These mittens are constructed from the cuff up, and have a delicate four stitch cable snaking around the outside of each hand. The right and left mitts are constructed in a mirror opposite pattern, so once you’ve got the first one done, the second is a refreshing change!

As may have been observed in earlier reading, most women during the Regency era spent their leisure time creating things of beauty, and not of necessity. Knitting was not a favorite activity amongst the upper classes during Jane Austen’s lifetime, and was only done for utility, so most great houses employed neighborhood women and girls to take care of these tasks.

I imagine that Mrs. Musgrove, however, would care little for social conventions and would continue to create warm objects to comfort those she loved. She is endlessly kind, nurturing, and exudes the warmth and mothering that I think Anne missed so dearly in suffering the loss of her own mother.

These mittens are inspired by the warmth Mrs. Musgrove exudes, and the delicate elegance she maintains in her manner, despite her easy and affectionate nature.