Top Knitted Gift Picks of 2018 and USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines

There's no need to panic if you haven't finished (or started) your Christmas shopping. You can order as late as December 21 and packages shipped within the continental U.S. will still make it in time for the holiday. 

The USPS has provided the following shipping deadlines for the continental U.S. (orders must be placed on the day prior):

• First-Class Mail - Dec. 20 (order by Dec. 19)
• Priority Mail - Dec. 20 (order by Dec. 19)
• Priority Mail Express - Dec. 22 (order by Dec. 21)

The shipping deadline for First-Class and Priority Mail International is Dec. 8 (order by Dec. 7) for Australia/New Zealand, Canada, and Europe.

And here are a few gift ideas for anyone and any budget. They all ship free!

green scarf | more scarves

red headband | more colors

gray mittens for adults | for kids

bag charm

wool newborn hat

white baby afghan | more blankets

burgundy baby mittens | more colors

View the Marion's Mittens Etsy shop

Recently Finished Objects - Knitted Cowls and Mittens for Kids

After a busy winter of knitting mittens and crocheting strings for them, I decided to wrap up a bunch of projects that have been laying around in my craft room. Let's take a look!

The first one I finished up was a pink cowl knitted in double moss stitch. As soon as I picked it up I realized I only had to knit a few more rows, bind off, and sew the ends together. It was an easy finish! This is the first time I tried knitting a cowl with circular needles. I wasn't knitting in the round, but the circular set was much shorter than any pair of straight needles I had in this size. More details on this project on Ravelry. Or, order this cowl on Etsy.

That cowl inspired me to do another cowl using the Caron Simply Soft tweed yarn I picked up. The colorway is called off white and it has flecks of tan and chocolate brown. It's very pretty, but it's probably likely that the tweed pieces will fall off at some point. More details on this project on Ravelry. Or, order this cowl on Etsy.

I had three of these lime green mittens for kids knitted. Why three? I was going to knit a pair for a friend's son. I didn't realize I'd knitted two already and finished a third. At this point, I was tired of the project, and took a break. I finally picked the needles back up, finished the fourth mitten, and worked my way through all four thumbs. Between this project and the cowls I'd done quite a bit of crocheting so it was nice to get back to knitting for a change. More details on Ravelry or order these mittens on Etsy.

Not pictured (because it's not finished) is some progress I made on a white checkerboard baby afghan. It's quite large (46" square) and progress is slow. But I knocked out a few other rows. I also started learning to crochet baby afghans and made three of them. But that'll be good for another post.

Marion's Mittens on Ravelry

Marion's Mittens on Etsy

Featured Mittens for Kids in the Marion's Mittens Etsy Shop

As it starts to get chilly, especially in the northern areas of the USA and Canada, it's time to think about outerwear. Marion's Mittens for kids are a great option for keeping kids' hands warm.

Features

• Hand knit of 100% acrylic yarn
• Sized by ages 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9+
• Stretchy to grow with your child for a year or so
• Machine washable, although they'll be less prone to pilling if you hand wash and lay flat to dry

Best Sellers

We see certain colors sell out year after year. Here are the most popular colors:

watermelon mittens for ages 7-8

kelly green mittens for ages 5-6

orchid mittens for ages 5-6

iris mittens for ages 7-8

red mittens for ages 3-4

Looking for a different color? Shop all of our kids' mittens on Etsy.

Get the Look: Anna's Mittens from Frozen

Halloween is a mere 11 days away! Have you thought of your costume yet, or your kids' costumes? I've given a few ideas on the blog already, including how yellow mittens can complete a LEGO Halloween costume. Today's post will focus on the ever-popular Frozen.

I've never seen Frozen but I certainly have heard of it! And I've seen a few guest appearances by the characters on Once Upon a Time...

Anyway, I imagine a lot of people will be Elsa for Halloween. But what about Anna?

image from Pinterest

Anna's purple and blue costume is just as pretty as Elsa's, if not a little easier to make at home. And she gets to wear mittens, which is an added bonus if you're trick-or-treating in a chilly area!

Some of our blue mittens would be a great match for the pair Anna wears. Here are some ideas!

ocean mittens for adults | for kids | for babies & toddlers

blue sparkle mittens for adults

royal blue mittens for adults | for kids | for babies & toddlers

Shop Marion's Mittens

Make Your Own Halloween Inspired Pumpkin and Paw Mittens for Kids

It seems like there are critters all over everything these days... cat hats, fox sweaters, and owl everything. This inspired me to make some of the mini mittens for babies and toddlers appropriate for Halloween! In this tutorial I'll explain what I made and how I did it.

pumpkin / jack o'lantern mini mittens

paws mini mittens

Supplies

• Felt (black and yellow for pumpkins; pink for paws)
• Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive
• Sharp scissors
• Mittens or gloves

Jack O'Lantern Mittens

I started out by creating paper templates, but I discovered that after I'd cut one set out of felt, it was easier to use the felt templates! For each pair you'll need:

• A triangle shape - 6 of these make up both eyes and the nose
• A tiny dot - 4 of these make the pupils, if desired
• A mouth - 2 in whatever shape you like!

eyes and nose for jack o'lantern mittens

pupils for jack o'lantern mittens

mouth template

I glued the jack o'lantern faces onto the backs of the hands. Just a very thin layer of glue is needed. Press each piece on firmly for a few seconds. If you're worried about the glue bleeding through inside the mitten or glove, you can put a piece of cardboard inside.

Paw Mittens

The paws are a little less tedious to cut out because the shapes don't need to be so precise. I simply Googled "cat paw" and found an image I liked. I drew a template based on that freehand. For each pair you'll need:

• A large oval shape - 4 of these for the large toes
• A small oval shape - 4 of these for the small toes
• A big bean shape - 2 of these for the pads

Of course, you can also get creative and make claws or other shapes! I glued these pieces onto the palms of the mittens so it'll look like the kids have paws when they're wearing them.

Did you try this craft? Let me know by sharing your photos below! I'd love to see your creations.

And if you're not crafty, you can purchase your own pair of jack o'lanterns or paws in the Marion's Mittens mini mittens shop.

Halloween Ideas: Yellow Mittens for LEGO Character "Hands"

Our "sunshine" yellow kids mittens have been flying off the shelves. I simply haven't been able to keep them in stock! I finally asked the most recent customer who purchased yellow mittens for kids... what's going on here?

He was looking for accessories for his son's Halloween costume. The costume will be a LEGO character and yellow mittens seemed like a great way to recreate the c-shaped hands. I never would have thought of that and it's an amazing idea!

See the resemblance?

yellow LEGO hands

yellow mittens for kids

This idea goes to show that you don't have to buy a pre-packaged Halloween costume for your child. Make what you can and collect other items to make a unique costume!

See Lego costumes with Marion's Mittens

More yellow mittens and other items in our shop