Craving warm hands this frigid winter brought back memories of the old-fashioned mittens my mom knit for me. Perfect for playing in the snow. For playing with my cell phone, I updated her pattern with a modern touch—an index finger opening for texting (and swyping on a droid). My fingers are thanking me. And the yarn’s rich, variegated hues provide a nice pop of color to brighten the gray, snow-filled days.

The pattern is written for a woman’s size medium. Dense, warm fabric is created by using smaller needles than those suggested by the yarn’s label.

One skein of yarn is all that’s needed to work this simple pattern; enough yarn remains to make a matching headband.