ohhh maaaaaaaaaaan. I want that hat. But I'm too dorky of a knitter to do that myself. HA!!! I haven't moved past scarfs. LOL I stink, but YOU RUUUULE!!! Good job!

Oh, Yeah! When I knit my first pair of mittens, I thought they would be difficult. They were really easy, and looked fantastic! Go for it, Purl!

I made those mittens last year & they are SUPAH easy!

I've never made the mittens in the weekend knitting book but they look pretty good to me! If you're looking for other options I can vouch for this pattern: http://www.knittingpureandsimple.com/bigmitten.html
I used it to make mittens in yarn very similar to the "Iceland" and they came out perfectly. It was amazingly easy too, they were the first mittens I ever made.

The best mitten trick I know is - when the patter tells you to put X stitches on a holder for the thumb and cast on Y stitches for the hand - just knit X stitches with a piece of waste yarn, leaving a couple of inches at each end. When you've finished knitting the mitten hand, go back and pull out the waste yarn. Slide the bottom loops onto one double-pointed needle and the top stitches onto another. Follow the instructions for the thumb. (Note: if you think you're going to have a gap between the top and bottom stitches, simply pick up a stich there and knit it together with one of its neighbors on the next round.

The hat is adorable, Frankie is gorgeous, mittens are fun - but don't you live, in like, LA? You definitely need to make mittens for friends for Christmas, and then demand that they wear them.

woman, that is one fine looking hat! i am not brave enough to try mittens yet, but am working on a wee baby sweater. this looks all impressive-like when finished, but really is knit flat in pieces and sewn together. are there enough cool patterns in that book to warrent me actually buying it? i've been eyeing it up.

Those mittens in Weekend Knitting are way easy and lots of fun! I made several pairs using Manos yarn. And they're tres warm too.

The Iceland wool should be perfect!

(and thanks for the gratuitous cat pic! Love them!)

I completly agree with Carrie K.! Or, you could just take that trip to Iceland or Russia just as an excuse to wear said cuteness! (LOVE love love the hat!! Pinky Goodness!!)

OOOOH! What kind of powers do the Super Mittens have? Mittens...heh, that's a funny word. Good luck on your mitten knitten

I really love how that hat turned out. Makes me wish I were a better knitter!!!

Go for the mittens! The pink is good enough to eat ... like cotton candy.

And I love the little brown/black stripe down Frankie's nose. :)

I like Kate Gilbert's Gifted Mitten pattern for chunky yarns.

http://www.kategilbert.com/ms_gifted.html

Those are great mittens to start with. I used that pattern for my first mittens (and like 3rd project ever), no problems whatsoever. good luck!

Mittens - easy! I agree with the waste yarn suggestion for the thumb stitches. We'll walk you through it, Purl. And btw? You need to check out the multi-fingered glove on my blog to inspire/horrify you. Just sayin'.

pink camouflage?

well, now no one will see you in victoria's secret?

I love the last cat pose. So funny and cute.

As some one who lives in a VERY cold area, but doesn't wear mittens that much, I do not understand why you would want to make mittens since it never gets ld enough in southern CA for you to wear them. Please explain.

Kathy in Mpls, MN

Those mittens are easy to knit and great for Icelandic adventures.

Not sure about for LA though. Why?

I think it's almost time you start a sweater. a light cardigan, if you will.

super nice hat! ohhhh, and now i need to look into that book as well. i would go for the mittens! i have been thinking the same thing. why not try something new, and yes break out of the rectangle!

That hat is just lovely! It looks like the underside of some rare, beautiful flower...if the flower were made of pink variegated yarn, that is.

I'm also here to tell you that Frankie could give those supermodels in Vogue a run for their money. (Well, they might have to be fed first, before they run, but whatever.) Just stick a Louis Vuitton bag in that cat's paw and you wouldn't know the difference between Frankie and Gisele. Wait...Frankie would have more personality.

What about a Moebius scarf and mitts? I bet you'd have enough. If not, you'd just have to buy more yarn ::gasp::!

Go for it! Mittens are fun, but can be addictive. Some super simple mittens can be found in the book "Sunny's Mittens" by Robin Hansen (it's a book to teach kids to knit mittens and uses bulky yarn like yours and size 10 1/2 or 11 needles so they go fast). And mittens are good practice for ....socks!

Ya'll! Sometimes you just want to make a mitten!

Besides, maybe I'll move to Iceland, and then I can wear my Icelandic woolen mittens in public ...

... or maybe this will be a holiday gift for someone. Who lives someplace cold. I don't know! I just want to make mittens! Do not discriminate against us Los Angelenos just because we don't have your cool weather! We still love to knit!

Besides, haven't you heard? Climate Profiling is totally illegal ;)

Love love the pink camo!!!
Frankie is adorable...she looks ready to whack the camera at a moments notice.

