Weekend Hand Warmers

I'm not very good about finishing big knitting projects.  I've been working on a cranberry colored market tote made up of mitered squares for about three years.  Some projects are just hard for me to stick with, so I was super proud of myself for making these hand warmers. 

They're a tiny bit fuzzy cuz I've been wearing them for a year

Especially since to get the shaping right, I ended making a total of FOUR hand warmers.  Yup, I have two sitting with my yarn waiting to be frogged (rrrrrrriiiiiip it out).

Want some tips if you want to make your own?  (or just to see more pretty pictures??)

First off, the pattern. I really wanted a pair of mitts that Penny (Felicia Day) wears in Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog because I really, really, really, love that web series.  I found one through Ravelry. Great Weekend Mitts by Thea Eschliman is a free download and can be knit flat or in the round (I knit it in the round).  I made a few adjustments to my usual knitting technique and to the pattern. 


1.) I don't know what cast on/off you use (I use a Norwegian long tail), but this one requires a SUPER STRETCHY cast on/off.  I used this one to cast on (illustrated) and this one to bind off (illustrated + video tutorial) from Interweave Knits. 

2.) I have super-duper-skinny-baby wrists, so I did not make some of the increases/decreases the pattern indicates.

3.) I did not knit the placket that has buttons.  I have the yarn for it, I have the buttons for it, I just never got around to actually knitting that part. As soon as they were finished, I started wearing them just about every day to work because the place I worked last winter did not turn on the heat much.  Very eco.  Very cold.  

3.) I used two different sock weight yarns that I later discovered knit up differently (and I even swatched!). Notice how the purple stripe is a bit thicker than the bluish one?  Yeah.  It's more noticeable when I wear them and bend my fingers.  Luckily, I don't mind too much.

yarns are different guages

So, the first time I knit these I had no idea how long they would turn out and where they would hit on my arm.  I happen to like this length (they tuck into sweaters well), but if you want to make some shorter or longer, just add or subtract a couple rows (BEFORE the gusset starts) 

ombre is a fun word to say

my husband is not the best picture taker.  i still love him.

If you're on ravelry, be my friend!  My name is rainrose and this is the project page for these guys.