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A Tale of Two Mittens


Three years ago, I wrote an excited post about spinning for leopard print mittens. I spun the yarn almost immediately, and then it sat… and sat… and sat. 

Enough was enough, Tuesday, I decided; it was time. I wound the skeins and cast on. I knit almost an entire mitten that day, only to remember why the project had been sitting so long. 

The original idea had been to make a pair of these felted mittens. I've made them before, and they're super warm and cozy. The problem was, I wasn't sure I'd get the color play envisioned when I started the yarn. Then I made the mistake of looking at mittens online. I found a pattern that would probably do exactly what I wanted, but it was out of print. So, I remained mired by indecision for three years. 

I started knitting happily enough. But then there were stripes, and more stripes. No spots, just very regular, un-leopard-like stripes. Hmmm. 

While the pattern for the other mitten is out of print, the stitch pattern is very easy to find. So, I made a swatch. Just as I suspected, it was perfect. Even Darren said so — no hesitation. Now, I don't know what to do. Make striped mittens with the pattern I have, or wing it with the stitch pattern I like? I think I've already decided, but it is going to be so much more work! 

Oh well, I've waited this long. 

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