Finished Object: Northman Mittens

Winter is such a wonderful time to knit mittens, isn’t it? It makes more sense to knit them prior to winter so that they’re put aside, ready for use, when the cold comes, but I find myself thinking of them only when the cold hits. After knitting my squirrel mittens (many times over), I was ready for some fat yarn. David’s pattern was ready right when I was.

carrying wood

DK weight yarn is a favorite of mine, so I had quite a stash to choose from. After some swatching, I settled on Rauma 3 ply Strikkegarn, a Norwegian yarn that, if it isn’t made for mittens, certainly seems like it is! It’s got that crunchy, crispy feel and deep sheen of a long wool, along with a long wool’s strength. The colors are absolutely striking. I doubt these mittens will ever wear out. One of my testers of the Fiddlehead Mittens pattern used Blue Sky Alpacas’ Brushed Suri for her lining and I’ve been wanting to use it myself, ever since. It’s soft as can be and amazingly warm, and a perfect weight for lining DK and worsted weight mittens.

the lining

Pattern: Northman Mittens by David Schulz (PDF may be purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: Rauma 3 ply Strikkegarn in colors 141 (purple), 198 (lime green), 155 (blue), and 127 (orange), with Blue Sky Alpacas’ Brushed Suri in Gingersnap for the lining.
Needle: US 1.5/ 2.5mm (I am the loosest knitter on the planet.)
Size: medium
Gauge: 28 sts. = 4″

full view

I used:
MC (purple)- 42 grams/ 97 yards
CC1 (orange) 12 grams/ 27 yards
CC2 (light blue) 26 grams/ 60 yards
a smidge of the lime green

Almost all of the skein of Brushed Suri- there are only a few yards left.

The mittens are:
9.5” long
9” around above the thumb
8” around the wrist

The pattern was an absolute pleasure to knit. The charts are clear and large, so knitting just zipped along. The linings make the mittens into cozy little pillows for my hands. It’s just what I needed during these cold months.

full view

Fiber Club:

The fiber club renewals are up for February – April. If you’re a current member and would like to join again, go get ‘em! I’ll leave this up until the 26th, then start emailing people on the waiting list to invite them, if there are any slots left. Please note: I sent out a newsletter today and, as usual, about 20 were returned. Please add adrian at helloyarn dot com to your contacts. Please also note that the waiting list for the club is closed. If I ever manage to get through the current one, it will be so long from now that people’s email addresses will have changed. Starting a fresh one at that time seems like the best plan.

Stuff I Love:

* Woodstoves- As you might guess from the first photo above, there’s wood to be hauled around here! We installed a very beautiful woodstove this winter and have switched to heating with wood. Our lives very much revolve around chopping wood and feeding the fire, as well as enjoying the wonderful heat the stove provides. I’ve even bought a book on woodstove cookery. We’ll see how that goes! So far, it’s been fantastic to proof and raise bread dough by. I can’t recommend Morso stoves highly enough, if you’re in the market. This little tyke is heating our home wonderfully.

* Peanut Butter- My life is changed. I’ve never had Hell’s Kitchen’s peanut butter before, but the recipe is online and holy doodle, this peanut butter is beyond imagining. Caro pointed out the recipe to me, as she is a fan of the restaurant’s peanut butter, and she also advised that the peanuts would be better roasted at 275F. Caro knows of what she speaks, so I did what I was told. The recipe makes about a liter, so I shared with 2 neighbors, who called last night to ask me to marry them. It’s that good.

* The Outlander Series- How did I miss these books all these years? I am angry at every person I know who read this and didn’t command me to. A couple of friends and I are reading them now and giggle like schoolgirls over Jamie. The fact that he knits only adds to his charms. If you’re going to be kept indoors by the frigid weather, you might as well have a giant redheaded Highlander to entertain you!

35 Responses to “Finished Object: Northman Mittens”

  1. maryse

    OMG I’M SO HAPPY YOU FINALLY BLOGGED AGAIN! i will not be removing you from my bloglines.

    also, i love that you blogged about jamie. i think i may have to too now. i may have to have a jamie only blog in fact. i may have to knit myself a jamie. sigh.

  2. maryse

    oh and david’s eric mittens are to do for. an eric and jamie reference in the same post. be still my heart — or whatever.

  3. Nancy

    THANK GOD you resisted the urge to delete your blog. Those mittens are verra gorgeous.

  4. Cynthia A

    Mmmm…that peanut butter looks really lovely! I was wondering though, are you starting out with raw, un-roasted peanuts? I’ve only found Spanish peanuts already roasted, so I didn’t know if I should use those and just take the roast to a deeper stage? Making a shopping list ;)

  5. Hayley

    Aww, Outlander. Jamie has ruined me for all other men, lol.

  6. mai

    i’m laughing out loud at maryse’s comments!! am also resisting the urge to refer to #c*ckstands. clearly, i failed. do i need to add outlander to my goodreads queue?

    oh, and those mittens are freaking gorgeous. fantastic colors.

  7. Annegret

    The Northman Mittens are fantastic. I love the colours.

