When thinking about the theme, “Honoring Our Hands,” I immediately thought about mittens. I am always so inspired by the beautiful colorwork mittens I have seen in person and online that I wanted to create some myself.

Deciding on the design for my own colorwork pattern, I thought it would be fun to cover my mittens with the very thing they are designed for: cold hands! The two colors of the mittens— white and blue—are to represent the snow and the cold, exactly what these mittens were made to protect your hands from.

On the technical side of the mittens, when designing them, I knew I wanted them to be really warm. Where I live, winters can be very, VERY cold so warmth is essential. This is why I made the decision to knit a liner for the mittens. Not only is there an added layer due to the colorwork but a knitted layer as well to keep your hands extra warm. I also found that having the mittens lined when there is colorwork involved makes the experience of wearing them much more comfortable, it avoids the possibility of catching your fingers on the floats.