Mittens for the Masses

Good Afternoon,

What exactly is a basic mitten?  Well, in my mind it is a ribbed cuff, followed by a gusseted thumb, or other type of thumb, and then on up to the tip of the mitten.

Then you have the fingerless varieties, and the thumb less for babies and young children, and the mitten with the removable mitten top....and on and on.  You are only limited by your imagination.

Then, there are the double knit mittens, thrummed mittens, colorful, beaded, embroidered, and slightly different shaped tops.  Those shaped tops have to do with how the top is decreased and then finished....decreased to six or eight stitches and then draw the yarn tail through or Kitchener stitched together.

So many choices.  The good news about this is that once you never get bored knitting such a wonderful variety of mittens.  There is something for everyone.  Even with the most basic pattern,  you can introduce a really lovely yarn.  Since most mittens don't take a huge amount of yardage, you can entertain the thought of using something more exotic for that special someone. 

Choices once again, in the fiber arena this time are:  Buffalo, Possum, and Yak, just to name a few.  Don't forget Camel either.  It is another wonderful fiber to knit with.

Get out your paper and a pencil or pen.  Start by tracing hands, labeling the paper with names and maybe some notes on color preferences and fiber considerations. Don't forget to measure the circumference of the hand as well.   Doodle on down the page with some stitch variations, cables, seed stitch, twisted ribs, etc. You now have gifts for your family and friends and never make the same pair twice!

How awesome is that!  Have a great rest of the afternoon and Happy Planning!

Kid Stuff

Good Afternoon,

How many of you enjoy knitting "kid stuff"?  This can range from infants to middle school and includes items like blankets, clothing, toys and on and on. 

Many of you know that I learned to knit from my Great Aunt Zelda.  She was a school teacher and loved to knit and share her knitting  with others.  I can remember her saying that she would only knit for kids, my word, children, her word.  That is because adult sweaters took too long.  There were many of us in the family, so not only were there many sweaters knit, but also that same number were passed around from child to child.

She had me knitting when I was about seven years old.  My favorite projects as I remember was knitting for my dolls, scarves, and hats.  As I got older and into middle school, I started knitting sweaters, mittens, as well as some simple designing as well.  I began knitting for my siblings as well as myself.  Once in high school, I began making some money from my knitting by selling to my friends.

Back to knitting for kids.  What kind of yarn for what  type of project should be used.  There are as many thoughts on this subject as there are knitters I believe.  The possibilities of what type of material used is endless.  100% wool, a blend, super wash, cotton, cotton blend, just to name a very few.  All of us have our favorites.  My personal favorite is wool.  There are so many wonderful, soft wools available today.  Not like when I was growing up.  The wool seemed to be a short staple length and prickly like Shetland.

Most of the things I have knit for my grand kids have been wool or wool blends.  There have been some super wash varieties thrown in for good measure.  Unless the dog decides to take a chunk from the knitted items, they are out grown before they wear out.  Then become the process of passing around the family.

What are your favorite fibers for kids.  What are your favorite projects to knit for kids.  Do you prefer to knit toys or a sweater.  I would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment in the box or share a comment on my FB Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/YouAndMeKnit. 

Hope to hear from you soon!  I would love to share projects with everyone.

Have a nice rest of the afternoon and Happy Knitting!

P. S. Here is one of the grand kids hats that I love to knit:




This is the "Wiggle Hat".  I made matching blue and white for JT and Mason this past winter and JT decided to call it his wiggle hat.  The name stuck.  His Mom asks him to go get it and that's the one he brings back, how could I not use that?

Anyway, I would love to hear your comments and see your photos.