someone help
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 5:55PM 
Clearly.
That is all.
Thank you, and good night.
Except I really do need help, so don't leave yet.
I have taken to doing something in the past two weeks that I have not done in ten years. More than ten years. Maybe decades.
I am wearing a fleece jacket.
There, in the picture, is my leafy green fleece jacket that I purchased recently.
I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it.
Ten years of East Coast dwelling made me Mrs. FashionablePants. Now I work in a yarn studio and wear stained clothing and Crocs all day long. Might as well add a fleece jacket, I told myself. Press order, I told myself.
Should I even be listening to myself?
Today, I am wearing -- and I swear I am not making this up -- pink velour pants held up with a safety pin because they are too big. (Please do not ask me why I own pink velour pants. I do not know the answer.) My husband's socks. Grey Crocs. A stained navy blue T-shirt -- three sizes too big -- and a fleece jacket. Now I look like Mrs. HomelessPants.
Only foolishness would send you into battle with the yarn and the dye in your good clothes. But the fleece jacket? Even when Yarnista-ing on the Right Coast, I wore my chocolate brown wool coat to and from the studio. Never fleece. I had standards.
Now the cold has won. Fine, it's 45 degrees outside, it's raining, I work at a dirty job, and I can throw my fleece jacket in the wash.
And I now realize that my family is woefully lacking in the mitten department. I would like to make my family a family of mittens before the snow flies. What kind of Yarnista, no, what kind of MOTHER, lets her family go mittenless in the vast Arctic Wilderness of Northern Minnesota? How can we build our igloos and travel by dogsled without mittens?
So in an effort to help my family retain their limbs this winter, what are your favorite mitten patterns?
P.S. Please don't hate me because I'm wearing fleece. I'm still the same person on the inside!
Mostly.
Unless the fleece has done something to my brain. In which case, send help.
Reader Comments (26)
You're not weird, it's just Minnesota cool! Remember when everyone was wearing those long down coats that made them look like the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man crossed with a waffle? It could have been worse.
I like Chevalier Mittens. (I also have a free mitten pattern for little hands in fingering weight. Which is not appropriate for MN winters, but thought I might mention it to you anyway)
OMG! I always wished I lived in the frozen tundra so I could wear stuffed mittens. You know, the kind that you knit with little bits of fleece (the kind from sheep - not what you are wearing...) as decoration that stuff up the inside with fluff. Even in the coldest weather around here they make your finger sweat (which, I guess is kind of the point because the fleece is supposed to felt up inside...).http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fleece-stuffed-mittens-2
I like the Salt & Pepper mittens from Fox & Geese & Fences. The whole book is great, and has patterns for all the family. I also like the Garter Stitch Mittens from Homespun, Handknit. That book is great, too. Happy knitting!
I realy love the Fiddlehead mittens by Adrian Bizilia but if you have a lot to knit before the winter, you shoud have something expres and realy warm like the thrum mitten.
I love Bella's Mittens. Free ravelry pattern. I knit them in springvale and it was a quick knit, very comfy and warm, and look good too.
The only gloves/mittens I have ever made were these...
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Rhonnie/mens-convertible-fingerless-gloves
They were for DH - I made them from your lovely galenas and he absolutely LOVES them!!!
They were so easy (even for a glove newb) that I will probably make him another pair this year :)
Sorry - I have no pattern advice at the moment, but I had to laugh at your clothing reversal. I moved from Chicago to Seattle 22 years ago and my wardrobe went from fashion to comfort in a heartbeat. Now I'm back in Chicago for a year now and only today did I even dare to wear a skirt/tights and heels. LOL!!! I"ll go all the way back to dress-up on a daily basis, casual dress is now in my blood.
This is my favorite!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-mittens-on-4-needles
Unfortunately, it's only available in hard copy format :(
Good luck!
See, the reason you don't think your fleece jacket is stylish is that you aren't wearing a plaid flannel shirt with it.
Just a little reminder from the Pacific NW.
It's OK Sharon, you are amongst friends! But at least you're doing your bit for the environment - Nylon Fleece is, after all, recycled plastic. So, as long as you are actively recycling your plastic bottles, you can wear it with pride. You go, girl!
Yes, it's fleece.
But are you warm and snuggly?
Also, it goes really well with hand knit scarves and hats!
I just finished knitting the Lychee Mittens from Kelbourne Woolens. They knit up super fast (most of 1 full day and a couple hours the other 4). Plus the stripes keep the knitting interesting.
I just made DD some Comfort Mountain Mittens out of Springvale in Sweetpea. We love them! The pattern is great, and the half-linen stitch shows of the beauty of your yarn magnificently :)
My favorite go-to pattern for mittens is Ann Budd's Basic Mitten Pattern. I like to use it as a jumping-off point and then modify it however I like. And the thumb gusset can't be beat.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-mitten-pattern
Good luck with the coming cold weather! I have to say this is the first summer since I left MN that I actually miss the climate of the Upper Midwest. We've had months of 90+ degree weather this year. The hottest summer on record. Ack.
I have to say, I love the mittens I made from this pattern and wear them all the time when it's cold. They're very warm and I like being able to flip them open when I need the finger dexterity. When making them for the whole family you could always knit them without the fair isle if you're a bit slow at it like I am, too.
I made some fiddlehead mittens which are awesome, but time consuming. Although they would be PERFECT for your rainbow skeins!
one of the the best parts about them is the lining, which i made out of lace weight alpaca held double. You could do this with any mittens for a luxe lining and super warmth.
in keeping with your new fashion standards, don't forget that in a pinch, you can put a pair of wool socks over your hands and pretend you are a thumbless person wearing... mittens.
I am also a big fan of thrummed mittens for very cold weather. Kate Gilbert's Bird in the Hand mittens are gorgeous, and if I may toot my own horn, I'm quite fond of my own Celtic Moonrise Mittens.
Wait ... fleece isn't fashionable?!
I'm doomed.