I know some of you are perplexed why I knit so many warm items when, after all, I live in sunny Southern California. But it does get cold here! Freezing cold (not literally of course) but pretty darn cold. And this Fall it has been particularly cool..... which is why I am so delighted to have my Twilight mittens!
Has anyone else had an unusually cool Fall? Now don't laugh at this. As I get ready for bed, I sometimes listen to Coast to Coast, a radio program that airs during the late hours. It discusses UFO sightings, conspiracy theories, ghost stories, and new scientific discoveries. It is all utter twaddle, of course. And yet. Around about midnight, when I'm very sleepy, it all starts to make sense. For example, could the diminishing solar flares be having a cooling impact on earth's temperature? Maybe. It is cooler this Fall, at least here in Southern California. Not that I don't find pollution plenty worrisome too, because I do. I'm just wondering if maybe there aren't additional and perhaps stronger factors having an impact on earth's temperature.
Whatever the reason, it is a cooler this Fall and I'm happy to have these cozy mittens! The pattern is Bella's Mittens and this pattern was inspired by the mittens worn by Bella in the movie Twilight. I have to confess, I have not read the book or seen the movie. But I am a huge fan of Subliminal Rabbit, the clever knitter who designed these mittens, so I had to have a pair. Plus, some of my favorite on-line knitters have knit these and it's fun when everyone is wearing the same hand knits! Check out Bella's Mittens knit by: The Yarniad; At Home Mommy Knits; SweetP Knits; and a whole collection at Bella's Mittens Flickr Group. For those of you who haven't the time to knit yourself a pair you can buy Bella's Mittens directly from Ruth Cross who sells the original Bella's Mittens (as seen in the movie) as well as a variety of other hand knits.
Particulars: Bella's Mittens ~ free pattern ~ courtesy of Subliminal Rabbit! This is a very easy to follow pattern and I can't say enough good things about it. It's fun to knit, well constructed, and in a snap you will have mittens sure to delight your Twilight fans! My only modification was to reduce the needle size from US 8 to US7 as I prefer mittens knit at a tight gauge. I also knit these on doubled pointed needles rather than magic loop as I tend to achieve a tighter knit on double pointed needles. This pattern is currently featured in a UK craft magazine and has spawned many accessory knits (hats and scarfs) which you can read more about here.
The yarn I used was a gift from DizzyDragonflies.etsy who is better known as Vicky at Knitting Dragonflies. I stranded the yarn with GGH's Soft-Kid to achieve gauge (soft-kid is a yarn similar to Rowan's Kidsilk Haze). Vicky's yarn is lovely and soft as well as beautiful, as she has a talent for color work. She calls this colorway Fall Foliage and she gave it to Mr Puffy and me to remind us of Fall in Indiana (which was our home for ten years). It is a very special gift and I'll treasure these mittens always. Thank you Vicki, and watch your mailbox as a little thank you is heading your way.
Mr Puffy Update:
Last week Mr Puffy and I had a nice restorative visit with my parents in Santa Barbara. We took long walks, relaxed in front of the fire, and drank endless cups of tea! Mr Puffy loves it when we visit because he is spoiled and he gets to wander freely in my mother's garden which is enclosed and safe to do so, unlike at home where he is always supervised and on a leash when outside. At times I don't think he wants to leave! I can't blame him, I'm never ready to leave either.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone and, until next time, be well, love well, and happy knitting! P.S. Next time I'm going to share a recipe for a traditional English Christmas Fruitcake to kick off the Christmas season and I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the holiday preparations taking place in blog land!
