I am so excited that autumn is here! I love the chill in the air and the rich colors of the leaves as they turn from green to red and gold. The fall makes me want to can fruit, bake bread, knit and sew. But alas, I'm not a canner or a very good bread baker... I am however a sewer and knitter!

Actually, maybe calling myself a "knitter" is a bit of a stretch. I certainly can knit. I worked at Purl for many years and helped customers through cables, socks and blankets, but I'm not good at finishing things. For instance, despite starting many times I have never finished an adult sweater.

So these days when I get the autumn knitting bug I try to be more realistic. I know I need something quick and satisfying and that's how I came up with the idea for these plush simple mittens. Because of my limited patience and skill these are my ideal kind of knitting project, no shaping, no counting, no finishing! (I think they'd also make a great project for any knitters out there who dabble in sewing as there are no buttonholes or zippers or fancy stitches.)

The mitt part of the mittens is sewn out of Mary Flanagan Felted Wool, one of my all time favorite items we carry. It is warm and soft and comes in the most beautiful array of hand-dyed colors, from the vibrant "Holiday Red" pictured above to lovely naturals, greens and blues. To compliment the soft feel of the wool I used Blue Sky Solid Sport Weight Alpaca to knit the cuff. Since I haven't been knitting very much I had forgotten what a joy this yarn is, it comes in such amazing colors and the fabric it makes is unbelievably luxurious. For only 9 dollars a skein it's a really great deal.

If you're sewer and a knitter (or a knitter and a sewer) and would like to make a pair  of these quick, simple mittens please visit my Felt Mittens with Knitted Cuffs Project Journal.  - Molly