Knitting: Blue Baby Mittens on a String

The landscape has sure changed around here--we're below freezing and covered in snow. Clear blue skies however, so it is gorgeous. The perfect environment for little blue mittens. I found the pattern for these (after seeing them on a linky party, and now I can't find the blog...) on the Spud and Chloe blog and just had to knit them up for my friend Amy's baby, Frankie. He is the cutest thing ever and I hadn't come up with a welcome gift yet and thought these would be perfectly cute, if not perfectly practical! I always lean towards the former and why not?

I do think there is something a bit practical about mittens on a string for babies, however (I added the string, a crocheted chain, after seeing a pair with the same on that linky party; the pattern doesn't include it). I love keeping their little hands covered and the string makes it impossible to lose a mitten. Typically you would thread the string through the arms of a jacket, where they would hang at the ready when not in use, but you could leave it out too. I would use these indoors or outdoors, and they would be so darling in a photo of a bundled-up baby! Maybe with a baby-sized scarflette!

When Amy put these on Frankie (don't worry--I know they have a bit of "frosting" in these photos but trust that they were cleaned and dried before gifting!) he seemed to love just looking at them on his cute little hands. They are a near match for his eye color--such great baby blues. So they also double as a baby toy. And, if all else fails, they would look great draped on the limbs of a Christmas tree.

I made these in 100% cotton, because it seems ideal to use a natural fiber for babies, and it will make them both stretchy and easy to care for. This is Bernat Cottontots in Blue Berry.

Did I mention these "mittens" are actually thumb-less? Thank goodness. It's hard enough getting mittens on a toddler let alone delicate little baby fingers.

I think Tess needs a pair.