Every year I face the same dilemma: what to get the kids' teachers. (Admit it, you've been there.) I almost always seek out unique Christmas ornaments as teacher gifts. This year, it just seems like there's a pall over the economy and my bank account is making a loud sucking sound every time I fill the grocery cart to feed 3 growing kids. This year, we're going to be all about scaling back and giving from home and hearth. My shop sales are about 1/3 of what they were last year at this time, so I know that I'm not the only one with these kinds of gift giving intentions.
I've decided to keep with the "tradition" of giving ornaments to teachers, but I'm going to make them this time around. Heaven knows I have baskets full of left-overs from previous projects in just about every conceivable color and fiber combination. After giving it some thought and doing some trial runs, I decided on Mini Mittens. I looked and looked for the right pattern, but you know me, the best pattern is the one that I write for myself. Any, because you know me, you know that it's going to be a pattern that can be done 2-at-a-time on a pair of circulars because why would I want the drama of DPNs and who wants to make one mini mitten at a time? Seriously.
I knit the green in some left-over Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer in Potion. I knit the tan in 100% undyed extra fine baby alpaca. That yarn was actually a sport weight, so it was a little thicker to work with, but the mittens still came out in the same size as the green mittens did. Each pair took a little over an hour to make and, voila! Two teacher gifts finished! Zero monetary investment. I estimate that a pair takes about 25 yards in the pattern directions, but I can whip out a pair of these mini mittens with about 15 yards including the 4-inch braid to tie them together. In the first 12 hours of posting this pattern to Ravelry, there were 111 downloads, so I must not be the only one to think this is a cute pattern, right?
In case you suffer from a similar dilemma, I am sharing my pattern in time for last-minute holiday knitting. You are always welcome to print it and use for yourself, but you are not allowed to reproduce it or sell the products from it. If you are thinking that this is something that might also fit an 18-inch doll, like say your daughter's American Doll, you and I are thinking alike. If you get the gauge in the pattern, you will have a pair of mittens that fit this size of doll.
You can access my Mini Mittens pattern via Ravelry. Happy holiday knitting!
I've decided to keep with the "tradition" of giving ornaments to teachers, but I'm going to make them this time around. Heaven knows I have baskets full of left-overs from previous projects in just about every conceivable color and fiber combination. After giving it some thought and doing some trial runs, I decided on Mini Mittens. I looked and looked for the right pattern, but you know me, the best pattern is the one that I write for myself. Any, because you know me, you know that it's going to be a pattern that can be done 2-at-a-time on a pair of circulars because why would I want the drama of DPNs and who wants to make one mini mitten at a time? Seriously.
I knit the green in some left-over Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer in Potion. I knit the tan in 100% undyed extra fine baby alpaca. That yarn was actually a sport weight, so it was a little thicker to work with, but the mittens still came out in the same size as the green mittens did. Each pair took a little over an hour to make and, voila! Two teacher gifts finished! Zero monetary investment. I estimate that a pair takes about 25 yards in the pattern directions, but I can whip out a pair of these mini mittens with about 15 yards including the 4-inch braid to tie them together. In the first 12 hours of posting this pattern to Ravelry, there were 111 downloads, so I must not be the only one to think this is a cute pattern, right?
In case you suffer from a similar dilemma, I am sharing my pattern in time for last-minute holiday knitting. You are always welcome to print it and use for yourself, but you are not allowed to reproduce it or sell the products from it. If you are thinking that this is something that might also fit an 18-inch doll, like say your daughter's American Doll, you and I are thinking alike. If you get the gauge in the pattern, you will have a pair of mittens that fit this size of doll.
You can access my Mini Mittens pattern via Ravelry. Happy holiday knitting!
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