one of the first things i knit after moving to New York was a pair of mittens.   i heard there was a shop in my neighborhood that had a collection of vintage knitting patterns.   i went there to see them hoping to find some ideas for my next sweater collection.  while i was there, i saw a skein of beautiful fat red yarn with orange flecks.  on the wrapper were instructions for making a pair of mittens.  i got so excited that i bought it and some of their home made size 13 double pointed needles and almost ran home to make them.  they were such a fun project- knitting something so chunky makes it less painful to rip out, since it is so quick to knit, and re knit again.  it took me awhile to get the hang of the thumb gusset, or whatever it is really called.  i graduated to making real gloves for my daughter in a finer weight yarn, but that was not nearly as pleasant as making these.  that was six years ago, and i still wear them today.