The Hortense mittens are named after the German word for hydrangea, because the clusters of blossoms remind me of that flower. They are an expression of my growing obsession with using i-cord for everything except bag handles.

The clusters of little blossoms are created with a technique called “scrawling”, outlining a design in purl stitches, then picking up and knitting into the purl bumps to trace the design with applied i-cord. The mittens are topped off by a wavy I-cord Picot Bind Off, and the Afterthought Thumb is finished with - well, take a guess. It does help if you are already comfortable with working i-cord, but don’t worry if you are not. When these are done, you will be a pro. Promise.