Kathryn Ivy

December 07, 2007 - Posted by Alice Schnebly

A bird in the hand...

Bird in Hand Mittens.

Project Specs
Pattern: Bird in Hand by Kate Gilbert
Size Knit: 8 1/4” finished size, 28 sts = 4 in
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Chestnut Brown (150 yds) and Winter White (80 yds)
Needles: US2 Clover Bamboo DPNS
Date started: 12-1-07
Date completed: 12-6-07
Modifications: Changed cuff pattern (see notes below)

There are so many interesting details in these mittens. I am so pleased to have another Christmas gift finished, and this is one I am very proud of (and also very tempted to keep for myself). I finished up my second Bird in Hand mitten yesterday, and I really love how these mittens turned out! They are just as beautiful as I had hoped.

My Grandmother has always liked birds so I think these mittens will be perfect for her. The little birdie detail is so cute, though I had a very difficult time embroidering the features on it. Adding little finishing touches like that have always been hard for me to get just right. I think the birds on these turned out fine but there’s certainly room for improvement for me in the area of embroidery.

Like I mentioned before, I made only a few changes to the pattern—mostly in the cuff. If you’re interested in my modifications, here’s how I worked the cuff:

Even the wrong side of these mittens are interesting.Work rounds 1-9 as directed.
Purl 3 rounds.
Knit 3 rounds.
Work round 16 as directed.
Work Left Leaf chart followed by Right Leaf chart (reverse the order for left hand mitten).
Work one row in MC, increasing 3 stitches.
Begin main color chart.

Honestly, the reason I didn’t knit the original cuff for these mittens is that I really couldn’t wrap my head around that braid! Granted, this was kind of late at night, but it seemed to be taking me forever. I do like how my modified cuffs look, but some day I may reattempt that braid. I also made some very minor changes to the color chart to make the flowers symmetrical.

I love the intertwined vines!I am definitely more confident in my colorwork skills after making these mittens. I got lots of practice wrapping long floats and keeping my tension even throughout. Overall I think I did a pretty good job. This was my first time knitting with size 2 needles, which was a bit of a shock for me, but after knitting with them my size 7s feel huge!

This really was a great pattern to knit, with such a unique and fun design. I can’t believe Kate Gilbert has the time to come up with such amazing designs with a two year old running around, but she does it! I also have her Wintergreen mitten pattern that I want to knit eventually. They’ll have to wait until I finish up Christmas gifts though. So far I still have the Dashing mitts for Kenny and another hedgehog to finish up, plus I need to start on another pair of Bird in Hand mittens for my other grandmother… The problem is I keep on thinking of things I want to knit for gifts! We’ll see how much more I get done before Christmas gets here! :)

A Bird in the Hand...


 

Comments

  • October 29, 2008, 10:05 am - Laura (www.laceandcrochet.blogspot.com)

    lovely result. and you knit so evenly. its a pure pleasure to watch. congratulations.

  • October 8, 2008, 5:59 am - hobbymegher (http://hobbymegher.blogspot.com)

    Fabulous!

  • August 15, 2008, 1:56 pm - Jill

    Thank you for your BIH revisions! I am pregnant and am suffering from the worst form of morning sickness...Last night in an attempt to distract myself I started BIH. Once got to row 10 and had a complete brain cramp! I was so discouraged until I found your WONDERFUL revision! THANK YOU :)

  • December 14, 2007, 10:11 am - Deborah (http://deedeenetblog.blogspot.com/)

    perfectly beautiful!

  • December 12, 2007, 7:12 pm - Kris (http://knittingwannabe.typepad.com)

    Oh wow, those are so pretty.

  • December 11, 2007, 10:54 am - Carrie (http://sissyvette.blogspot.com)

    I think that you made the right choice with the cuff--my hands are still sore from the braid on my first mitten! I love the opposing leaf patterns, too.

  • December 11, 2007, 10:44 am - Suzanne (foofanagle.wordpress.com)

    Incredibly lovely. Great color choices. I'm so excited because I haven't seen this pattern knit up anywhere else before. Totally inspirational!

  • December 10, 2007, 8:24 pm - zarafa (www.zarafa.livejournal.com)

    oh my, these are beautiful!

  • December 9, 2007, 8:25 pm - heather (paperclips.wordpress.com)

    Nice work - love the modified cuff too. It took me a while to master the braid, but it is worth it, very cool effect for future projects. good luck in the 2nd pair!

  • December 9, 2007, 11:52 am - Christy/NotHip (www.neitherhipnorfunky.com)

    Beautiful. Such a great pattern and I love it in this rich brown.

  • December 9, 2007, 11:21 am - Andrea (noricum) (http://noricum.blogspot.com)

    Absolutely lovely, and the embroidery on the bird is adorable. :)

  • December 8, 2007, 12:11 pm - Leslie (www.whatastitch.blogspot.com)

    I am in awe of your skills! These are some of the most gorgeous mittens I've ever seen.

  • December 8, 2007, 11:14 am - brooke (http://www.thedailypurl.com/)

    These turned out perfect!

  • December 8, 2007, 10:25 am - carla (http://morethanonewaytoknitahat.blogspot.com)

    They're so pretty! I really want to make these mittens (even though I'm not confident in my embroidery skills, either).

  • December 8, 2007, 7:34 am - Lolly (http://lollygirl.com/blog)

    Stunning work - and wow, they knit up quickly! They are beautiful and will be loved, no doubt in my mind!

  • December 8, 2007, 3:22 am - Ginger aka Beethoven (http://twoguineapigs.blogspot.com)

    Oh my, oh my, oh my... this is gorgeous! Now we really will ask Mum for one of these for us now :)

  • December 7, 2007, 9:53 pm - Ruth (http://woolyheaded.blogspot.com)

    They are beautiful ... your grandmother is going to love them.

  • December 7, 2007, 9:43 pm - Julia (http://moontea.typepad.com)

    Prolific knitting going on over here! Wow! Those are stunning. They must be so warm with all the colorwork.

  • December 7, 2007, 9:24 pm - Frances (http://homemadeoriginals.blogspot.com)

    These are beautiful!

  • December 7, 2007, 8:35 pm - rohanknitter (www.homeschoolblogger.com/rohanknitter)

    Wow, those are just beautiful.

  • December 7, 2007, 8:27 pm - Chancy (www.createdbychancy.blogspot.com)

    Those really are gorgeous mittens!

  • December 7, 2007, 7:27 pm - jessie (http://chartreuseluna.wordpress.com)

    Those are beautiful. A lovely design, indeed, but you really brought out the best in them. Wonderful job!

  • December 7, 2007, 4:55 pm - May (http://blog.mayyan.net)

    This is beautiful! I love the colors you choose.

  • December 7, 2007, 3:52 pm - Monika (http://www.yarnloopie.blogspot.com)

    You did a marvelous job! The bird is so cute, these are wonderful mittens!

  • December 7, 2007, 2:58 pm - Oiyi (www.oiyi.blogspot.com)

    Wow, what a lucky recipient to receive these mittens. They look amazing in those colors.

  • December 7, 2007, 2:57 pm - Jocelyn

    You certainly are prolific! These are just beautiful.

  • December 7, 2007, 2:47 pm - Adrienne (www.adriennenixon.com)

    Oh they look FANTASTIC!

  • December 7, 2007, 2:47 pm - Em (http://aemmeleia.wordpress.com)

    You knit things up so fast! Congrats on having another gift down -- the recipient is very lucky, those are beautiful mitts!


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