Crochet Oven Mitt

When I go to Hobby Lobby, I like to check the clearance yarn. I often get really good deals on my beloved I Love This Yarn! brand this way. Without fail, the one kind of yarn I always find in the clearance section for really cheap is the funky, ruffle-y yarn. I, for some reason, threw away the wrapper, and I can't remember what brand it was, so...sorry. The closest I can find is the sashay yarn by Red Heart, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Red Heart. Here is a picture, though.

Does it look familiar? ANYWAY. Long story short I've never really found a use for this yarn. Then, I thought, "Hey, this yarn - when not pulled apart - is kind of like bulky yarn. I bet I could use it in bulky yarn projects." So I bought it. And had zero inspiration of something to make with bulky yarn. Until I realized that my oven mitts are starting to die. Like, holes right by the thumb, where hot stuff touches all the time. Great place for a hole, I know. Now, I've tried making hot pads with normal cotton yarn, and it is just not thick enough to protect your hands. You have to double it up (a pattern for this is coming soon). I wanted to try bulky yarn, but it's fairly expensive compared to normal yarn. SO, I decided to use my funky yarn. Whoo.

It took two skeins of the stuff, but my hand is fully protected in this giant oven mitt. Really. It's big. It fits my husband's hands, and they are GIANT.

This is made with plain ole double crochets, but, because the yarn is so thick, it looks like I did something special to it. 

Crochet Oven Mitt Pattern:

Yarn: the weird yarn I described earlier or (I imagine) normal bulky or super bulky yarn.

Hook: 10 mm hook. I think this is a "P" hook, but the writing has rubbed off, so I'm not 100% sure.

For this pattern, when I say "inc," it means "increase" - which means 2 dc in that st. When I say "7dc," or something like that, I mean to dc in the next 7 sts. Don't make 7dc in one st. 

You're going to start with a magic circle, which is a fun challenge with the big yarn. If you're not comfortable with those, just chain three and make the eight double crochets into the first chain (the other two chains will NOT count as a dc). If you are, great. 8 dc in the magic circle. Join.

Ch 2. 2 dc in each st around. Join.

Ch 2. [Inc, 7dc] twice. Join.

Ch 2. Dc around. Join.

{Ch 2. [Inc, 8dc] around. Join} do this twice, and then fasten off.

Join 2nd color 3 sts before where you fastened off. Ch 2. 3dc. Ch 8. Sk 1 st (this includes the knot where you fastened off). This will create the thumb hole. Dc the rest of the way around. Join.

Ch 2. Dc around, including 1 in each of the 8 chs.

Ch 2. 5dc. Dc2tog. 10dc. Dc2tog. 6dc. Join.

Ch 2. 4dc. Dc2tog. 10dc. Dc2tog. 5dc. Join.

Ch 2. 4dc. Dc2tog. 4dc. Dc2tog. 3dc. Dc2tog. 2dc. Dc2tog. Join.

Ch 2. Dc around. Join. Fasten off.

Join into the open thumb hole you created earlier. Sc around. Make four rounds of sc before you start sc2tog-ing until the thumb hole is pretty much closed. You can either sew it closed, or just kind of sl st it closed. Just go with what you feel. And then fasten off and weave in your ends.

What do you think of the pattern?