and I need to dig out more. I'm trying not to break into unused sock yarn (which would guarantee a shortage when full sized socks were knit), but it's tough.

I'm not sure how long this fever will last, I'm still a long way from my original mitten goal of 2 - 3 per week (or maybe it was more). But maybe I'll end up with enough to decorate a small mitten tree? Ooooh, that would be festive!

Mini Mitten Monday

An occasional series featuring miniature mittens knit for the 2008 Holiday Season

Throughout the year, I'd like to knit an average of 2 to 3 tiny mittens so that I have a giant stock-pile to use for tree decorations, package decorations, and possibly Christmas cards next year. I'll report in on my progress, maybe one every 4 to 6 weeks, just to keep myself honest. The mittens above, knit from leftovers from these mittens and these socks, show 2/3 of my progress to date, so I am already a little behind--three mittens in 3.5 weeks. Plus, the third mitten, made with Cherry Tree Hill red yarn, has gone missing, and only time will tell whether I'll ever find it. I guess that this is the risk you run when knitting 1 inch high mittens, but hopefully I will not lose a third of the mittens I knit. I've been using Pink Argyle's mini mitten ornament pattern, but I've seen a few other patterns that I might take for a spin, too. If you have a favorite tiny mitten pattern, please let me know!