Mitten Swap

In March, I participated in a Quickie Mitten Swap hosted by Sit 'n' Knit New York City. We answered a very detailed questionnaire which included color likes and dislikes, patterns, Winter Coat colors, and the most important, our hand measurements. We had 5 weeks to knit a pair of mittens, not fingerless mitts or arm warmers or gloves. They had to be MITTENS.The person that I was knitting for, Lizzy, has very small hands. I have never met her, but the questionnaire has her Ravelry ID, Flickr ID and Blog address. It was fun to check out what she has knit and what patterns she would like. On the questionnaire, she wrote that she would like some color-work mittens and that her favorite color was purple. It was made very clear in the beginning that there is no pressure to knit what the person wants, but I do aim to please.These mittens were very fun to knit. The color work is actually slipped stitches so it's not hard at all. I shortened the cuff so that it's only 3 inches long. My hand measurements are pretty close to hers, with mine being slightly bigger, so it was pretty easy to use my own hands to test the size as I was knitting. Even though I had her measurements, I was still worried about the actual fit. It's nerve-wracking to knit for someone that you have never met before.To package up the mittens, I decided to sew her a knitting project bag. It's fully lined on the inside and I also personalized the front. It says "Lizzy's Knits". I hand drew the yarn balls next to her name, which I stamped. I used fabric pens and a ink pad. The bag is perfect for a small project like mittens or socks.

I was thrilled when I presented the mittens to her and they fit , well, like a glove! I didn't bring my camera to the Mitten Swap Party, but luckily there were people there taking photos for the group. Click here to see a picture of Lizzy wearing the mittens. There are pictures of all the other fabulous mittens. The mittens also coordinated with her scarf, which I had saw on her Ravelry page.

She mentioned to me at the party that the mittens were so soft and asked me what yarn I used. It was my first time knitting with Knit Picks Swish and it's very soft and squishy. The Debbie Bliss Cashmerino is silky and soft. I recommend both of them, but be aware that the DB Cashmerino bled when I soaked them.

Pattern: Aili's Mittens (Ravelry Link to Free Pattern)
Yarns: 66.0 yards of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in color: 300611 (Red). 72.6 yards of Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Wisteria.
Needles: US 6 / 4.0 mm
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The mittens I received were made by Gail in my two favorite colors, Green and Purple. She crocheted the purple pieces to add to the mittens as decoration. The cuff can be rolled down or folded up. Unfortunately, the mittens are too big for my hands. I don't mind the loose fit over my hands, but the thumbs are at least 1 inch longer than my thumbs. Her hard work will not be wasted. My friend, Rebecca, from my knitting group tried them on and they fit her very well, so the mittens will have a new home.