NaKniMitMo10

I spend an inordinate amount of time on the Ravelry website.  There, I've written it - admitting the addiction feels good - yes it does.  But that's as far as it goes...  I'm not going to any meetings!  I love Ravelry, and being part of the whole Ravelry community brings me untold happiness.

I've wanted to participate in a Ravelry Knit-A-Long (KAL) for ages, but my working life often intrudes on my fabulous knitting life.

BUT NOT SO THIS MONTH!

I've signed up for the NaKniMitMo10 KAL.  It began on 1st January, 2010 and will conclude on 31st January, 2010.  Members simply knit as many pairs of mittens as they want during the month of January.

Why mittens? Well, January is one of the coldest months of the year and mittens are much warmer than gloves. They are relatively quick to knit, and you can be brave in color choices. You can try out different techniques like stranded colorwork, cables, etc. There are almost 2,400 free mitten patterns on Ravelry. You always have enough yarn in stash for mittens.

Pictures of finished mittens are in the NaKniMitMo Flickr Group.

So, do you see how this all ties in with my NYE resolution to knit from my queue and stash?

On 2nd January I cast on my first pair of mittens for the KAL. I finished them yesterday - Aran Felted Mittens #132 by Shirl the Purl.  I knit these for my MIL's birthday on 22nd January.

Paran Mittens before felting

Paran Mittens after felting

And last night I finally decided upon my next mitten project:  NHM #7 by Terri Shea.  This fair isle mitten pattern comes from the Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition book by Terri Shea.  The original mittens are on display in the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, WA.

According to the book:  "the main pattern is a stylized lily, according to Annemor Sundbo, and symbolizes purity and the Virgin Mary.  Lilies arranged in a rosette pattern were often used in woven tapestries in the county Trondelag, where Selbu is situated.  The palm pattern is reminiscent of the quilting pattern 'Double Irish Chain' ".

Now I just need to decide on two colours and I'll be casting on!