Mittens fulfill my Make Nine “yarn” prompt this year

This year’s Make Nine “yarn” prompt has turned into something much bigger than I expected. What began as an idea to use up leftover yarn has become an ongoing mitten-knitting project slated for a winter charity donation. My initial goal was to knit 12 pair—one pair a month. As of this blog post, however, I’ve completed 16 pairs! To say this has been addictive is an understatement. 

A variety of knitted mittens using stash yarns.

Pattern construction approaches for knitting mittens

One of the unexpected parts of this project has been discovering the variety of construction approaches to knitting mittens: 

• knit flat, 
• knit in-the-round, 
• knit just the thumb flat, 
• the afterthought thumb, 
• thumb gussets, 
• elf thumbs, 
• no-gap thumbs, 
• various ribbing patterns for the cuff, 
• stripes in the round, and 
• infinite formulas for decreasing at the top.

These are a few of the outcomes.

“Basic Four-needle Mittens,” knit in the round.

“Knit Flat Kid Mittens” pattern.

“Margot Mittens” with an after-thought thumb.

“Elf Fit Mittens” pattern.

The “StopGap Mittens” pattern with added color changes.

I’ve explored many mitten patterns found on Ravelry and even though the finished mittens look similar, the pattern instructions have been varied and quite interesting to follow. Each pattern is indeed like a map for a treasure hunt. 

By working the various construction techniques, I’ve gotten more proficient at: 

• joining in the round 
• knitting in the round with two circular needles (vs knitting with a set of double points) 
• picking up stitches (for thumbs and thumb gussets) 
• left and right leaning decreases
• learning tips for changing yarn colors. 

Every pair has exposed me to something new! 

Working with leftovers from the stash 

The mittens are mostly children’s and young adult sizes which make them suitable to working with leftovers and small yardage amounts. 

“Margot Mittens” (left) with colorwork, “Toddler Baby Mittens” (right).

Using a mix of stash yarns, orphan balls from the sale bin, and leftovers from a yarn swap also makes every pair unique and different. Some mittens are bright and playful, while others are simple and practical. The latest pair I just finished used a self-patterning yarn that created its own design as I knitted—making the process especially fun to watch unfold. 

Design, color placement, and “yarn chicken”

Determining pleasing color placement—based on available quantities of leftover yarns—has been challenging. Working from leftovers means I’ve also played plenty of “yarn chicken.” More than once I’ve watched a yarn skein dwindle and wonder if I’ll have enough to make it to the second mitten’s bind-off. 

The “No Gap” mitten pattern with colorwork.

A few pairs have come down to unrolling the remaining yarn to find the half-way mark and then rewinding into two separate yarn butterflies. So far, I’ve managed to avoid running out completely, but there have definitely been moments of “running on fumes…” hoping I didn’t run short. 

Running down to the last few yards of a self-patterning yarn.
“Basic Four-Needle Mittens”

It’s satisfying turning bits of yarn from the bottom of a basket into something useful. Small skeins that are too little for a whole project become colorful cuffs, stripes, or contrasting thumbs. 

“Mittens for All” (left) and “Crayon Striped Mittens” (right).

Mittens offer wonderful and imaginative opportunities that are adaptable to small amounts of yarn! I’ve even taken pairs of fingerless mitts, unraveled the bind-off edge and added closed mitten tops and thumbs.

Unraveling the bind-off edge of fingerless mitts to convert them into full mittens.

Converting fingerless mitts into full mittens.

A Make Nine 2026 “yarn” prompt

My Make Nine “Yarn” prompt has become part stash-busting, part technique practice, part design, and part opportunity to contribute to the community. 

Make Nine 2026 tracker, May 22, 2026.

One versus many

Charity knitting also changes the rhythm of making. Instead of focusing on a single large project, I can quickly finish a pair of mittens and then imagine someone wearing them on a cold morning. That sense of purpose keeps me reaching for my needles more frequently. 

Make Nine 2026 “yarn” prompt.

I still have more yarn to use and more mitten variations to try, so this project is far from finished. For now, though, sixteen pair feels like a great accomplishment for the mid-point of the year… and I’m counting this project as fulfilling my Make Nine “yarn” prompt.

 

From the scrap basket to the beds at the animal center

When my husband forwarded me an e-newsletter from McKamey Animal Center with an urgent request for blankets, towels, and pillowcases, I knew my fabric scrap collection could become something useful.

Scrappy quilts for the animals: 23.5” x 35” (left), and 25.25” x 35” (right).

After reading the email, I contacted the Center and the associate said they were looking for items that could be used for bedding for crates and cages for the animals they house—both dogs and cats. She told me that their crates are all different sizes and dimensions, so any and all sizes of bedding is needed. 

