Handmade Mitten Swap 2008 US & Canada

Fall is just around the corner and what does that make you think of? Cold hands! What warms our hands? Mittens!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

Make a pair of mittens for your pal! How fun is that?

Last day to sign up is September 30th and packages must be mailed no later than November 15th.

Rules:

1) You must have a rating of 4.85 or higher to participate, a completely filled out profile and at least 5 swaps completed with NO no-sends. If you think you have a good argument about a no send, pm me and we’ll discuss it. I will remove people prior to assignments without the requirements as stated above. IMPORTANT: You should also be experienced at knitting or crocheting mittens.

2) You will knit or crochet a pair of mittens for your pal based on their size and color preferences. Whether you knit or crochet is your choice but they must be handmade by you. No purchasing mittens from the store.

3) Please do not use the cheesy scratchy acrylic yarns, they are so uncomfortable to wear and not warm. There are so many other fiber options these days that I think we can really do a nice job with other great fibers without having to spend a lot of money.

4) You will include an additional surprise (example: candy, magnet, cool craft tool, holiday ornament - check out your pal's profile for ideas, too). Have fun with this!

A few Q&A:

Q: How will I know what colors, fiber preferences or size to make the mittens for my pal?

A: There are questions at the bottom of this section for you to answer. Once you sign up, please send your answers to the email listed, I will post the information at the blog I've set up at [email protected]. I will also send you an invite from blogger to that will give you the ability to post there once I get your information.

Q: What happens if I can't send my package by November 15th?

A: Please do not sign up unless you can commit to this deadline. It will be difficult to angel this one so make sure you can follow through.

Q: How much should I spend on my pal?

A: I suggest a minimum spend of $15 (for mittens and the extra surprise) – this amount does NOT include postage.

Q: What pattern should I use?

A: There are a ton of free patterns online such as Knitting Pattern Central and Crochet Pattern Central which both have great options (including one I wrote up - Felted Wool & Mohair Mittens with Inside Cuff) and there are oodles of others as well. Of course, your LYS will have a lot options also.

SEND ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO: [email protected].

1) What fibers do you prefer for mittens? Note what you like and what you don’t, all’s fair here.

2) What are your top 3 favorite mitten colors?

3) What size mittens do you wear, small, medium, or large?

If you don't know the actual size you can take measurements.

Provide all of the following:

a. Measure around your palm (don't include your thumb - my sister did that once and it took me a few minutes to figure out why her hand measurements were so much bigger than mine!).

b. Measure from your wrist (bottom of hand) to the tip of your middle finger.

c. Measure your thumb from the webbing between your thumb and forefinger to the tip of the thumb.

Have a great time, everyone!