Mittens in August

My boyfriend has been nagging me for about eight months to knit him some mittens to stave off the bitter cold of the Ontario winter... I have yet to really see how cold it gets here, but I'm not particularly looking forward to it. Anyway, I started him some mittens about a month ago, but I wasn't particularly a fan of the pattern or the colors (even though it's both of our alma mater); it just seemed a little too seventies-ish for me. He wouldn't have really cared, but I have to be seen with him. So I started hunting for a new pattern, which wasn't too hard.

I went to the yarn store for the first time since I've been in the GTA; it was pretty amazing... Being young, I have a hard time finding yarn stores with employees who don't assume i have no idea what I'm doing. But the woman who owns it was amazingly nice and helpful. And best of all, they carry a full selection of Peer Gynt, which is one of my favorite 100% wool to knit with.... and it just so happens I knit him a hat last fall out of Peer Gynt, so I was able to match the mittens to the hat. I did edit the pattern on the thumb a bit, to avoid the heart look you get when alternating colors, but other than that, it was a quick and easy pattern.

Another problem I have knitting: I'm terrible with things that come in pairs. I actually think this is the FIRST pair of anything I've finished. Hopefully, this is something I can continue...

I also picked up yarn to knit myself some mittens using another knitty.com pattern.

Unfortunately, much of the yarn in the correct gauge was varigated, which I didn't want, so the colors aren't exactly what I wanted, but I love the yarn (it's baby alpaca). The pattern shows up much better on this picture than it does in reality, but that might be due to the low light in the living room.

I'm not quite done with the first one yet, but there will be much more to come on these when I get done. I've learned quite a few techniques I can't wait to share :)