Stained Glass Bubble Mittens

Meet the latest member of the Stained Glass Bubble family:


These colorful mittens, each wearable on either hand, are knit in the round cuff-to-tip and feature a doubled cuff for extra warmth and stretch. Like the other SGB patterns, the easy bubble stitch combines the look of two-color knitting with the ease and speed of only knitting one color per round.

The pattern is written for a range of sizes from child to adult.


Notes for knitting a fingerless version are included.




This pattern is best suited for intermediate or ambitious advanced beginner knitters.


The pattern is seven pages. The stitch pattern is written out (there are no charts) and the pattern includes links to on-line video and photo tutorials for certain techniques.


Yarns pictured are Noro Kureyon Sock and Louet Gems Super Fine fingering weight, 1 skein of each, both 14 wpi. Another variegated yarn could be used in place of the Kureyon, although it may not give the same finished look. Or pick your two favorite colors and go solid!


Gauge: 30 stitches and 52 rows = 4 inches in bubble stitch

Suggested needles: US 1/1.5 (2.5mm)

Sizes: Child S[Child M, Child L/Adult S, Adult M, Adult L]


At the above gauge,
~Length: 5.5 [6, 7, 7.5, 8] inches excluding cuff (or to desired length).
~Width: 3 [3.25, 3.5, 3.75, 4] inches (unstretched; measured above thumb & below fingers; multiplyby two for circumference).
~Cuff & hand length are adjustable.

The pattern sells for $6 US. If you are in Portland, Oregon you can pick up a paper version at Twisted on NE Broadway. Or, from the comfort of your own home, you can purchase the PDF either through Ravelry (search for "Stained Glass Bubble" or see my profile under sunnydayknitter) or here:



(Note: clicking the button above will take you to Ravelry's Paypal site. Ravelry will delivery the PDF to your email address. If you have any problems, please let me know! And I'd love to see photos of any Stained Glass Bubble Mittens, in progress or finished--please share!)


Huge thanks to my test knitters from the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry and to Stephannie Tallent (StephCat on RavelryTM) for tech editing the pattern. Many thanks to Vivian Aubrey for her gorgeous photographs, all pictured here.

Finishing a Doubled Cuff

These instructions are to supplement the Stained Glass Bubble Mitten pattern, although the method can be used in any case where you are finishing a doubled cuff (whether for a mitten, sock, sleeve, etc.).

Begin with cuff worked to twice final length, with provisional CO sts at the bottom (in these photos, the waste yarn is dark brown and the provisional CO sts are light brown).


Fold cuff CO edge up into inside of the cuff and align the CO sts with those on the working ndl such that the ribbing is straight, not skewed. (Because you are looking at both ends of one ribbing, the CO edge as well as the sts currently on the working ndl, as well as both sides of one ribbing because it is folded in half, remember that a knit st at one end will have a corresponding purl st at the other end.)


Place a small number (10-25%) of CO sts (light brown) onto a provisional ndl and hold the provisional ndl behind and parallel to the working ndl, with both ndl tips pointing in the same direction.


You are now going to do what is akin to a three-needle bind-off, without binding off any sts: Working together one st from the front working ndl with its corresponding CO st on the back provisional ndl, *k2tog, k2tog, p2tog, p2tog* to the end of the round.

k2tog:


p2tog:



I prefer to leave the waste yarn in until I have finished joining the cuff edges. Removing it after the process is complete allows for the provisional CO sts to remain hooked to something; should something go awry in joining the two edges, the join can be easily undone with the provisional CO sts remaining safely on the waste yarn.

Here is a photo of the back side of the join, with joined sts on the left and sts to be worked on the right:

Cool Press

After a rather too-busy week (and it's only Thursday), I was perked up this morning by an email from Sharon Watterson, who writes on all things knitting for the Providence, RI examiner.com. Here's her article on my Baby Brioche pattern. Cool beans--thanks, Sharon! Hope you are staying warm and snug in the midst of all that snow (send some back this way!).

Another Woolly Christmas

My sister needed a new stocking for Christmas so I whipped up on large needles a long-favorited pattern of mine, the old Heart Crook which can be found in Anna Zilboorg's books Fancy Feet & Simply Socks: 45 Traditional Turkish Patterns to Knit. Given my sis's love of the Spanish language and Latin & South America, I tried to use bright colors although I kept to red & green for the braided cast-on and toe. The heel came out a bit big, but I figure all the better for holding extra loot!


I received several woolly gifts, two being a coin bank which is a hoot:


and a sticker for my laptop cover:


which can be found here. There are some really cool stickers out there, my favorites including the ones that incorporate the Apple logo such as this one.

And just for fun: hedgehog mittens (check out the sushi scarf while there), reflective woolen garments, and my favorite biscotti recipe.

Swedish Dubbelmossa

For a long while I've wanted to knit one of Meg Swansen's Swedish Dubbelmossas (which can be found in her book Handknitting with Meg Swansen; her DVD on the pattern is also worth watching and knitting along to), so I made one for a Christmas gift this year. I used two total skeins of Icelandic Unpsun in the colors sumac and silver. I love working with unpsun--it is incredibly soft and I had it tear on me only twice throughout the entire project, both times because I wasn't paying attention and had the skein in a spot where it couldn't move (and with spit splicing, tears are easily fixed!).

Here is the hat at its full length:


And then with the bottom "toe" pushed in to the top:


The hat can be worn like that, doubled, or with a quadrupled-brim:




I used different motifs, mostly taken from Sheila McGregor's Traditional Scandinavian Knitting: anchors, waves, trees, and snowflakes, as the recipient is a sailor and skier. The hat is super warm, and I definitely foresee making more in the future (hopefully one for me, too!).

Holiday Sale

For the holidays, today through December 26, I am offering 10% off all new pattern sales through Ravelry. No coupon needed; the discount will apply when you check out through Rav.


Knitting time, more info.

Snowy Walk

Some snowy photos from a walk in the woods with friends yesterday.

Mt. Adams

Overlooking the river valley

A break on the long walk back

Happy Thanksgiving!