There has been knitting and traveling and working, but necessarily in that order. I wish there had been more knitting, but it just hasn't worked out that way!
As requested, I sized up the original Pop Top Mittens to make a new pattern, Pop Top Mittens for Adults. These are written in 7 sizes for 7-10" palm circumferences. That should fit just about everybody! They are easy to lengthen or shorten to accommodate specific hands. (For the record, that big 'ole pine cone is a North Carolina special... I would be shocked to find one that size here in Kansas!)
From now through February, the bundled mitten patterns are on sale in my Ravelry shop. If you bought the original Pop Top Mittens (kid's sizes 2-10 yrs), you will get the same discount for purchasing just the adult pattern.
I knit these mittens while traveling, one mitten flying east, and one mitten flying west. On the first flight, one of the attendants was a knitter. She challenged me to get one done before we landed... and, well, I made it, except for the thumb!
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On a personal note, the traveling was not all in fun. Thanksgiving on the east coast was an in-place plan. However, by mid-October my Dad's health began to deteriorate rapidly, so I flew out for a last visit, only to return a week later for his funeral. Dad was the original catalyst for starting me down the stitching path. Somehow he had the insight to know I would enjoy it. He started me out by ordering printed cross stitch kits from Ladies Home Journal. Those kits evolved into a love of embroidery, sewing, knitting, and crochet. I know he was proud of my knitting, I'll never know if I would have ever found this passion without his gentle nudging so long ago.******************************************
What will 2012 bring? As usual, there is much more in my head than I can possibly ever humanly produce. First up, I will be repurposing a sweater that I knit about 20 years ago for my Grandmother with some really special German yarn. Styles and body shapes are much different.... I'll post about it when this evolution is complete.
Happy stitching! And be on the lookout for a new edition of Petite Purls next week!






























