knit, frog, knit, frog, ...

The mittens for my sister-in-law were supposed to be easy. First, they are mittens. I have knit mittens many, many times. Second, the two-color pattern couldn't be easier. I memorized it before I even cast on- all it took was a couple of glances. So, why was I glad that I decided to knit these out of sturdy shetland wool that can be knit and ripped several times without showing the wear?

1. I started out on 80 stitches. After about a quarter of an inch, it looked way too big. I ripped.

2. I cast on 60 stitches and got started. That seemed to be a good number. I started on the two-color pattern and realized that the blue and red have NO contrast with the purple. I ripped.



3. I again cast on 60 stitches and started with some different color combinations. I decided to take some liberty with my instructions to make purple the main/background color. The colors looked a bit better, but now the mitten was way too small. I ripped.




4. I went back to casting on 80 stitches, and started knitting with the most recent color combinations. The size was good, but after a few inches I decided I didn't like some of the color combinations. I ripped out a couple of inches and changed the order of the color combinations.




5. I finished the hand part of the first mitten. I love it! All along, I thought I was going to hate these mittens. But I think they turned out great. And I think the recipient will like them too. Now for mitten #2. Then they get cuffs and thumbs.