FO: Red Tannenbaum Mitts

The winner of the Accessories pattern giveaway is.....Amy! Congrats, Amy!!

Doesn't everyone need a pair of red mittens?! These were nice and quick, all things considered. This was a departure for me as I typically do colourwork mittens (you know, the last two years, so I'm going to go ahead and pretend that's enough for 'typical').

Pattern: Tannenbaum

Yarn: Classic Elite Inca Alpaca

Mods: Third pattern repeat (at the top of the mitten) was made slightly smaller by eliminating three rows from the diamond, this was to help  shorten the mittens just a bit for my small hands.

I've had this yarn for ages- it was from a pre-ravelry hat that I had frogged and rewound, and then promptly forgot about. But this red is really lovely, one of those stunning true reds that seem perfect. Cozy and wonderfully soft, this yarn seems really suited for mitts- it looks like it will get fuzzier with time, which is just fine for a mitt. I love these so much, but oddly we're hitting a warm spell- it's supposed to be 10 degrees (that's 50 Farenheit)  over the weekend, which is hardly cold enough for these woolly wonders. I'm secretly hoping for lots of snow this winter- it's been at least a few years since there's been much snow in Toronto, and the holidays just don't feel special without it.

WIP: Red Tanenbaum Mitts

 It was shortly after I finished my Fiddlehead mittens a couple winters ago that I thought to myself, 'I should knit one pair of mitts for myself every winter.' I don't know why, exactly- something about a new pair of mittens seems like a nice and cozy way to celebrate a new season. And you know how it is, after a certain point in your knitting (long after it crosses over from 'hobby' and into full-blown obsession) you just can't fathom buying a pair of mittens anymore. I mean, anyone who has worn well crafted, handmade mittens know this to be true- They are warmer, prettier, and softer than anything commerically available.

I'm currently working on a pair of Tannenbaum mitts, after finding some Classic Elite Inca Alpaca in my stash in a lovely shade of red. I need red mittens in my life!

Thing is, an unblocked red mitten looks sort of sad. Especially this one, all thumbless. I like to do my thumbs at the end, after completing both mitts. But once they are both done (I'm just about to cast on for the second mitt), they'll have a good blocking, a couple thumbs, and a nice photoshoot. In the mean time.... here are some awkward, unfinished mitten photos guessied up with a fun union jack cushion and picmonkey borders: