Sander's Mittens

Am finally working the neck steek on Sirdal. Hallelujah! I have no idea why some projects like this one seem to drag on forever and others seem to fly by. Anyway, I know I'll wear Sirdal all the time which is nice. Last year I made something like 450,000 pairs of mittens and even after giving tons away, I still have more than I'll ever use in this warm climate. Maybe I should go back to knitting socks since they never seem to last me long.

I guess it is time to admit I started yet another project. It's a sickness... I am working on Kalev's Mittens from Folk Knitting in Estonia. I have to rip the cuff out and make them narrower. They are designed for a man and the only guy I know who really wears mittens has small hands. I'm going to put these mittens in my knitting box. My knitting box is a new idea I'm trying for gift giving. Instead of making specific projects for specific people (and ending up making projects that didn't interest me) now I make up extra stuff, put them in the box, and when family and friends come over they get to pick their own stuff. I'm always surprised as people never pick things I think they'll like. I get to knit projects that interest me in yarns I like and the gift recipients get exactly what they want. Everyone wins.

I guess I feel it is necessary to knit every single mitten pattern Nancy Bush has designed. Here's a shot of Sander's mittens in Alice Starmore's 2 ply Hebridean yarn with the nifty fishtail cuff pattern. These were donated to Afghans for Afghans.