lifeline

I started these mitties on our trip to Madrona, knit and reknit and revised about a dozen times, and finished them up for a wee cold spell we had a couple weeks back. I don't ordinarily have the urge to work with my own handspun yarn, but this one called to me. The roving was a superwash merino hand dyed by Melanie of Black Trillium and it was love at first sight. And then, even more impressively, at second and third and fourth as well...



I had just seen a picture of this new (to me) thumb gusset and was intrigued by its unusual shape and wanted to give it a try. I love how it curves across the palm like a secondary lifeline, and it makes a very snug and comforting fit.



These are pretty uneventful mittens since I think that handspun is at its best in the simplest stitches, but there is a bracelet of garter eyelets for a smidgeon of la-ti-da.



I got to drag my friend Lorelei to the park in the rain for another exciting photo shoot for a few other designers (secrets! I will share at length, I promise!) and as photographer's prerogative I snuck these in too. I will make a pattern soon, and am planning on also offering it as a freebie with any skein of handspun yarn, as a ready answer to the ubiquitous, "what can you make out of one special skein?"



Pssst, you can get the pattern to make some of your own right here:


Thanks so much friends, as always, and until next time!