Apple Mittens

Usually, I do my best to keep my crafting budget to a minimum. I alter the yarn recommendations on patterns, or I buy just one skein of a gorgeous yarn. I don't knit many sweaters because they always use so much yardage.

Still, I know that on any given project I might spend a minimum of hours and a maximum of months of my valuable time. Knitting is a very sensory experience- every time you sit down to work on it, you're going to run that yarn around your fingers and you're going to look carefully at each stitch. You are involved with that project. Knowing all that, what is the point of using materials that you do not love, or that do not inspire you?


The yarn for this project is courtesy of Grandma J by way of a Knitted Together gift card. Whenever I was feeling a little stressed or unhappy working at the farms, I had this great fund of happiness I could dip into on that gift card. And boy did I.

I could walk into the store, wander around, find a ball of something stunning and take it home with me, no worries about budget or if I'd earned it. This Dream in Color yarn was one such purchase of complete happiness. The skein is from the Classy line, a merino worsted with plenty of twist to keep the soft wool from pilling, and the juicy color is called "China Apple."





When I started in on these mittens, I worked my swatch with the bone needles and loved every second of the work. I kept stretching it out, looking at the stitches, admiring the evenness and gentle color gradation, demanding Brett look at it and admire it too. And I cast on that night.


Yarn: Dream in Color Classy- China Apple.

Needles: US 6. I don't have a set of these in double points, so I used two interchangable circulars.

Pattern: My own. Double cuff, Norwegian flat thumb. I wanted to keep it simple and let the yarn speak for itself. I might add a little embroidery to the back- something in an apple or leaf shape.


I'm still working on the second mitten, but they're such a fast knit, I'm pretty sure that they'll be done long before winter is. I'm guessing I'll have just a little yarn left over.