Love the hat, and the cat! I also live in SoCal and am totally into the making mittens thing. I've used the Weekend Knitting book pattern (easy peasy!) and others and they are all fun. As far as wearing the mittens, well, in SoCal we wear heavy coats when it is 65 in "winter" so mittens aren't much of a stretch should it get to *gasp* 60 or below! Weekend Knitting is a fun book with recipes and patterns for you, your home, your kids and gifts. Highly recommended.

I teach (sometimes) a socks and mittens class. I will email you the class package I have for my students.

Laurie, you are a NINJA MASTER knitter! I love mittens and you can wear yours on vacation. When you finish those, there is a sleeveless sweater pattern in Rebecca Magazine 28 that is the perfect first GARMENT to knit- when you're done with your mittens. It's called "Sleeveless Sweater with Glitzy Nubs". Ok,ok, that's tranlated from German, don't worry about the name. But who doesn't love glitzy nubs? It's super cute and the yarn is forgiving - you don't have to knit perfectly. I am almost done with mine- and I LOVE it.

The magazine cost about $17 and the yarn was about $100.

Here's what it looks like:
http://www.rebecca-online.de/cont_en/heft_archiv/heft_28/seite_05.php .

PS- I still have a mixed tape with Whitesnake, Vanilla Ice, and Barry Manilow (yes, together on the same tape). Don't ask!

Mittens are supereasy and fun don't stress it. If you're making hats you're already cool with knitting in the round and DPNs so mittens are a logical progression. If you get hooked on I HIGHLY recommend buying a copy of Folk Mittens.

You go girl with the mittens! It's the perfect excuse to move to Iceland.

Besides. Who said knitting was practical?!

Sorry. Had to add to the knitting-practical comment I just made.

Anyone wanna tell me why someone would knit this:
http://frapgirl.blogspot.com/2005/08/time-for-knitting-intervention.html

Because I don't get it.

I did those mittens - only complaint/problem was a hole I kept getting where the thumb meets the hand; I'm sure its knitter novice issues not pattern issues.
To join the cassett tapes we keep shame, I have 2 of the same Poison Album (Open Up and Say Ahh I believe)- 1 with the "full" cover photo and 1 with the "Parental Acceptable" cover. And I will not part with either of them.

I also made those mittens as my first ones, and they were really easy for me. I think you'll really like them.

And I love that pink hat. So cute.

Thank you Laurie, and all of you commenters--I have made plenty-o-socks, but no mittens, and since I have Weekend Knitting, I'm thinking, why not? It's cold here...

Cute kitty, as always!

Yay! Go for broke! Mittens are an excellent idea. I must say, though, that the decreases on the hat are perfect, so all the hat knitting must have paid off.

Thanks ya'll for the nice words on the hat :) Shelly! We should do a mitten knittin' along together!

Anyone else want to spend a hot August weekend (or two) knitting these weekend mittens?

Hi! I am not a knitter but I had to delurk and say I love your blog. Especially the cats. Fantastic hat, and I'm still waiting to see what the Mystery Cat project is!

Climate profiling is illegal? I thought it was just wrong.

Hey, don't let me rain on your parade (ha! rain! in LA!) I live outside of SF where it's normally 90ish in the summer (spring, fall and most of the winter) and what's my favorite, favorite yarn? Anything wool! So I'm comfortable for maybe a week in my hats, scarves & sweaters and the rest of the time I hang out in movie theaters (where I swear, the a/c could support snow).

The hat is cute as heck!
And Frankie? Gorrrrgeous, dahling, simply gorrrrrrrgeous!

I just realized that hat matches the poncho I designed for you perfectly (especially if you edge the hat with black marabou feathers!).

Oh, lord - maribou! We'll have to start calling Laurie "Lovey"

Hey - IS your SnB on Tuesday, or am I traveling out to LA for no reason...?

Do you NEED mittens in LA? Is there some secret we should know about your weather? Or are you angling for an invite up here to the Great White North, where that hat and matching mittens would come in mighty handy?

I''ve always been crazy about pink, so I adore your hat. It should look great on you. And btw, the decreases are beautiful -- just picture perfect. Hey, I'm in for a "mitten knittin'" When can we start?

You, my dear, are absolutely hilarious!!!

I made those mittens last year! You will love them...so easy, and super gratifying. :)

I'm Obsessed With Mittens at the moment. Have you read "Folk Mittens" yet? To die for ......

I saw a "Knitty Gritty" episode with a simple pair of mittens:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_3047862,00.html

Yaay for mittens! I'm so excited for you to try something else. I don't have any advice really. I should make some mittens myself. I tried some fingerless mitts, and they turned out pretty well considering my skill level at the time. But there are some serious holes around the fingers. I'm kinda scared of anything with individual fingers now. You can do it!! :)

Your hat looks great! It has inspired me to pick up my knitting again. Thanks!

Hi, Laurie--

Not to dissuade you from the mittens, but wouldn't your good friend the teevee look fetching in one of these? (I know mine would...)

http://www.lileks.com/institute/archives/26/index.html

Well I too must stop lurking and say that I think I am in love.
With you, your cats, your hats, your sense of humor and your blog.
Wanna go steady with a semi-retired 51 year old financial planner with 8 horses, 3 dogs and 9 cats?

