Elephant mittens
They have already made a few appearances in the “on the go” section, but now that they are FI.NAL.LY completely finished, they truly deserve a solo spotlight with a dedicated post.
For years, crocheted mittens have been a staple in my autumn and winter outfits. They are perfect for warming slightly cold hands without immediately losing all feeling in your fingers like with full gloves. Over my crafting years, I’ve made quite a few, gradually developing my own method, one that I tweak a little each time, but whose foundation always stays the same.
But when I lost my last pair of crocheted mittens, I decided it was time to try something truly new.
I’ve had knitted mitten patterns with beautiful designs saved in my Ravelry favourites for years. The Peaceable Mitts by Erica Heusser especially caught my eye, as they feature my favourite animal: the elephant. The reason I never dared attempt them before was simple — I felt intimidated. Knitted mittens in Fair Isle technique sounded far more complicated than my trusty crochet hook. A small circumference AND colourwork… I was expecting a proper fiddle.
But since I had lost my previous pair, I felt I had no excuse left. Time to give it a go!
And I’ll admit straight away, the beginning really was fiddly. But once I had the right needles, things went surprisingly smoothly. The first mitten flew off my needles quite quickly. Only then the dreaded second-mitten-syndrome struck… The second (right-hand) mitten just wouldn’t get going. I would knit maybe one or two rounds at a time, and the fact that it was summer did not exactly help my motivation.
Until suddenly, cycling in the mornings started to feel chilly again, and I cursed myself for still not having new hand warmers. At that point, the right mitten was practically finished — except for the thumb, which I personally find the trickiest part. Luckily, the cold gave me the necessary kick, and within half an hour the thumb was neatly attached, ends woven in and all.
Then came one last nerve-racking step: washing and drying. Naturally by hand, as felting was absolutely not an option I wanted to risk. And then… they were FINALLY done!
One thing I noticed straight away: the first mitten (left) clearly looks looser and bigger than the second. Not unusable — far from it — but the difference in tension is striking, and not something I can explain. Anyway, in hindsight it actually turned out quite handy, as the left one now slips more easily over my watch.
In the meantime, the elephant mittens have already had plenty of wear. At the same time, I’m now extra careful not to lose them, because I’d be so cross if I did, lol.
Now that the mittens are finished and the three shades of yarn I used are still far from used up, I’m considering making a matching hat. Whether that’s actually feasible, I’m not sure yet, but if that project does happen, you’ll definitely read about it here!
Cheers,
Charlotte
| The Details | |
|---|---|
| Pattern: | Peaceable Mitts by Erica Heusser |
| Yarn: | Drops Alpaca in 3 colours:
|
| Needles: | 2.25mm |
