Somehow or other, I’ve ended up with a small back log of Things to Show Off! And, oh, is today’s rather lovely (if I do say so myself)?!

It's my finished Burnished Mittens! I’ll admit, when I first finished these, it was SO HOT that I couldn’t bear to write the word mitten, let alone try them on. That being said though, they were actually a really nice project to work on, even as the temperatures climbed: smaller than a sock and knitted in 4ply that had been beautifully dyed by Old Maiden Aunt. I made these in the Alternative colourway from the Confident Knitting Summer Kit. Lon-Dubh (which means “blackbird” in Gaelic) is the main colour, a lovely deep blue, and the contrast colour is Dreich, the Scots word for a grey and dreary day. It was nice luxuriating in cool blues and greys, imagining deep waters and refreshing rains while I sweated out the heat wave!

Summer Kits are still available, and they include a 100g skein of the main colour and a 20g mini skein for the contrast (as well as yarn for this month’s Lustrous Shawl by Noma Ndlovu and June’s project, the Patina Scarf by Jeanette Sloan). But we’ve also got full 100g skeins of Lon-Dubh and Dreich in the online shop, as well as 15 other stunning shades from Old Maiden Aunt’s dye pots (including some new colours!) I love the amazing depth of the colourways Lilith creates but also just how well they all play together. We’ve been having fun pairing up colours in the office …

Here’s Lon-Dubh, but with the grellow goodness of Ghillie Dhu swapped in for Dreich:

And look how Dreich shines alongside the bright shock of Ultraviolet!

I love the subtle of elegance of One Breath at a Time paired with White Hare:

And the unexpected beauty of Mudder’s Milk with Jaded:

I could go on (and on, and on!) I love the possibilities of complex colours like Lilith’s … you notice new nuances when you see two skeins together! Two 100g skeins would easily make two pairs of Burnished Mittens if you reverse your main and contrast colours for the second pair — so you could make one pair for yourself and one pair for a friend (I love projects that I can add to my gifting pile!). But of course, there’s no reason to restrict yourself to just mittens with this 100% merino superwash yarn! Two colours would make a fabulous Misura Hat by Woolly Wormhead or a really stunning two colour shawl; Joji Locatelli’s Girl From the Grocery Store and Noma Ndlovu’s Black Berry Shawl [that’s a Ravelry link] both spring to mind! In my dream knitting queue, I’d place a two-colour yoke sweater … maybe Night Thoughts (Ravelry link) by Veera Välimäki? Or perhaps I’d choose just one favourite colour and finally knit the Bottom Line Sweater I’ve been ogling from MDK Field Guide No. 10: Downtown. I just need another pair of hands or two, or about three extra days in the week, dedicated just to knitting!

And, a reminder to EU customers: we are now VAT-registered and thus pay VAT on all orders under €150! We are so excited to be working with Lilith of Old Maiden Aunt to give EU customers a route to enjoying her yarn without the worry of unexpected customs bills!