Stripe-Mania

In an effort to raise some extra money for exciting summer activities (including my best friend renting a car and taking a couple of us out of the city to go shopping at stores that don't charge an arm and a leg for all their cute merchandise - I'm really looking forward to it!), I've been knitting like mad to add items to my Etsy shop.

I've settled on stripey mitts as an economical (I can use leftover sock yarn), fairly quick project that is park, bus, cafe, movie and tv-friendly and results in endless variations on a useful, unisex product. Here's the start of two new pairs.

Earthsea stripe

Tropical Punch stripe

Because it's summer and I know many of us can't handle the thought of working on large, wool projects in the heat (and some of you must be like me, which means you hate to cart larger things around to an air-conditioned location!), I thought I'd share the basic recipe for these mitts.

Stripey Mitts
Yarn: Sock leftovers, or any two colors of fingering or sport weight that appeal to you. I like to use one semi-solid (MC) and one variegated (CC).
Needles: Set of 5 US1 dpns (or 4 needles, or circs if that's how you roll)
Notions: sewing needle for weaving in ends, and possibly a row counter

CO 64 stitches in MC and distribute evenly over needles. Join for working in the round.
Knit 6 rows of 2x2 ribbing
Knit 10 rows straight stockinette stitch
At the start of the next round, join CC and knit two rows of stockinette. Do not cut the MC, as you will carry both yarns up in the inside of your work.
Alternate MC and CC every two rows, continuing to work in stockinette. After you have completed 11 or 12 (you choose, based on the length of mitt you would like! You can try these on as you go, too.) CC stripes, cut CC yarn and work to the end in MC as follows: Knit 10 rows of straight stockinette stitch and 6 rows of 2x2 ribbing.
BO all stitches loosely. Weave in ends.

I've done some variations so far, including a bit of stranded colorwork, and varying the number of rows I knit in the MC at the start and end of the work. I hope you find these mitts as fun to knit as I do, and that if you make a pair, you'll let me know! I'd love to see the color combinations you come up with.

Happy knitting!