On the Needles: Twinkle Mitts
At the moment I’m knitting up my latest design,Twinkle mitts. It’s actually the second pair as the first pair were made for a birthday present for a friend. These mitts are about as girly as I get - I think they are unashamedly feminine but still practical and not over fussy, so should hopefully appeal to a lot of different tastes.
I’m knitting them in the round using the Magic Loop technique with a longish circular needle, but you could also knit them using a set of DPNs (double pointed needles), or whichever is your preferred method for knitting projects with a small circumference. Personally, I favour using the Magic Loop technique as it feels a little easier than wrestling with DPNS, particularly at the start before you have knitted many rounds, and also if you are knitting on the move you won’t have the risk of losing one of your DPNs underneath someone else seat on the train etc! (Let’s not mention the Port Talbot to Paddington train incident shall we…… ). I also love that with just one type of needle you can knit flat or in the round, even for small items like socks and mitts. To learn more about Magic Loop see this blog & video tutorial.
I’ve used one of my favourite yarns too - Rowan Felted Tweed - I just love the rustic tweediness and that it’s in a slightly finer than standard DK weight which is great for keeping your hands warm but without hindering your movements or dexterity.
This project is small and achievable - an experienced knitter can achieve these within a week so it’s a great project for gift giving. It’s no dull knit however, and is packed with design details and techniques which make for an interesting knit. First you have the little bell frilled edging, and then you work twisted rib with beaded lace panel until you reach the thumb which is fully fashioned.
The other techniques used include: knit through back loop; knitting with beads; increases and decreases. Check out my tutorials page too, as I will adding to these from time to time, and drop me an email if there is anything you would like me to cover in future tutorials
The Twinkle Mitts pattern before it is available for sale via my Ravelry patterns store, but if you join the lovely folk on my email list you’ll get access to it for free along with other knitterly goodies available in my Resource Library.