For those who don’t know, the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver! I’m excited to see my country and my city on the world stage and to be here during the excitement (chaos) of that time. Commuting anywhere will be a nightmare and I’m not really all that big on crowds (a bit of claustrophobia) but I’m excited anyways. I haven’t managed to get any tickets but my lucky mother did. I wanted her to have something to keep her hands warm as she watches speed skaters race around the track and hockey players putting the puck in the net. Not only are the Olympics coming to town but Canada day is coming too. These mittens are slightly unseasonal but this is Vancouver, it still gets cold at night in July.

The flip side

You may be aware of my slight (complete) mitten obsession. I have knit many pairs and even taught a couple of classes on Fair Isle mittens. I decided I would try my hand at designing a patriotic pair of my own. The front features the Canadian Maple Leaf and the palms have some cute red snowflakes on them. I have combined some of my favorite mitten features including the i-chord cast on and the corrugated cuff. Of course, if you desire a shorter mitten, the cuff is optional.

These mittens were made using 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport in white and one in red. They are super soft and cozy. I used US 4 (3.5mm) needles for the pair pictured here but I used US 3 (3mm) needles for my Mom’s pair (she has much littler hands than I).

To purchase this pattern for $6 please click here. Patterns are emailed in PDF format.