Knitter Projects: Melanie's Shine Mittens

I know it is hard to fathom ever being cold again, with summer being what it is and all, but winter is coming, and you will be cold again. Promise. So cold, you might even need to wear mittens lest your little fingers freeze, and what better way to prepare for winter than to knit yourself a pair of lovely, thick colorwork mittens like Melanie did? Knit with Andorra in sunshine yellow and snow white using the Shine Mittens pattern by Swedish designer Pia Kammeborn, these mittens have it all - latvian braids, a lovely cuff pattern, all over colorwork hands, and a gusseted thumb. I first saw Melanie's mittens on her Instagram when she showed this excellent image of the pair pre- and post-blocking. As you can see, the mitten on the left looks fine, but definitely needs a little bit of straightening out, especially where the braids are concerned. After blocking, the mitten is perfectly straight and any slight wonkiness in the stitches has been fixed by the act of blocking. Mittens are a great project for vacation or summer knitting; they travel well, aren't too bulky or heavy in your lap, are small enough to finish easily, and many designs have a lot of unique details to keep you interested. In fact, Owen and I are finally going on our honeymoon next week...nine years after the fact...and I'm now determined to throw a pair of mittens in my project bag for the trip!