    Annegret

  8. carolyn

    Those mittens are gorgeous. I love the way you did the cuffs in the different colour combo. Just what I needed, another mitten pattern added to my favorites.

  9. Adee

    I discovered the Outlander series about 3 months ago and have reread all the books waiting for echo in the bone to arrive in the UK. It arrived yesterday and it was like Xmas all over. Is Jamie hot or what? Our posh ragdoll now gets called ‘the wee cheetie’ by us and even my 10 yr old wants to know whats happened to Jamie and Claire next (I give him a child rated synopsis as I read each book!)
    best series of books I’ve ever read

  10. Donna

    I love the Outlander series! I listened to it on audiobook, the narrator Davina Porter is awesome. Jamie, Claire and knitting is a winning combination : )

  11. Laura

    These are beautiful! And I love the lining. It almost makes me want to live in a warmer climate. Los Angeles isn’t exactly known for its mitten-wearing weather…

  12. Kara

    I spent this summer reading the Outlander series and felt the same way you do. Why didn’t anyone tell me about these books?!?! I now have a huge crush on Jamie.

    I’ve read the first quarter or so of the most recent book. It’s so good I don’t want to put it down, but I’m trying to savor it too since it will be years before the next one comes out.

  13. Wendolene

    I love dense, cozy mittens. Yours are adorable, and I can only mention the liners are decadently warm and cozy.
    I made a pair of your Snail Mittens two years ago, so I, too, could have cozy mittens, and my only sorrow is that it’s rarely cold enough where I live now to wear them!

  14. Meg

    Enjoy the Outlander series, Adrian. My love for the books is great, but an even larger treat is the unabridged audiobook version, narrated by Davina Porter. She is the very best audiobook reader I’ve ever encountered. She could read the phone book and I’d be enchanted.

    I’m going to give that peanut butter a try, just as soon as I get home.

  15. SockPixie

    Your new mittens are really beautiful. Like you, I can only seem to think of mittens in the winter! The good thing is that winter lasts a while on the East Coast!

  16. sunflowerfairy

    I love the Outlander series and I tell everyone to read them. If you ever get the chance to see Diana at a signing do so. She’s hysterical. And, yeah, my kids are named Jack and Jamie.

  17. elizabeth

    Ack! I really hope I’m on your waiting list, I asked to be the last time you posted! I finished my last Hello Yarn fiber this week – chain-plied BFL “Norway” – and I’ve developed a twitch knowing that I don’t have any more HY goodies stashed…

  18. Catherine

    Those mittens are FABULOUS and the PB is incredible too. I’ve only ever had it at Hell’s Kitchen (we live just a few miles away) but we’ve bought it for many friends and family members to share the goodness. Too bad my son is allergic to nuts or I would be making it too! :(

  19. jess

    Beautiful mittens! And so glad to hear another person has discovered the Outlander books…every time I read one I feel like I’m back with good friends. Enjoy your cozy wood heat, there is nothing like it!

  20. misa

    Your mittens are fabulous. I love the way you always line your mittens, what is your lining recipe? Do you knit them with the same number of stitches and needle as the outside, or do you go down a little? Jamie knits? Somehow I missed that when I read book 1 and 2.

  21. Dyepotgirl

    Great stove and mittens. I can’t believe you missed the Outlander series until now! Well at least you found it LOL! I’ve told my husband that I’ll always be faithful and he never has to worry about me, unless I someday meet a man who looks and acts like the image of Jamie I have in my head, then all deals are off LOL!!! Good thing for him that my chances of ever meeting a red headed Scot that tall with the required accent is virtually nil. I think that series of books are my absolute all time favorites. Happy reading!

  22. jiccho

    I love your color way! It is just awe-inspiring to me!!

  23. Simone

    Lovely to stumble across your blog. We’re building a boat to live on at the moment and will be putting in a morso, just wondering which cookery book you have. Mittens are beautiful!

  24. tulipgirl

    I’m thrilled that you found the Outlander series. I found them way back in 1994 (when Voyager came out) and have re-read them too many times to count. The unabridged audios with Davina Porter are perfect for knitting.

  25. Gretch

    Oh, yes, Jamie. All men, I’m afraid, pale in comparison. What will we all do? And I just finished listening to the audio of the latest installment (40 hours or so). tulipgirl is right – perfect for knitting, or spinning or washing dishes.

  26. Amy

    Ahh, the Outlander series – have to be my all time favorite books. If I ever met a real-life Jamie, my hubby should be worried :-) Unfortunately, don’t think that’s gonna happen – but he is definitely the perfect man. And your mittens – yum-o!! I agree – I never think of knitting cold weather things until cold weather hits, but then watch out! Thanks for sharing!

  27. ann

    Jamie! I love love LOVED those books and every now and then pass one onto a friend in a specially made brown paper wrapper (as everyone I know is waaaay to hip to read a romance!). They all think I”m crazy and wait about a year to read the thing, but once they hit page 100….sucked in! Wait, maybe Jamie is why I”m with a younger man……

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