Warm Woolen Mittens KAL

Let’s see….

There’s raindrops on roses-very artsy and dramatic.

There’s whiskers on kittens-that’s just plain adorable.

There’s bright copper kettles-VERY stylish right now.

Then there’s the best, and our most favourite thing of them all.

Warm. Woolen. Mittens.

First off, they make great gifts.

At some point in almost all our knitting careers, we will knit at least one pair of mittens for someone else. I believe this is a fact.

In fact, most of us will likely make a few pairs of mitts for a few knit-worthy people in our lives (and maybe a few who end up on our knitting naughty lists when they’re caught mistreating the first pair).

And why not?

Mitten patterns are plentiful, coming in almost every weight of wool out there.

You can do a quick, basic mitt in a chunky weight.

You can do a warm, cabled, worsted-weight mitten for those cold winter days.

Or you can create something intricate and colourful with a stunning array of fingering weight yarns, something so beautiful they’ll knock your knit socks off.

And as the warm, summer days wane, and the cool, crisp air moves in for the long haul, we’re celebrating mittens with another one of our favourite things-a Knit Along!

Like all our KALS we’ve selected a few patterns and yarn recommendations. 

Milet, by Ysolda Teague
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/milet

A beautiful, starry mitten that flat-out looks like a knitted version of Christmas.

And there’s an added bonus for anyone who did our wee Fair Isle KAL-that beautiful star you create as you close the mitt is Teague’s nod to the colourful closures Fair Isle tams are famous for.

We’re recommending the strong, sport weight Tukuwool Sock for this mitten.

Tuku has a home in our sock section, and it’s great for projects like this-dense enough to keep even the smallest fingers warm and strong enough to withstand the crafting of a mean snowball.

Plus, its colour palette is off the hook.

I’ll be doing these mitts myself, in Haave, Sake and Valo (plus I snagged a skein of Hohka for another pair, later). If you prefer something a little daintier but still nice and strong, give The Fibre Co Amble a whirl.

Speedy Selbu Mittens by Skeindeer Knits

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/speedy-selbu-mittens

Classic, Nordic and designed to knit up quickly-do you need anything else?

This mitt is great if you have a few people on your knit-worthy list.

Another plus-we’re recommending one of our new, already-favourite yarns to go with this pattern, Oakham Greys Aran.

The overdyed effect of the wool lends itself nicely to colour work and will give these mitts a lot of depth in some soft and wonderful hues.

Other yarn ideas for this pattern include: Lettlopi, Haynes Creek Heathers, and Brooklyn Tweed Tones if you’re craving a pop of colour.

Narwhal Mitts, by Ysolda Teague
ravelry.com/patterns/library/narwhal-mittens

Do you have someone on your knit-worthy list who’s a little quirky, or is just wonderfully one-of-a-kind? Are YOU a little quirky and wonderfully one-of-a-kind?

Then Narwhal Mitts may be just the thing. 

These amazing bad boys will bring a smile to anyone who wears them, or heck, even sees them. I mean, who doesn’t love the Narwhal?

We’re recommending one of the great, unsung heroes of our sport-weight section for this unique knit-Alpaca Heather, by Manos Del Uruguay.

There’s so much to love about this yarn-the beauty of undyed Alpaca, the line’s kettle-dyed solids…And of course, it’s as warm as you could want and as soft as one of those whiskered kittens.

Other yarn ideas for this pattern include: Cheeky Merino Joy, and Ranch 03: Campbell-Hansmire.

So check out the patterns, check out the yarn, and if none of these things tickle your fancy, that’s OK-you’re welcome to do any other project, we just ask that all yarn used during the KAL is purchased at Needles in the Hay.

Of course, KALS are much more fun when you get to chat up your project, so we’re hosting two virtual Zoom get-togethers, on Oct. 16 and 23, both running from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Please register to join the virual get-togethers! To register, visit: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkdemprz8uG9eHyuIjVkUGF4G7nK5Zt52L

Please join us as we celebrate mittens, the fall, the early winter and knitting season!

We’re open in store (with health and safety measures in place!), we’re still doing in-store pickup, local delivery and are offering $8 shipping all across Canada.

Happy Knitting! And it looks like I have to go-someone’s just dropped off a brown paper package, all tied up with string-maybe it’s a box of yarn!