Dan, that's the closest thing I may ever get to an actual date ... so I would say yes... but even with my shady grasp of mathematics, it seems we'd have THIRTEEN CATS between us. (!)

And I have to draw the line somewhere or I fear I'll be the crazy old cat lady wearing my bra on my head, putting tin foil on the outlets and throwing birthday parties for my four-legged friends.

Hey, don't laugh. It could happen.

It does too get cold here! Sometimes we even turn the heat on! This is why tourists always freeze when they show up in February with only sandals and shorts.

What a cute hat! My hats always turn out too big. I should start knitting hats only for bulbous-headed individuals, or I could always pretend that I'm knitting for small children.

I love to knit mittens! Which surprises me, because I hate to crochet mittens. I love both crafts, but for some reason crocheting mittens makes me itch. Bleah. My favorite mitten pattern is from "Knitting Pretty" by Kris Percival - knit totally in the round - hurray for the Knitting Pretty Mittens!

PS - just followed taral's link to the knitted boobs - has anyone else seen the knitted willy kit? (Yes, I said willy. It's an English kit. Hail Brittania!)It's at www.castoff.info, and click on the "Shop" link. I think it's a riot, though my husband is leery of the whole thing. :) (they have a knitted cigarette too!)

I'm just mildly retarded, just what is the recipe for that handsome hat? I went to all of the sites you mentioned for the info, but am having a hard time finding "The Formula", etc. to make your fun hat. I love the top!

Haven't done mittens, but am enjoying socks lots! Sockslots, it's like box lots (or boxslots if you're from Long Island {Longeyeland} New York) at an auction. What can I say I've been inhaling too much cat hair while on the internets. It does things to a woman's mind ... if she has one to begin with, which is questionable!

MITTENS in California?? Hey...its global WARMING not an ice age.
Camoflague is cool...almost evertything I have here in Afghanistan is camo...

Your roll brim hat looks great! I've made a glove (only one) using the pattern, I'll probably get around to the other one this fall or winter, maybe.

I love the kitty pics.

hey, way to go on the abandoning rectangle thing... I don't know much about mittens but I recently discovered the "Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan Sweater"--google for it and you should find it. It's a simple, seamless pattern that makes sweaters a lot less terrifying. It reminds me of your "recipes" so go for it! Thanks for blogging so hilariously... ~Ali

that's such a pretty hat. love it.

Camo pink! Never thought of it that way - it'd be the first camo I would wear! I love the way the top of the hat swirls. And you should live in Hollywood, just for Frankie.

OK, this is too twisted--last night, after reading your post, I had a dream about a SNOWSTORM in LA. How bizarre...

I'm up for the knit-a-long. Let me check the pattern and my stash to see if I can do this in my present state of NO KNITTING BUDGET....thank G*d I prepared for emergencies like this.

Adding to the chorus... I just finished my first mitten yesterday. It was knit flat and seamed up, like the Gifted mitten (next on my list). The whole time, I kept thinking, "this is going to be a mitten... I don't see it... I don't see it... oh, THERE it is!" I feel so accomplished!

Sorry to upset you, I did not mean you should not make mittens, I just did not understand why when you would not be able to wear them yourself.

Kathy in Mpls

Kathy, no offense taken! It's a valid question. I mean, it *is* 1,000 degrees outside today.

I really do need to move somewhere cold! :)

Mittens are a great "next step" project.

two little things:
the suggestion about putting the thumb stitches on waste yarn is good. and you're almost always going to get a little gap when you work the thumb -- so just automatically pick up a stich on each side of the guys on the waste yarn, and don't worry about them.
also, you can work the thumb on two needles with a working needle (total 3, not four, dpns), and it's easier that trying to maneuver 12 stitches on three needles. at least for me.

you go, girl!

oh, and you ought to give Dan a chance -- maybe he's got enough room for 13 cats, being as he has horses and all...

That is probably my fave knitting book that I own. Have fun!

I have made those mittens a few times, it is a great pattern to learn from. good luck!

Jury duty hat?
There was an article in the local paper that said people who WEAR hats, have tattoos, gold teeth, or dressed too casual, tend NOT to get picked for juries. Just thinking it'd be nice to have a choice, you know?

I graduated from hat to mittens - you can do it! I also made them for several people's Christmas who don't live here in Cali! They were all very impressed. Believe me, once you get past the first one, you'll be knitting the rest of 'em like there's no tomorrow! Let me know if you have any questions!

hey laurie, if you don't want dan with the horses, i'll take him! i've only got 1 dog and 2 cats, so together we would not exceed the legal limits...or would we??? of course, he may only go for blondes...

Oh, make the mittens! The hat is super-cute, and with mittens you'll be ready for any weather contingency . . .

A very friendly site. Have a nice day! Boy can Create Stake: http://www.chron.com/ , right Mistery will Kill Table without any questions when Girl is Tournament it will Destroy Chair , Big TV Bet or not Green Slot Hedge or not