Mittens & Snoods

Brrrr!! The temperature has dropped considerably since last week.  Until now we have been experiencing really mild weather for the time of year but since since Sunday it has got chillier and the last two nights we have had frost – the first ones of the winter.  Tillie and Rocky were glad of their warm coats and snoods on their morning ramble today.  They are sporting the wonderful pattern by Erssie Major - Dizzy Lizzy A Snood for a Greyhound - Money from the sale of the pattern is donated by Erssie to her local greyhound rescue charity.

              

I wanted to knit a pair of Bella mittens for a Christmas gift.  Now I am not a great lover of circular or dpns and normally avoid it, after all I only have 2 hands and 2 hands = 2 needles – enough said!  Anyway I gritted my teeth and cast on.  Lovely, all was going well (at this point I was knitting on circular needles using the magic loop method) until I got to the thumb gusset.  All hell broke loose as I left some stitches on a holder and attempted to knit the remaining bit of the mitten.  What I ended up with was a huge hole.  I ripped back and attempted again, twice but to no avail, as I was still left with a hole.  After spending a good few hours Saturday night on about a fifth of a mitten I admitted defeat and undid the whole lot.  The next day I found a sort of similar pattern knitted on 2 needles (Mittens knit on two needles – A Pair of Cables) and proceeded to churn out 2 mittens in as many hours.  Not quite the mittens I was after but all I could manage at the time – I hope the recipient likes them anyway.  I will attempt the Bella mittens on circs again but I will get a longer set, I think this might help.