the first mitt

That's the first mitt. The colourwork's very nice - nicer than the photo shows. And it fits perfectly. The thumb is comfortably snug. The cuff, long enough to tuck into a coat sleeve. And the main part of the hand is just roomy enough for wiggling fingers, making a fist or grabbing things.

The pattern is rated by Knitty.com as "tangy", something along the lines of "advanced beginner". I suppose that's fair - an allover stranded design raises it above the "easy beginner" level. But it's really not hard. Although, I was disconcerted to read this:

While working decreases to shape top of mitten, it will not be possible to maintain color pattern exactly. Try to maintain the vertical bands of color as much as possible.

I'm so much more comfortable when I'm told exactly what to do. Not sure I'll make the best choices when things are left to my judgement. And even less confident that I'll be able to faithfully reproduce those choices on the second mitt. I know, I know, I should keep notes as I go. But that's not how I knit - too much like work. We'll see. Maybe the second mitt will go smoothly, and my worries will be unfounded. The first mitt certainly turned out well.