First Christmas present down!

Tanya's mittens

I'm pretty sure my friend doesn't read my blog. (If she does, I'm busted!) We went to a craft show a couple of weeks ago (Fair November in Guelph) and I saw her eyeing the mittens at the Philospher's Wool booth -- or more accurately, sniffing them! She loves the smell of real wool. So I offered to knit her mittens for her birthday or Christmas (both in December) and she not only gladly accepted, she donated the yarn leftover from a Philosophers Wool sweater her aunt knit for her a few years ago! The colour is a little less vivid in real life, more burgundy really; my camera has trouble getting reds accurately, and even after fiddling around in Photoshop Elements I couldn't get the colour quite right. The pattern is Debbie Bliss's Flip Top Mittens from Knitting Daily. I left out the finger slit as I figured they'd be warmer this way, since my friend usually walks to work. I also changed the embroidery design to one that I preferred. These mittens are knit on two needles then seamed up on the pinkie side. The seaming is a pain (especially the thumb); next time I'll pick up 4.5 mm DPNs (I don't have any) and do a pattern that's in the round instead of knit flat, especially since I think seamless mittens will be more comfortable. Still, overall I am quite pleased with these, even though they are imperfect. And they do have that wonderful woolly smell -- I think my friend will like them very much!