Magnolia Mitts

"Let us believe neither half of the good people tell us of ourselves, nor half the evil they say of others."
- John Petit-Senn

When I was younger, one of my favorite reads was a children's book titled "Half Magic" by Edward Eager.If I recall correctly, the book revolved around some sort of talisman that granted its possessor half of whatever they wished for.

To quote Amazon, "Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: half invisible, half rescued, half everything!"

The book is still available and I heartily recommend it for your children. In fact, I think after I am done here, I will order one for my niece who reads like a fiend.

Now, MY idea of half magic would be if that second mitt, second sock, second sleeve, second half of the scarf just magically knit itself overnight.

MAGNOLIA MITTS

VITAL STATISTICS

SIZE:
LARGE: 6 inch circumference
SMALL: 5 inch circumference
LONG: 9 inches
SHORT: 6 ½ inches
MATERIALS:
1 skein (150 yd) MANOS Silk Blend
or MALABRIGO Silky Merino
four size 3 & 5 (US) doublepoint needles
GAUGE:
8 stitches = 1 inch (twisted rib stitch)

Charted design - Intermediate level - knit in the round.

My studio is strewn with half finished projects, enough to vet the pattern, but not enough to wear.

I have half a set of Magnolia Mitts. If I can just find someone with only one hand, I'll be good to go.

Unfortunately, most people have two hands and both of them want to be warm.


Guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and bear down.

Birthing a pattern has to be easier than birthing a baby, right?

I am doing some Christmas knitting, but I am too ornery...

stubborn...

creative...

to use someone else's pattern.

I was surprised at how many small tweaks I had to make on the fingerless mitts. Stitch count, gauge, needle size, increase placement. A lot went into these little gems.

And a lot took a detour to the frog pond.


I made mine long so they would cover the forearms with a 3/4 length sleeve. They came in just under one skein of the Manos silk blend, but if you are in a hurry, you could easily do two pattern repeats instead of three. Malabrigo's silky merino would also be lovely.

The color is Dove, a lovely ecru with very pale undertones of soft green and pink. Perfect for the delicacy of the design, but I could also see them as Poinsettia mitts in that lovely deep crimson color.


I placed the increases within the thumb gusset so they form a chevron pattern, and added a little picot trim to the edges.


The pattern pulls the bottom of the mitts up in the center, providing a gracefully curved line, and the twisted ribbing ensures a snug fit.

I will try to get better pictures, but it was late last night when I finished (HALF) and it isn't easy taking a picture of your right hand with your left, when you are right handed.

Charted design - Intermediate level - knit in the round.

It is a very speedy little pattern...when you aren't tweaking. I should have the second one completed by the end of the day.

The quote above is quite apt for a week that began with criticism and ended with an increased awareness of the great blessings all of you are to me.

Thank you for all the kind messages. I choose to believe more than half of them, even as I am acutely aware that I am not half so good as you might think.

If that...

Now THAT is what I call magic!