But what I do like--
THESE:
pattern: Owlie Owl mittens by Betsy Farquhar
yarn: Fortissima Socka
needles: US #0
mods: I omitted a couple rows in the chart (see my ravelry project page for more specifics)
Soooo, I've never been a sock knitter, but for some reason I find the task of knitting mittens to be somehow less onerus. I did however still suffer from second-sock-syndome when it came time to knit mitt number two, and it wasn't until I was about halfway through the second one in fact when I realized I'd forgotten to change needle sizes after the cuff. Ugh, size zeros the whole way up.
The good news? A mitten knit entirely on tiny needles meant a perfect fit for me and my child-sized hands! Could I live with one that was smaller than the other?
Ummmm, maybe not:
The difference in size was pretty dramatic. If you look closely in the photo too you'll notice a giant boo boo in the bigger mitt, so that kind of closed that deal, it HAD to be torn out.
The difference is probably more obvious here, where I appear to have given my owl wings in the first mitt:
Regardless, it got torn out and knit properly on my smallest needles, and now they are a perfect fit. Dare I say probably one of the more impressive things I've knit to date.
Fair Isle does seem to elevate a project to "difficult looking" doesn't it? I mean the reality is that it's not and it's simply straight knitting, so I would definitely encourage anyone afraid of trying it to give it a go. There are lots of smaller colour-work patterns out there that you can start off with.
I liked these mitts so much that I've already cast-on for a second of Betsy's patterns, and shocker, it's a cowl:
She has some very cute patterns that you can get on her etsy page: Good egg.
