Every Christmas I choose a project to knit or crochet. It’s the one time of year you can sit on your bum for hours on end, gobbling up chocolates and working on something wooly without feeling guilty. Well, that is until afterwards when you realise just how little you’ve moved and how much you’ve actually eaten. This year I made Ursula mittens, I adore them! The pattern is lovely, the wool feels fantastic and whenever I wear them I’ll think of our family Christmas in the Cornish countryside.
The Ursula Mittens pattern was from my Colours of Shetland book. I knitted with Jamieson & Smith 2ply jumper weight Shetland wool and after indecisively looking through all the shade options, I decided I really liked the colours Kate Davies had chosen.
The wool is gorgeous. If you look closely you can see that instead of being even and flat, each colour has a range of dark and light tones.
Afterthought thumb
When I’ve knitted gloves in the past I’ve used the gusset method. The Afterthought method is very simple. You knit a few stitches with waste yarn, transfer them back to the left needle and carry on with the pattern until you’re ready to knit the thumb. Mary Jane Mucklestones All thumbs post contains some great photos that guide you through the process. I found it really helpful so check it out if this is your first time working the method.
After picking up the stitches and removing the waste yarn this is what the thumb looked like.
The finished mittens
Now they’ve been blocked and photographed they’re ready to wear! The fit is great, nice and snug but with enough room to move my fingers.
I found a fingerless version of these mittens and I think I have enough coloured wool left over to make some – although I might need to buy one more ball of cream to be on the safe side. Having made the Ursula Mittens I’m now adding the Ursula Cardigan to my knitting queue *swoon*.
Project notes
- Pattern: Ursula Mittens by Kate Davies
- Wool: Jamieson & Smith 2ply jumper weight, 100% Shetland wool
- Wool colours: 202 (beige), FC24 (green), 9144 (pink) and FC15 (blue)
- Needles: 2.5mm dpn, 2.75mm dpn and circular
- Cost: £13.75
- Project duration: 1 week
Oh WOW! How stunning they are! I love those gentle pinks, blues and greens in the white and am seriously impressed with your colourwork skills… Just beeeeeyotiful! Making me think I really should hurry up and finish the sleeves of the cardigan I’m knitting for the sproglet, so I can make myself a pair of these beauties.
xxx
Thanks so much Sabrina! 🙂 The colours are fantastic, they remind me of Spring. I’ll be wearing these mittens for as long as I can this year. Absolutely knit yourself a pair, they were a pleasure to knit and very relaxing too.
Oh wow! Those mittens are stunning and that wool is beautiful! What a fab project! I’ve just cast on for my first Fair Isle pair of mittens. I’m pinning yours onto my Pinterest board for inspiration 🙂
Thanks Shirley! I’m sure your first pair will turn out great. I can see fair isle mittens becoming addictive to make 🙂
I just did some afterthought buttonholes….and I’m a total convert! I might have to add the afterthought thumb to my skill set, too…..the mitts turned out quite lovely!!!
Afterthought buttonholes – amazing! Will check that out. The thumbs were super easy and a good fit even though there’s no gusset.
I’m a sucker for fair isle mittens- these are Gorgy! Love the color way you chose.
Thanks Camilla. The green is particularly yummy!
Wow!! They are gorgeous. What a perfect blend of colors! I love that you have enough to make a fingerless pair next.
Makes them pretty bargainous! You can’t buy pure wool gloves in the shops for that little.
Lovely!
Thanks! Just checked out your blog, loved the sheep video 🙂
Oh these are adorable! I love the soft colours and pretty pattern – perfect!
Those mittens are gorgeous. Thanks for the thumb link. I hope to get to use it someday.
Oh wow the mittens are lovely, and the yarn to die for!