I find fingerless mitts irresistible. And this pattern -- called Alternating Current -- from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves by Robin Melanson is  perfect when I need a quick fix. Requiring only a minimal amount of focus, they're also a good project to work on while commuting or sitting through kids' sports' practices and games, music lessons, etc.

The pair shown here--knitted in a yarn called GGH Aspen from my stash -- took me only about one soccer practice and two guitar lessons to complete. The pattern also includes instructions for the rest of the hand (to make a traditional mitten) and for a removable cuff/bracelet for embellishment. I have another pair in chartreuse on the needles.

I finished my Meathead Hat from Knitalong this afternoon -- it took less than two hours cast on to bind off. After I took this photograph, I remembered that I was supposed to put an embellishment on it (at least that's what the pattern says to do). I decided to skip that step and, instead, fiddled with the eraser tool in PhotoShop to create some decoration/scribble-scrabble. which was quick and fun (just like knitting the hat).

To read about our new book Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown, click here.

To see a gallery of some of the 20 projects in Knitalong, click here.

To read a Q&A with the authors, click here.

To download our Knitalong Kit, a guide for individuals who are considering organizing their own knitalongs, click here.

(Photo above courtesy of Library of Congress/from Knitalong Chapter 1: Hanging Out)

I found this guirlande (garland) on the Tête de Linotte blog and post it here with permission (and thanks). I love the idea of tracking projects this way. With enough swatches and a strong enough cord, you could even suspend swatches from one end of a room to another.