I love weaving. I spend as much time as I can weaving. Sometimes I batch cook just so I don’t have to stop to cook. My family thinks I’m a little obsessed (they’ve never actually said it, but I can see it in their eyes). Occasionally though, I take a break…and turn to knitting, with the same obsessive zeal.

Last week my husband asked me to knit him a pair of mittens. This request is actually epic. I’ve been knitting for over 20 years and in all that time he has never asked me to knit him anything. A few years back I did knit him a pair of socks. But if I remember correctly I rhapsodized over the yarn, (Herriot Fine), said what a great sock yarn it was, how he needed a pair of socks, that I’d never knit him anything and surely that was wrong. He finally, just to hush me, said I could make him a pair of socks. (Yay! He pays for the yarn!) But, back to mitts and him asking, I jumped on it!

I wanted something super warm, but not bulky. That meant probably 2 colours. I also needed a design that looked sophisticated…something a particular accountant type might want to wear (symmetry and clean lines are important). I, of course, decided to design my own. A nice, subtle pinstripe look (sophisticated and clean) and Ultra Alpaca (super warm)

Ultra Alpaca usually uses a 5mm needle, I cast on with 3.75mm. I really wanted a smooth dense mitt. A vertical stripe takes longer to knit than horizontal, but also gives double density as one yarn is always carried behind. It was a bit of a challenge to shape the thumb gusset. The increases are worked over 2 rows, 1 for the main colour, one for the contrasting colour. I think it looks beautiful! My husband good naturedly tried on the mitten many times so I could make sure the fit was just right.

In the end, the first mitt was just a little off. Second mitt is perfect! I’m currently in the process of test knitting the pattern, need to make sure it is perfect before it will be available.

It’s great to have a passion, something that you love to do. It’s also important to take breaks. When I weave I am closed in my weaving room down in the basement. It’s quiet and peaceful and I can really focus on what I’m doing. On the other hand it so easy (maybe too easy) to block out the rest of the world. Knitting brings me back up into the main living area of our house. The place where everyone else hangs out most of the evening. As much as I love weaving, it is good to take a break.

Variety is the Spice of Life