Smaller scrap quilts: 25” x 28.25” (left) and 24.5” x 26.5” (right).

Gathering leftover patchwork pieces and myriad colorful fabric bits, I turned the fabrics into four scrappy lap-size quilts to donate to McKamey. 

Four new quilts for the cats and dogs at the animal center.

From tote bag to an animal bed quilt

One quilt was made from patchwork that originally was going to be a tote bag. I think this new use—bedding for a dog or cat crate—will be much more beneficial!

Patchwork for a tote bag.

The tote bag was cut into two pieces and other fabrics were added to convert it into a larger quilt top.

Patchwork for a tote bag cut in half and reassembled into a quilt top.

Quilted and finished by machine

The quilts were free-motion quilted and finished with scrappy machine-sewn bindings, making them sturdy, washable, and ready for lots of use. 

Scrappy quilt bindings attached by machine.

Quilt Stats

Quilting 

• 3.5 total hours of free-motion quilting
• 50 wt solid and variegated cotton threads (top threads) for quilting 

Binding 

• 4.5 hours making and attaching bindings for the four quilts
• various 40 wt and 50 wt threads for the zigzag stitching on the bindings

Interesting… it takes me longer to bind the quilts than to quilt them.

Continuous line Stream of Consciousness quilting

After doing FMQ [free-motion quilting] exercises with students in my recent Intro to Free-motion Quilting class, I’ve used a spontaneous, continuous line, reactive quilting design concept to quilt one of the quilts, which made quilting surprisingly quick! 30 minutes vs. 60 minutes.

With the busy fabric prints on these quilts, the design is difficult to distinguish…

Continuous line free-motion quilting.

Continuous line free-motion quilting.

… so below is a warm-up sandwich of the concept: a continuous line, filling the space, reacting to the previous stitching. Maybe it should be called, “Stream of Consciousness quilting.” The kitty and doggie quilts are perfect for practicing this kind of quilting pattern.

Practice sandwich of “stream of consciousness quilting.”

I love the thought that these bright, cozy quilts will bring a little comfort and warmth (and color!) to animals at the McKamey Animal Center while they wait for their forever homes. Sometimes the best projects come from using what we already have—turning scraps into something practical, cheerful, and snuggly.

Free-motion quilting and May Day at the Folk School

I’ve just returned from an invigorating weekend teaching Intro to Free-Motion Quilting at John C. Campbell Folk School, and I’m still riding the wave of creativity and camaraderie that filled those three days. 

Students gather for a quilt turning show and tell in Intro to Free-motion Quilting class
at John C. Campbell Folk School early May.

I had an eager group—eight students plus my wonderful studio assistant—which made for an intimate, focused, and interactive learning environment. 

At the Folk School, we meet students where they are. Prior quilting experiences in this group ranged from walking foot quilting, straight line quilting, some free-motion experimentation, and a self-taught student who had been learning from books and online quilting resources. Everyone in the group, however, brought curiosity, openness, and a willingness to experiment—exactly what free-motion quilting calls for!

Free-motion quilting students in the spacious quilting studio, Louise Pitman Fiber Arts building.
A basted quilt from the demonstration is in the foreground. 

We dove right in on Friday evening with a presentation about quilting goals, terminology, basting tools, and then a demonstration on quilt basting. By the end of the evening, students had several quilt sandwiches ready to go for the next day’s hands-on practice.

Drawing in the sketchbooks

Alongside the free-motion machine work, we spent time with our sketchbooks doing drawing exercises—what I like to call “brain aerobics.” These exercises help train the brain, eyes, and hands to work together more fluidly. 

Pat intently concentrates on drawing in the sketchbook.

Christine (left) and Shannon with their contour drawings.

Pam practicing free-motions quilting motifs in the sketchbook.

Nancy (left) and Pam showing their contour drawings.

Roz is drawing inspiration from fabric collections.

Kathe finds inspiration for quilting motifs from a fabric collection.

It was exciting to see students loosen up, have fun, and discover their free-motion potential. The transition from the morning’s work to the quilting motifs they generated at the end of the day showed confidence and their command of new patterns and quilting possibilities.

Helen is wearing quilting gloves to help with moving the quilt sandwich.

Kathe practices the sketchbook drawings with the sewing machine.

Covering quilt-making concepts and topics

Throughout the weekend, we covered a wide range of foundational topics: battings, thread weights and thread fiber contents, needle selection, several classic quilting motifs, and even the often-overlooked but the important and meaningful detail of including quilt labels.

A published author among us

My studio assistant, Kim Deneault, is also a published author! She shared the story of her quilting book, Raggedy Reverse Appliqué, with the free-motion students and showed several project samples. 

Kim (left) talking to Pat about quilting projects.

