Perfect Storm

It's rare that a knitting pattern can stop my in my cyber-tracks and drop my jaw.  Maybe I'm just jaded, maybe I'm anesthetized by the wealth of beauty that is available on Ravelry.  (I clearly need to work on this, but that is a story for another day).  But the stunning force that is Kimberly Voisin's Perfect Storm Mittens absolutely blew me away.  I had to have them now.

Of course "now" in knitting terms can mean "six months from now" or "when I finally finish that sweater I'm working on."  It's all relative.  At least I couldn't resist casting them on almost immediately after the pattern was released.  Christmas projects and a few demanding sample work projects forced me to put these aside for a few months, but now they're back...and finished!!!

I've been too afraid to wear them and sully the swirling waves with the nasty dirt and sand all over my car...I've just been carrying them everywhere so that I can proudly proclaim to my friends, "look what I did!!"

That sense of accomplishment is compounded by the fact that this pattern was not easy.  Of course, it doesn't include any outrageously difficult techniques, unless you count stranding with three colors at the top of the right mitten.  It's just that chart...and all the irregular swirls.  It took a considerable amount of focus just to keep pace with the unpredictable chart.  Definitely not TV knitting, but worth every minute.

I mean, look at the back of the thumbs!  She thought to continue the wave pattern through the back of the thumbs.  Now that takes dedication.  I am so in love with these mittens and in awe of the creativity and work that must have gone into creating the pattern.  Bravo, indeed.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I didn't go out and buy any extravagant yarns for this masterpiece of a pattern, just some Knit Picks Palette that I happened to have lying around in the right colors - Whirlpool, Oyster Heather, and Pimento.  While it probably gave me a tighter gauge (I had to block the hell out of these puppies) and it's not the softest fiber, the vibrant colors really bring out the colors of the crashing waves.

On another note, you may be interested to hear that once I finish my current sample project, I plan to take a little time to work on my own pattern designs again.  I'm cooking up some good ones this time, I think...

Here's wishing you a warm and snow-free start to spring!

-Allie