I’m feeling just a little bit smug right now. You see, I’ve finished not just one, but two big projects this weekend!

First, here are my Chevalier mittens:

The second one went so much faster than the first. I’m sure that happened because I no longer had any need to agonize over fit or pattern quirks. I love the mittens and have worn them out several times. They keep my hands toasty warm.

The second project I wanted to share with you is my polar bear quilt. It’s a pattern my mother had used several years ago to make a gift for a friend. I admired it at the time, but my son’s developing appreciation for polar bears inspired me to make my own version of the wall hanging.

You might be wondering why Sam is interested in polar bears. He learned about the fascinating creatures from an Earth Day presentation describing their struggle to survive on the melting ice caps. This really upset him, and since then, he’s drawn many pictures, created “Save the Polar Bear” signs and written a report for school on the subject.

You can read more about this issue on the NRDC website.

National Geographic has some fascinating footage of polar bears in the wild.

Just when I thought I was going to spend all month swatching for mittens instead of knitting them, I happened upon this yarn and pattern combo:

Louet Riverstone Chunky in Eggplant and Chevalier Mittens.

One down; one to go…

At the risk of sounding like a quitter, I’m going to admit defeat–at least temporarily–with the Selbuvotter mitten. It’s a beeeyooooteeefool pattern. It’s quite fun to knit. Unfortunately, it seems too tight to me, even though it’s still measuring exactly as it should.

I think I’ve figured out what my problem with mittens has been thus far. When I was a kid, I wore mittens that were great big floppy things. I expect a mitten to resemble a hand blanket. Big, loose and comfy. The mittens I’ve been trying to knit really FIT a person’s hand, perhaps a little bit looser than a glove, but not much.

So, here’s the deal. I’m not giving up on the mittens I’ve started, but I am putting them on the backburner. I’ll work on them later, when I have no need to meet a deadline–when I can have plenty of time to enjoy the process. For NaKnitMo, I’m going to make something that’s easy and with a bit more room to fudge the size. I don’t know what it will be, yet, but I’m sure there’s something out there that will fit the bill!

I haven’t just been flailiing around in Mittenland. I’ve also ventured out and done some sewing. I made this sweet little blouse and pants outfit for Claire.

The blouse was a fussy project–but it’s so, so cute! The pattern is McCall’s 5693, which also includes a modification for making the top into a dress. That would be darling! If I could get Claire to actually wear the shirt, I’d be totally pleased. She’s into t-shirts right now, though, and there’s no way to get her to wear anything else.

The pants are simple elastic-waist pants, that don’t deserve a whole lot of comment other than they forced me to recognize that nap really does matter. I tried to be thrifty and use less fabric than was suggested by laying out the back template in the opposite direction from the front template when preparing to cut the fabric. Consequently, the backside of the pants looks a tiny bit darker than the front.

Unlike me, Robert isn’t wasting his time on projects that are almost right but not quite. He’s putting in some very productive time with our son, teaching him to play chess. Sam is becoming quite competent at the game.

I’m constantly surprised by what my children can do!