Year of the Mitten!

I've declared 2012 the Year of the Mitten, but alas, I am, as usual, late. I Googled "Year of the Mitten" and it seems like that was last year or the year before or even a few years before that for many bloggers. So I'm behind. *sigh* What else is new.

I've been gathering together books, websites, patterns, yarns, and needles and I've included some resources on the blog sidebar. And I have a plan. I always have a plan.

I hope to knit one or two pairs of mittens a month. One pair of mittens will be a plain vanilla using this pattern. These will be donated. These mittens will be made using Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight and size 4 double pointed needles. The second pair will be my fancy mittens. These may be lace or colorwork or made of a luxurious fiber like silk, qiviut, or cashmere. Or perhaps another pair of plain vanilla mittens, but with a stitch pattern or a little colorwork. Perhaps a baby pair made of leftover sock yarn.

Now you may be wondering why I'm knitting mittens when I live in the Pacific Northwest. It's true that I don't live in Bandon, the banana belt of Oregon, but I don't live in the mountains either. I live in the Willamette Valley, where winter weather is usually mild and snow is possible, but it isn't all that common. Where it's windy and it rains. And rains. And rains. And seldom does that rain turn to ice or snow. But then, you never know. It's always good to be prepared.
My backyard, 2007.