Vintage (?) Knitting Pattern

Years ago when I was a little girl (make that many years ago), my mother had a knitting pattern for mittens. It was really just a generic pattern that worked with worsted weight yarn on four needles. It was included in a booklet with lots of other glove and mitten patterns. She made many mittens for us over the years. I can remember being called in to try on the half-knitted mittens so she get the the thumb or the hand or the cuff the right length. I had to thread my hand through the triangle formed by the needles to try it on without pulling any of the stitches off the needles.

We always had to have more than one pair of mittens each year because they got soggy when we played in the snow. Then you had to go in and get a dry pair or your hands would get too cold to play outside any more. She would dry them by hanging them on the back of the stove. You could tell how long we had played outside by how many pairs of mittens were hanging there.

Cut to twenty-five years ago. I was picking through a bin of old knitting patterns in a discount store and I found the same pattern! Naturally I bought it. I used it to knit mittens for my children--and I did the same thing as my mom. I would call the kids to try on the half-knitted mittens to get the thumb, or the cuff, or the hand just the right length. We don't get as much snow around here as we did in Cleveland when I was little, but my kids always had warm, dry mittens to wear outside.

Somehow, I lost this pattern. After searching through all my assorted craft patterns, I had given up on ever finding it again. I had started searching the internet for a good, generic mitten pattern when I thought to check out Ebay. Lo and behold, there was my good old knitting pattern! I got my husband (who actually uses Ebay and has an account) to order the pattern for me.

The thing I love about this pattern is that since it is so simple, you can add any kind of fancy thing you want: stripes, patterns, little pattern stitches, etc. I just find it amazing that this pattern is still around. I'm not so sure that I appreciate it being called "vintage." But, I am looking forward to getting it in the mail and trying some more mittens. You never know--it might snow.