What a mouth full. But it’s true. Have you wondered why all my writing, sparse though it’s been, has been about cooking and gardening? Well, because I haven’t finished crafting anything in FOREVER. Well, about two years. Whoa. To write it out like that makes it feel real. And surreal. Me, not finish anything for two years. No way. Yes. Way.
Life was so crazy. Doing triathlons, getting pregnant, becoming a curator at an art center, two stays in the hospital, art shows, opening a zine distro and then another. It all left me feeling worn out. At the end of each day I was too exhausted. And unlike when I was in college, I didn’t have any of that waiting time that I used to fill with knitting (waiting for class to start, waiting for a professor, waiting for a friend, waiting for class to be over… you get the idea). So I just haven’t been knitting. Any spare time is filled with sleeping. Or trying to keep the laundry clean. Or cooking. Gardening and cooking both felt so essential you know.
Anyway. So this project, these meager fingerless mittens. They are a milestone of disproportionate importance — in relationship to their size or their complexity that is. They are the first craft project I’ve finished since becoming pregnant. They are also the first craft project I’ve finished since quitting my job and getting back into my studio.
A little about these fingerless mittens.
These fingerless mittens have been a work in progress since 2009! I’ve always loved them and I always thought that they were really cute and “couldn’t wait to finish them”, but here we are, 5 years later, I guess I could hold off finishing them, and did.
They are called “Compost Critters”, because the ideas was I’d wear them to go turn the compost in the fall and spring and the colors feel composty. It’s working out that I’m wearing them to go feed the chickens. Close enough. The ribbing is a 1×1 knit and the body of the mitten is a single crochet. They are seamed up one side using a simple whip stitch. The yarn for the knit ribbing is knit picks cottonlin, and the body is an unidentified vintage wool. I think I received it in a small ball in the bag of yarn that came with my floor loom. It’s a little rough, but not too scratchy. And it’s warm. I’ve thought about lining them with fleece to better insulate them, but I’m not sure if I will. If I do, it seems like it would be a great use of some fleece scraps and be a fun little tutorial. Maybe in a few weeks. 
But that’s the way things go in the world of using up a stash. I start one project and then another and never seem to get back around to finishing those earlier ones. Well, I finally am. I’m rebooting Craft Leftovers to its origins and I’m going to attempt to finish a project made with stash supplies every week. We’ll see how it goes. With Lucy as my studio assistant, everything is a little more of an adventure, even just taking the pictures for today. Wish us luck!
Until Next Time…
Kristin (& Lucy)
Wanting to try this project for yourself or want more crafting ideas?
Purchase the Compost Critter Pattern in the January Issue Zine
packed with inspirations, recipes, ideas, and projects for keeping the indoors enjoyable and the outdoors too! It’s 28 pages of crafty delights, projects, and inspirations!
One isn’t enough? I agree! Take a look at the Box Set of Volume 1 which feature issues 15 – 26 (December 08 – November 09) all together and come in great little box!
I’m glad to see you back to knitting and crocheting again, but believe me, I know how it is – especially with everything else and a baby, too! I know there are some things that got put by the wayside when my kids were born and weren’t worked on again until they left home (like the needlepoint of a cat that was supposed to be the front of a baby pillow for my firstborn)! These mitts look so comfy!