Jess and Jaime's Animal Pal Mitts!

Jaime Jennings

Pattern: Meow Mitts by Tiny Owl Knits

Yarn: Jamieson and Smith Shetland fingering 

Alterations: I knit the mitts in the round and did the kitty faces in duplicate stitch instead of intarsia

Stephanie Dosen of Tiny Owl Knits is one of my favorite designers. She designs magical patterns often inspired by animals and forests and this is the third pattern of hers I've knit. (Check out my Bear Sweater and Fox Stole for more animal magic). I've wanted to make these Meow Mitts since I first saw them years ago and I finally did it! The original Meow Mitts pattern is for an adorable pale gray kitty, but being a cat mom to two kitties, this was the perfect project to imitate their likeness. Amber used her photoshop skills to re-work the charts in my cats' colors. I wanted an easy knit so I decided to work the mitts in the round and then duplicate stitch the kitty faces. Duplicate stitch is so much harder than it seems. I would recommend it for a very small amount of colorwork, but for these guys, I would use intarsia next time. It ended up taking me a couple of months to get these tiny mitts done. I used the beautiful Jamieson and Smith Shetland fingering yarn. One 25 gram ball is the perfect amount for the mitts themselves with little leftover. The yarn is hardy and these mitts are going to hold up great which makes me happy after all that work went into them!

Lucy left and Looper right provide inspiration for Jaime's Meow Mitts

Jess Eaton

Pattern: Baby Lamb Cuffs by Tiny Owl Knits

Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Jamieson and Smith Shetland fingering for duplicate stitching

Alterations: I made my mitts a little bigger for maximum cuteness! I also opted to not add a face to my baby lambs, I wanted something more simple and I love them!

This is a pattern that I have had in my stash for a looooooong time. When Tiny Owl Knits released the Woodsy Association my mind was blown! I Immediately fell in love with the wolf! I knew it was a project I needed to do.  I started making my mitts and finished within the next 24 hours! Such a quick knit! I didn't know what was up ahead. Duplicate stitch, that's what. This was my first time doing duplicate stitch, I figured because I am knowledgeable in and LOVE embroidery that this would be a breeze... boy, was I wrong. I fought with this piece a few times making an entire wolf only to start over TWICE and then I ended up making the sheep. Haha. This decision was mainly because the neutral wolf colors did not stick out enough to be able to see how much work went into the wolf face. The other reason is because I think they were meant to be sheep mitts! I learned so much with my determination to finish this project I actually found duplicate stitch kind of therapeutic by the end of it. I am so happy with the finished product! I LOVE SHEEP!!