I listen to a lot of podcasts. When we’re out for a walk and my daughter is passed out in her stroller, I’m alone in the car driving to teach a knitting class, cooking, or when I’m knitting, chances are I have a podcast playing. I even have a few that I listen to with my son and it’s a fun way to get lost in a story together if we’re on the road. There are many I enjoy listening to, but one of my favorites is called The White Vault.
The White Vault takes place in Outpost Fristed, a place that exists in real life in Svalbard. While it brands itself as a horror podcast, it’s of a psychological nature rather than gore and blood. I don’t do gore or blood, but I do enjoy an addictive story that comes together like a puzzle and makes you nervous by using your own mind against you. I got my neighbor and a few of my friends hooked and the second season begins in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to start listening!
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago north of Europe halfway between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean. Remote and dangerously cold, I’d imagine there’d be a lot of knitting going on while this fictional exploration took place if I was part of the team. That got me thinking - if I was traveling to a remote corner of the Earth and could bring very little yarn with me, what would I pack and what would I knit? Sock yarn is the perfect answer with it’s generous yardage in each skein. It’d be easy to get a few projects out of a couple balls of yarn and the needles would be small. If I was stuck indoors in an icy wonderland, I’d be knitting fingerless mitts for everyone while figuring out how to get home in one piece.
I’m thrilled to introduce my new pattern, the Outpost Mitts. This color combination is one of my favorites, and it’d be easy to get multiple pairs of mitts out of 2 hanks. Combining The Lemonade Shop Simple Sock yarn with Hedgehog Fibers Sock (both merino/nylon blends) and knitting up on US 1.5 needles, this was a highly addictive knit.
Knit in the round from the bottom up (the pattern is designed to be knit on 2 circular needles, but magic loop or DPNs can absolutely be substituted), the easy Fair Isle patterns show off the speckled yarn. Dimension and texture is added with Latvian Braid and garter stripe detailing on each mitt, and the afterthought thumbs make it easy to adjust the length if you have longer fingers.
These mitts are so cheery and bright! With the first few official days of fall under our belts, I am excited to get to wear these soon once the temperature drops. Fingerless mitts are perfect for fall and winter, especially when driving or walking up to school. No matter how many pairs I have, it’s never enough!
Download the Outpost Mitts here.