Vinterblomster Mittens

Just in time, I have finished the Vinterblomster mittens! (Spoiler alert is off--if you haven't received them yet, then sorry but you're not getting them.)

I had a stage I went through when I made a lot of gloves, but I don't think I've ever really done mittens. I've found this flat style with a peasant thumb very appealing. And Heidi's bloom pattern is very pretty--hard to resist!

I had the pleasure of giving them to my sister on Saturday. We happened to pick each other's names in the family so it was fun to exchange gifts with each other. (We're both stuck in the same part of the country while the rest of the family is back home in Canada.)

The knitting was done on Thursday (the 24th), so I pushed myself to block them that night.
Setting them up by the heater again, they were dry by morning.
And now that you've seen the "good" sides (top and bottom), I'll show you the inside:
The first thing any self-respecting knitter does to something they admire is to turn it inside out! (It's really funny to see, but it's true.) All the yarn carried across the back helps to make the glove thicker and warmer. There were six stitches in between the vertical stripes which is too far to carry the yarn over. Especially inside a glove where fingers and rings may get caught on long loops. So I had to catch the non-working yarn in between the stripes. I just alternated between doing it after 2, 3, and 4 stitches. (You don't want to do it at the same point on every row or it will show through to the front.)

The pattern was good and charts clear, but I did have one issue with it. There was a leaf left hanging when you pick up the thumb according to the charts.

Project Stats
Started: 28 Nov 09
Finished: 24 Dec 09
Pattern: Vinterblomster Mittens by Heidi Mork (free)
Materials: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, 1 skein each 36nsChocolate ($11) and 630Bittersweet ($11.50)You can see the half leaf in the yellow circle. On the same thumb, you'll notice the pattern of the leaves (alternating from side to side) is interrupted as well. On the other thumb (pictured on right), I fixed both issues. Removed the half leaf and reversed the chart so that the leaf pattern continues smoothly from the back of the thumb onto the body of the mitten. (It wasn't quite worth it to me to go back and fix the first thumb after I noticed the problem.)

I also wanted to show off the outline stitching:

The contrast yarn makes a pretty edge, almost like piping. I'm showing it off because it took some work and care to make it come out right. It flows from the body right onto the thumb, just like it should. Clever designer, that Heidi Mork.

One last look...
Now wave bye-bye because they're off to their new owner and you may never see them again.