Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 14:20:51 -0600
From: POWELL@promis.com
To: Multiple recipients of list <knit@geom.umn.edu>
Subject: KNIT: [...] odds 'n ends mittens, [...]

Hello interknitters,

[...]

ODDS 'N ENDS MITTENS

This is not so much a pattern, more a suggested style that makes colourful,
warm mittens and can use up quite small bits of yarn (like as little as
a foot when doing the thumbs!) I knit these for my own two children, myself,
my husband, and especially as giveaways for charities that collect such things.
This last is particularly fun, because it doesn't matter what size you end
up with, as long as they look like mittens....

You should probably have tackled a pair or two of plainer mittens before
trying these.....

Start by gathering a whole bunch of bits (or odd balls) of yarn in a similar
weight, in colours of your choice that look jazzy together and with the same
care instructions (e.g. all hand-washable or all machine washable).

I've recently done:
a small pair in several shades of green, cream, yellow and hot pink;
a larger child's pair in various purples/blues;
a man's pair in browns, greys, natural white.
You can be really outrageous, or more subdued, whatever you
like. Twenty colours is great, 4 or 5 can also work.

Now, choose a mitten pattern that looks like it will work with that type of
wool; you'll need a few more stitches than you would need for the same size
mitten in stocking stitch, because you'll be doing some slip stitches. Row
gauge is ignored, because you work to lengths required. I strongly recommend
that you knit both mittens at once, back and forth and sew up the side seam
at the end. Of course, if you want to knit truely oddball mittens, by all means
do them circularly and different from one another.

Do ordinary ribbing (K1P1 or K2P2, as you like), changing colours whenever
you want - don't worry about the little 'blips' that appear when you change
colour in ribbing - with this mitten they're a feechur! When you feel the
ribbing is long enough, start in on the pattern (which isn't a pattern at all!)
Remember to increase for the thumb gusset as you go along, I usually put the
thumb stitches on a holder and deal with them at the end. Decrease for the top
in your own favourite fashion when you reach the appropriate length.

Non-pattern:

Change colours frequently - like at the end of every row or two (or three
     once in a while)

On some, but not every, right-side row after you've changed colours,
     do knit one, slip one, (remember to keep edge stitches knit)
     or knit 2, slip 1 (remember to keep edge stitches knit),
     or knit some number (3?, 4?, 5?, as YOU will), slip 1

On some, but not every, wrong-side row, knit instead of purl
     (gives garter ridge on right side)

I suppose you could purl some right side rows for the same effect, but I
     don't bother, it's more work....

On some, but not every, wrong side row after you've changed colours,
     *purl 1, yfwd, slip 1* (or other
     variation on number of stitches purled...)

Anytime you want a quiet row, knit a right side row, or purl a wrong-side one.

Scramble the above rows and knit in whatever order you want, just keep
changing those colours!

[...]

Bye for now,
Denise in Toronto (Powell @promis.com)

---
This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium
http://www.woolworks.org/