Toasty Mittens

So, this winter turned out to be every bit as bad as the last one so when the temperature hit several degrees Celsius below zero, I knew I needed mittens. And not just any mittens, I realized that the ones I had were not warm enough for this temperature so I HAD to make new ones and fast! Even though I like shopping as much as anyone, I try to reduce my consumption and use what I have, so I raided my stash and came up with this gorgeous hand-dyed wool yarn I had from Ecuador. Too itchy to use for a hat or scarf but great for mittens. I had never made mittens before but it turned out to be much easier than I expected. I used a pattern called Gauntlet Mittens from the book Speed Knitting and used my yarn double throughout. It took a few hours over the weekend to make them and by Monday I had these great mittens to wear at work! The cuff is a pain to make (maybe because of the bulkiness of the project, not sure) but it's gorgeous - it looks like it's woven!!! I liked these so much that I made a pair for my husband with a different yarn and a "manlier" cuff!

I love my new mittens more than anything I would have bought in a store and they are super warm!