One down. Several to go.

If you're wondering what I'm getting you for Christmas, wonder no more.  Those of you on the list are getting these mittens in a wide array of colors.  Let this be the autumn I bust through all of those bits of colorful leftover worsted weight wool that I own.  I knew in my heart that yarn would come in handy and I wasn't wrong to let those tiny balls take up space.  The bits were too small to knit much of anything, but I was loathe to discard them.  And look!  They're perfect for this project.

The first pair is going to my boss who has resigned to move to a city on the west side of the state where she'll reside in a snow belt.  She'll still work for one of our subsidiaries, and still in hospice, so all is not lost.  Now she'll have toasty fingers to look forward to this winter.  She's going to need these where she is going.

The private side of the mitten and a bit of fancy smocking.

Now for the technical details.  This is not fancy color work here--more a sleight of hand.  Only one color at a time is worked.  Several rows are knit in a single color and the 4th row in a separate color.  Every so often, a fancy stitch is done in place of a regular knit stitch and voila!  It's smocked.  No entrelac involved, Knitty.  I can't be more detailed because the pattern is not free, but rest assured, the pattern designer is detailed enough.

I had to use a smaller needle (US 5) for the cuff or it would have been too large.  I used a US 6 for the hand and thumb.  I didn't carry those colors up from the bottom.  It's much easier to use what you need, snip the end and weave it in as you go (bonus is no weaving at the end).  I did carry the black yarn throughout the cuff as it's used every 4th row.

Any worsted weight yarn will work here and I likely used a mix of either Cascade 220, Stonehedge Shepherd's Wool and for sure Berroca Vintage.

The best thing?  I cast on Friday, fiddled a bit, ripped twice and finished them off (a whole pair) today.  I think if I put my mind to it, I could knit a pair in a day, but then I would likely come to hate knitting them if I did that to myself.

Since I'm feeling so good about this little project, leave a comment for a chance to own them yourself.  I'll do a drawing Saturday and one lucky winner will get a pair of these (in her favorite colors) to ward of winter's chill.