Oh, you can definitely combine this reverse appliqué technique with free-motion quilting. Check out Kim’s book.

Raggedy Reverse Appliqué book by Kim Deneault with projects.

Show and Tell: a quilt turning

During my free-motion workshops, I share examples of my work which always sparks great discussion about design approaches, thread choices, and quilting techniques. 

Show and Tell of my quilts.

“Alone Together” improv quilt from a 2020 Guild Challenge.

One of the quilts, Paris Rendezvous, was a panel quilt that incorporated a soft circuit. LED lights turned on and blinked when a battery was inserted and the circuit was connected.

Talking about e-textiles and soft circuits in Paris Rendezvous, a machine quilted panel quilt.

As an instructor, it’s always a pleasure to open that window into my process and see how it resonates with the students.

Group discussion about thread choices, micro-fills, and decorative machine stitches.

A full May Day Saturday agenda

In early May in the foothills of the Appalachia mountains, the Folk School attendees were greeted with cool mornings, mid-morning sunshine, and those unforgettable Carolina blue skies. As if the classroom experience of learning free-motion quilting wasn’t a full enough schedule, the Folk School offered another layer of magic—the May Day celebration and an English Country Dance weekend. 

The May Day parade started in the Festival Barn, just outside the quilting studio.

The participants of the May Day parade assembled in the Festival Barn which is next to the quilting studio. We had a front row seat from our studio windows: large puppets, dancers, banners, and music.

The beginning of the May Day parade at the Festival Barn.

The weekend was jam-packed with a May Day parade, a May pole dance, and demonstrations by the dancing troupes. Lively, dancing and musical activities were held on Saturday in which students, instructors, and folk school staff were able to take part. It was a beautiful reminder of seasonal traditions and community spirit.

Evening dance performances at the Spring Dance weekend.

Morris dancers in the Community Room, Keith House.

Wrap up and group discussion

One of my favorite parts of the workshop is the rich dialogue that develops and comes out during our final workshop discussion. I like to know what information students found most helpful and anything they were surprised to learn.

Group discussion and recap of the workshop.

The discussion entailed these highlights:

• There was so much information, “I wish had taken more notes... on everything.”
• All the little tips: bringing up the bobbin thread at the end: when to change the needle; pull thread out of the machine at the bottom (at the needle); work bigger!
• loved the practice quilt sandwiches; didn’t have the pressure to work on a ‘real’ quilt top. I have extra quilt sandwiches to continue practicing at home.
• learned the continuous line process, how to link different motifs.
• learning about different threads and thread weights. “I’ve never sewn with 60 wt.”
• freedom to move in any direction.
• realized the value of the sketchbook.
• “if you can draw it, you can quilt it.”
• lots of inspiration from seeing [the instructor’s] quilts and samples.
• I must remind myself to “let it go!” There are no boundaries.
• some students found ideas for quilting the quilt tops they have waiting to be quilted—an Irish Chain, Quilts of Valor quilt tops, a collage quilt.

I’m always thrilled when students grasp the value of drawing in and using the sketchbook. I have several and bring a few to these classes with the corresponding quilts. There are so many advantages to working out designs on paper first!

An example of the relationship between the sketch and the final quilt.

Oftentimes during these group discussions, students pose insightful questions that lead to an unexpected, but valuable, tangent. One topic that surfaced was using hand quilting stencils to mark areas for free-motion quilting. This is the kind of collaborative exchange where even more learning happens—not just for students, but for me as well!

Group discussion: practice sandwiches with template markings.

Class participants received Certificates for completing the workshop.
Then, I share the “secret” for successful free-motion quilting.

Thank you!

My free-motion quilting weekend was, in every sense, a full and fulfilling weekend—learning, making, connecting, and celebrating. Thank You to each student for spending their time with me at the Folk School and bringing their enthusiasm and curiosity to the workshop. 

Intro to Free-motion Quilting, May 1-3 2026. John C. Campbell Folk School.

Thank you to Kim, our studio assistant, for bringing her quilt-making insight and another aspect [Raggedy Reverse Appliqué] to the workshop, for taking the myriad of photos, and helping everything run smoothly. 

Me with my studio assistant, Kim (right).

Incidentally, Sunday, May 3, the last day of the workshop, was National Textiles Day, which is especially fitting. Spending the day discussing fabrics, thread, and free-motion quilting techniques felt both meaningful and perfectly (although mostly serendipitously) timed.

Fiber Arts building and quilting studio at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Experiences like this are why teaching at the Folk School is so rewarding. There’s something special and magical about gathering in a place dedicated to craft, and being surrounded by people eager to learn and create. It was evident that the rich traditions of quilt-making will continue to live an active and healthy existence. 

Let’s continue to keep those needles moving and creativity flowing!