Finally

This is the final knitting project to show for 2013!  I have a couple of unfinished items...a little sideways cable cap, and a giant pinwheel blanket (just needs an edging!).  I also have a sewing project to show, but that can wait.

 I squeaked these ones in, the picture above is from Dec 31 before I felted them.  I bought an orange earflap hat from Value Village earlier in the winter, to wear during my job as a lunch room supervisor, so it would sort of match my safety vest.  But I needed mittens.  My orange is a little dull compared to the  hat, but it's not too far off.  The motifs at the top are taken directly from the hat, the lower band is slightly altered to simplify it.  It was all done in Patons Classic Wool.  I knew the white probably wouldn't felt much, from having made that pillow with Lucy, but I went ahead anyway.

The little rows of blue barely show up.
I wanted flip tops, since I'm always having to help the kids with something.  I was in a rush, and didn't really think them through.  Instead of knitting a topless hand, and then picking up stitches half way down, when I short rowed the one side, I added about 5 rows after increasing back out.  Then, on the non-short-rowed side, I added 5 rows.  Both of these were ribbed.  I thought that would be enough overlap.  It's not bad, but it's not great.  I did sew little velcro squares to keep the flaps down, otherwise they would just open up.  And, not very much of my fingers get exposed when they're open, so really, they don't work all that well, LOL.  They are decently warm though.  Knitted mittens have the issue of not blocking the wind, but felted mittens do that (though maybe not 100%). If I can find some more orange wool, I'll probably try another pair, doing them the right way, then chop off the flaps of these and make them fingerless.  They'd be good over those little cheap stretchy gloves.

Yarn In: 16 153gr
Yarn Out:  93gr + 16 712gr = 16 805gr
Balance:  652gr more sent OUT than IN
Costs: $378.91/365 days = $1.04/day