My Walden’s Wood Mitts, in a dusky blue color are the perfect thing to wear while creeping around in the woods being contemplative and taking pictures and stuff. And trying not to fall off the brittle tree roots jutting out over the stream that one is precariously perched on while a 4-year-old pokes you in the back with a stick.

Or reading, or holding a steamy mug of hot chocolate, or waiting for that damned bus, or freezing your ass off at work. Multipurpose, these mitts are.

Last winter I knitted everyone Christmas presents. For my sister, I made the Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers featured in Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation (these are a heavily altered version inspired those mitts). Which she has since lost one of on the train, but luckily there is enough yarn left over from this pattern to make an extra mitt.

The yarn used in the pattern is Noro Kureyon, which comes in the most beautiful watercolor colorways I have ever seen. When I first touched it, I was surprised to find that it was a super natural (aka scratchy) wool. But hey, that’s what the pattern called for, so I bought it anyway. As it turns out, it knits up incredibly warm and snuggly, and soft enough for your hands and wrists (but not for laying against sensitive skin, like a hat or a scarf would).

What I’m saying is, this pattern is all about the yarn texture and colors. Go with the Noro. It feels like petting a sheep when you wear them.