Winter Love Mittens - Finished Samples

The Winter Love Mittens mystery knitalong in September was a great success. 50 people actively participated and started a project using the Winter Love Mittens pattern. 

Here are my finished samples:

Winter Love Mittens Mystery Knitalong - September 2022

As I design mittens, I often gravitate towards snowflake and heart motifs. This September, I'll be hosting a Mystery Knitalong (MKAL) of my new Winter Love Mittens pattern that brings those two motifs together into one design to capture a love of the perfect season to wear a cozy pair of mittens. 

The pattern is available for purchase for $2.99 Canadian. This is 50% off my usual pattern price (no coupon required), and after this MKAL ends the pattern will go back up to full price. Purchase the pattern at any time before the end of September and you will receive any clues released, prior to the purchase. You can purchase via my designer store on Ravelry, or send me a message via the contact form on the right to purchase the pattern via email and Paypal. 

When you purchase this pattern, you will receive only the introduction. The remainder of the pattern will be released in six clues on September 1, 4, 8, 11, 15 and 18, 2022. 

If your are participating in this MKAL, please join in the discussion on the I Make Mittensboard on Ravelry, or comment along on Instagram @janetwelshknits. 

Here’s what I can tell you now about this Winter Love mystery …

The pattern is designed to be knit with fingering-weight yarn. The gauge is 9 stitches per inch. Instructions are written for a women’s small hand with medium and large in brackets. The pattern uses 64 (68, 72) stitches around the top of the hand. The thumb is a sore thumb, out the side of the mitten.

For those that participated in the Autumn Fade MKAL, last September, this pattern uses the same gauge, stitch count, and thumb style. So, if that pattern worked for you this one will too. And if that pattern didn’t turn out to the measurements you hoped for, you could try this one in a different size or with a different needle. But good news… the cuff will be quite different from the Autumn Fade mittens. No corrugated ribbing this time!

To make these mittens you will need two colours of fingering weight yarn. While designed to be made with just two colours, the cuff would be a perfect place to introduce other colours to add a splash of interest or use up some scraps of favourite yarns from past projects. 

If you are a fan of my designs, please do join in the fun this September. 

Pretty in Pink Sunnybrook Mittens

This is a pair of mittens I created for a custom request. She gave me the picture below of a sweater and asked me to create mittens inspired by those colours. We worked together and she selected my Sunnybrook Mittens pattern which was a perfect design for this colour combo.

Otta Bears #19 and 20

Last month, these two bears were sent off to their new home in another province. Again, I fell in love with these little guys. Gingham in purple is perfect, and this soft yellow dress and cardigan combo may just be one of my favourite outfits so far. And each bear went home with a cozy sweater and pants to wear too.

Little Gingham Dresses

The next two Otta bears come with cute little gingham dresses. I loved creating these dresses - there will be more gingham in the future! 

Three little bears (including a Bengals fan!)

These three little bears were created for a custom order requesting each in a unique colour with its own style. One in a purple dress, one in a delicate sleeveless dress and cardigan, and one for a Cincinnati Bengals fan. And they all received matching cable sweaters.

An Otta Bear Represents Three Countries

This bear was created as a custom gift for a Lebanese woman and Italian man who had a baby in Canada. This was a fun project to figure out how to best customize the bear and outfits to represent all three countries. 

 

Brittany Park Mittens Pattern - New Release

Taking a break from bears to get back into mittens. 

I'm pleased to release a new design which came to life from the view from my desk window. As I look out over the neighbourhood, I see buildings and trees grouped in squares with a lovely park in the middle. 

This pattern is suitable for an intermediate knitter with some experience working with charts and knitting in the round. Designer tips are provided for those who are new to stranded colourwork. The right and left-handed mittens are identical.

Instructions are written for a woman’s small hand with medium and large in brackets. Alternative charts are included for those who want a shorter mitten. Mittens pictured were knit with the instructions for size medium.

Go to my Patterns For Sale page to purchase this pattern.

Bears in Striped Sweaters

I had fun creating another set of three bears for a special order. These little guys sported cute striped sweaters and colour-coordinated dresses. 

A Very Special Christmas Otta Bear

My favourite Otta Bear is this little guy that I made before Christmas. (True story - every Otta Bear I make is my favourite.) I wanted to create a special polar bear version, wearing a crazy Christmas sweater. Before I could finish it, a long-time friend reached out and asked if I had a bear to sell her. Since this friend LOVES a good Christmas sweater, this bear and her were a perfect match.

Bears, Bears and More Bears!

 I've been having a lot of fun making Otta Bears over the past several months. Here's a collection of pictures from the bears that I've made. 

The Otta Bear is a 19 cm (7.5 inch) tall bear, hand knit from 100% wool and stuffed with polyester fill. Accompanying the bear are two outfits, a dress and a pullover sweater with pants. The cost is $55 Canadian which includes standard shipping within Canada and the United States. 

Each Otta Bear is handmade with a unique expression and embellished with a heart. No two Otta Bears are the same. The accompanying outfits are also unique, one of a kind, creations. The size is both big enough for big hands to hold, and small enough for small hands to carry around. The bear and outfits are made entirely out of yarn, making it is safe for all ages as there are no small buttons or parts to come loose. 

Available Otta Bears can be found on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/JanetWelshKnits/, but these little guys are selling faster than I can post them. So if you are interested send me a message through the contact form on the right side of this page and we can discuss a custom order.