Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Heart to Heart Mittens + Embroidery on Knits Videos

Are you looking for a quick-knit for the holiday of love. I know many of you constantly knit things for the special people in your lives. Have I got a special project for you - my Heart to Heart Mittens.


Sized for from toddlers to adults, the mittens are knit in the round on double pointed needles. The heart design is created in the Fair Isle technique. The design of the thumb is an easy gusset shaping. I love this project - it is super quick to knit and the two color knitting only goes over a few rows. What makes the Heart to Heart Mittens really cute is the addition of the embroidery. Keep on reading - I'll be helping you with that later in this post.

You can purchase the pattern for $6.00 (which includes 2 different heart designs - one simple [shown above] and one more difficult [shown in left sidebar]) over on my website or right here by clicking the button below. Clicking the button will let you purchase from Ravelry but you do not have to be a member. If you are a Ravelry member, the pattern will be saved to your library.



I just got a photo from Lisa, one of the students who came to the farm last summer for my "Getting Stitched on the Farm" retreats. Lisa was so excited that she had remembered her embroidery techniques. She made these mittens for one of her daughters for Valentine's Day. Didn't Lisa do an awesome job? She calls them Kristinized Mittens - how sweet of her.


One of the most popular classes I teach is Embroidery on Knits. I've been adding colorful embroidery to my knitwear for decades. It was a natural progression for me - I learned to embroider as a young girl of about ten, before I ever got into knitting. Mom encouraged my sisters and I to stitch by supplying us with little Sunset crewel embroidery kits which we each did and she displayed in the kitchen for years and years (bet they are still in her attic). When I learned to knit and began to design knitwear, I began adding bits of embroidery to my knits for a hit of easy color.

Adding embroidery to knits is very easy to do. So what is it about trying something new - all you fearful knitters? Every time I teach a class, I sense intimidation and a bit of fear. Adding embroidery isn't hard at all. When teaching, after about a half hour, I watch the students loosen up and start loving embroidery on knits. You just have to get over it and do it! Dive in. Practice on a leftover swatch. Embroidery is very easy to rip out. Adding embroidery to knits really adds a cheerful, over the top feeling to something that would be plain and simple.

A while ago I video-taped a couple of embroidery tutorials. These two videos are all you have to do to apply the embroidery to the Heart to Heart Mittens. Get over your fear and whip up a pair of Heart to Heart Mittens for someone you love or just for yourself.

Here's the short video on how to do Chain Stitch:




Here's the short video on how to do Decorated Chain Stitch:




4 comments:

Candylei said...

So pretty!!! I'll need mittens today as snow is in the forecast! Thank you for putting up the videos for us! You are wonderful!

Rosa said...

Those mittens are adorable *s*
Seeing them and reading your post made me remember how I would knit sweaters and decorate them with very colorfull flowers using a small crochet-hook instead of a needle (fast to rip out if nescessary)- that was in the happy flowerpowerdays of the 70'ies. Such a good memory inspired by your work - thank you:-)

Elaine said...

The mitts are really pretty and I love the bright colors. I, too, enjoy embroidering on my knitted, as well as woven, pieces. The extra little bit of handwork just puts a little more life into them.

mascanlon said...

I love the embroidery, its the knitting that stumps me! But I love admiring yours Kristin.

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