Saturday, October 31, 2015

knitting catch-up: JDRF mittens!

One of the many things I love about my job is working for a company that gives back.  In August, we had an in-office carnival to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and of course, the knitters of the office were ready to represent.  Here's what I contributed to our booth!

knit owl fingerless mittens 
These cuties are the Fingerless Gloves With Owl Detail pattern.  I actually knit two pairs of these.  They were quick and easy, and the cable pattern added some interest to the knitting.  The pattern is written to be knit flat, but I modified it to be knit in the round because I am all about avoiding seaming my knitwear.  I knit these mitts (and, actually, everything else in this post) with Berroco Vintage left over from the Never-ending Boyfriend Blanket.  It's a lovely, squishy wool-blend yarn that can be given to non-knitters without fear of shrinking or felting.  Good thing I like it, too-- I still have lots left over!
Emma's Mittens knitting 
Next up is a pair of Emma's Mittens! These were super fun to knit, and Emma's Mittens will definitely become one of my go-to mitten patterns.  There's definitely a lot going on in this pattern, what with all the cables and the many, many bobbles, but the pattern repeat is short enough that the knitting seems to fly by.  I knit these while sitting on my mom's porch, watching hummingbirds darting around her flower garden.  
Emma's Mittens fingerless knitting 
Another pair of dark gray Emma's Mittens, but fingerless!  These were actually a custom request from one of my coworkers.  She loved the dark gray Emma's Mittens in the knitting club booth, but she felt that a fingerless version would work better for her.  I was happy to knit them up for her-- apparently, this particular coworker always buys lots of handknits from the knitting club's booth at the JDRF carnival.  How cool is that?  I love knitting for other people who work in creative fields or have creative hobbies, because they truly understand how much time and thought and love goes into every handmade object.  
Emma's Mittens knitting Emma's Mittens knitting cables
Last up, a pair of Emma's Mittens in a lovely robin's egg blue!  It was a wrench putting these into the booth, because I love this color and thought these mittens turned out particularly pretty.  Lucky for me, they were the only thing I made that didn't sell!  So now they are mine, mine, mine.  Yay!  I also knit a bunch of little mug cozies, and it has been so much fun seeing them snuggled around mugs on desks in the office.  

Happy Halloween!  I will be spending the day curled up with Bucky and Cocoa, watching Halloween movies and knitting away on Christmas presents.  I hope your day is cozy (or spooky, whichever you prefer)!