I’ve picked up my knitting basket again, after neglecting it for too long. In part because of mitten requests and, in part, because I’m trying to put the laptop down during prime time TV hours. I’ve been working on boiled mittens—a pair for the teen and a pair for my mom.
I’ve got the teen’s knit:
I’ve been putting off the boiling, though. Not my favorite part and I may as well wait until Mom’s are done, too. So, in the meantime, pre-boiling, they remain rather large.
I’m about 3/4 done with the first of Mom’s mittens.
I want to have both pair done and boiled before the weekend after next, when the teen and Mom have their next living history event. Pretty chilly outside the last weekend in October.
In other news, I have news!
NYT bestselling author Shannon Stacey’s novella, to Marsha Zinberg at Harlequin, as the headliner in ‘snow day’ themed anthology, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group.
I’m super-excited!
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Wow on you news and on the mittens. I knit socks but have never tried mittens. You make me want to be brave.
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Mittens are easier than socks. No heel to turn. And the thumbs are easier than you might think.
Here’s an article in Yankee magazine with the history of the mittens and the pattern: (link removed, no longer working)
In the photos above, the teen’s mittens are those. They’re very large and for men. If I’m making them for my mom or a kid, I use my favorite mitten pattern and just make the mittens a size larger than called for, and then boil.
Oh, and I use Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool, which is available almost anywhere that sells yarn. There are better/finer/pricier natural wools, but Lion Brand works well enough for my family and I don’t have to weep if one gets lost or wrecked.
And they’re not “felted”. Just boiled.
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Oh, and the most-bestest thing about these mittens? The wetter they get, the warmer they are. Unlike $5 Walmart nylon jobbies. When SK was little, he wore these to play in the snow. They’d be soaking wet to the point his fingers were prunes, but his hands were so warm steam would roll off his skin when he took them off.
You can’t buy mittens like these at Walmart.
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Thanks so much Shannon I will let you know if i make them!
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Awesome! If you end up having questions, give a shout. There are some super awesome knitters (much more awesome than me) in the romance community, so somebody will have an answer!
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Congratulations on the sale!
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Congrats, looking forward to the new anthology.
And the mittens look nice. Glad to see they have thumbs now.
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In AWE of your knitting skills. And HUGE congrats about your fabulous sale. CAn’t wait to read it