I am not a knitter of mittens, in fact I believe this was my first pair.  I saw this kit, yes kit, complete with Morehouse Merino 2-Ply and pattern, a Morehouse Original.  It came with a little scrap of the darker brown for the noses as well as the four beads for the eyes.  I believe this was also the first kit I’ve ever knitted.  I was taken with the mittens’ cuteness.

I don’t quite know how to size for mittens.  Should they hang loose or tight?  The pattern did not include ribbing at the cuffs, now in retrospect do I wish I had added ribbing?  Is the thumb too long?  Are the noses the right shape and in proportion with the body?  Am I being too critical and likely the answer  is yes and of course, all of the answers are up to the individual knitter.  I knitted these for my daughter and I am hoping she likes them.  I think that when I knit for someone again, I may take the mystery out of it as it has added a certain stress, an unnecessary stress, in the process of making.  The surprise can be the finished garment in and of itself.  Isn’t it interesting that I just came across this article from Amy Herzog about knitting sweater gifts.  Check out Tip #5!

I just have one tip for making these mittens.  Watch this video! The quill stitch is time consuming and takes patience.  Another knitter, Kimmyz from Ravelry, who also took on this project made a video as the quill stitch is multi-step and the directions a bit unclear.  I attempted to interpret the pattern and then watched the video and it acted as a second opinion and validated what I thought.  And, of course there is always a certain comfort in that.

Photos were taken at the Buffalo Zoo on a chilly, but bright and beautiful day.

If my daughter doesn’t like these whimsical creature-mitts, I would be more than happy to ‘take them off her hands’ for my birthday (coming soon after Christmas)!