Aran Island mittens x 2

Hey, thanks for your tips for travel knitting. I think I'll go with lace, since I knit my socks on 5 double point needles, I don't think that would be a good choice. I have several things in mind already. But here are some finished projects:

The first try to knit those mittens failed, due to me not being able to read through the instructions carefully. I used too thick yarn and too large needles. The second and third try turned out O.K. Still, these mittens are huge, even with the right needle size, and stretchy, and I LOVE them! The green ones, are for me, of course. The red ones are for Hannah.


green Aran Island mittens:

yarn: Debbie Bliss DK merino
needles: 3.25mm, DP
pattern: from the book "Folk Mittens" by Marcia Lewandowski
start-finish: Sept. 09 - 11
modifications. I did a (k3,p1) on the palm side, to hold it a little together. I also didn't like the reverse stockinette look of the thumb, so I made it just stockinette stitch and I like it very much. I LOVE the green color!
This pattern is easy to knit, and memorize, that's why I did a second pair right away, and would do another one, it's that much fun!
I made some minor mistakes, but nothing major.

red Aran Island mittens:
yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca light, color # 4281, 1 1/2 skeins, 50g = 14yds, 50% alpaca, 50% peruvian wool
needles: 3.25mm
pattern: same as above
start-finish: Sept. 23-26 (O.K. so I knit something else in between the two pairs)

You can clearly see, that the fuzzy alpaca yarn does not show the cables as crisp as the 100% merino yarn does. Still, I like the heathered look of the red, and they are so soft and warm.
I made the same mods as with the green ones, but fewer mistakes. And - I found a different way to make the bobbles, which I liked better, and they are rounder, but smaller.


This happens, when you have headphones on and ignore the asking stare of your puppy. Biko snuck up on the bed, which both of them are not allowed to do without permission (usually they walk up to the couch or bed, turn to look at whoever is in the room and wait for the word "up"). But she's so cute, so she's forgiven. That was before I turned on the heat. I think she was cold, since she was swimming for the last time this year. Now she's fine in her own bed, heat is on, but on low. Might turn it off again, since it's supposed to get warmer towards the weekend. We'll see.