[knitting] Handspun Zen Mittens

One of my craft-y goals for 2012 is to knit 50% of all my projects with my own handspun. I spin yarn that I love and hold and pet... then I put it into a bag. I have two gigantic plastic zip bags full of my handspun. I keep adding to it but I don't use it. WHY?! It make no sense. So, I'm using it up, one skein at a time.

Here's the crazy, three-ply that I spun last year:

I remember I was more than a little "meh" about the finished yarn. But as I worked up a pair of mittens, the colors really worked together:

And the finished mittens?

LOVE. lovelovelovelovelovelovelove! They aren't twinsies but any means but they are so great- so soft, so colorful. I'm so happy with that quick and satisfying project this is, that I've started another pair of handspun mittens. 

I used the basic mitten pattern from Ann Budd's book The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I kitchener'd closed the last 8 stitches at the top of each mitten because the pointy top didn't feel right when I had the mittens on.