Irish Drinking Mitts

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St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite holiday. I love it because every year my parents gather people (sometimes 10, sometimes 80) for a lovely party and a feast of corned beef and cabbage. I love this holiday because for our family it’s about people gathering to share laughter, music, stories and food – not presents. Just a day to celebrate the lives of everyone we love over the most delicious meal on the planet.

This morning my mom was busy prepping the meal

as Buddy stayed close by waiting for scraps.

Then my parents & I donned obnoxious green & white gear and headed to downtown Kalamazoo for the parade. It was a picturesque day! It has never been 80 degrees and sunny on March 17 in Michigan. Incredible.

We stood at the end of the route and watched family clans, dogs, Irish dancers,

bagpipers,

Girl Scouts, firemen, and even a local pub owner in a horse-drawn carriage.

How adorable are those hooves?

Afterwards the pub crawl began. I quickly ran mom home to bake the rolls (priorities, right?). When they came out of the oven we both thought they were the most beautiful rolls she’s ever made!

Next stop was meeting the Owens clan at O’Duffy’s Pub. I got my mitts done just in time for the event. Now, it was a bit hot to be wearing handwarmers, but I realized they made the perfect Irish drinking mitts. Yes, a preggo can go to the pub on St. Pat’s!

And I never had a chilly hand from my Milk Chug.

I saw lots of crazy outfits at the pub but by far, these were my favorite pants!

O’Duffy’s was packed to the brim

including the parking lot

which had a tap truck.

Brilliant.

After everyone had enough sunshine and stout, we went home to this heavenly meal.

What a perfect day.

And Anne, what a perfect pattern. I loved making my Cloverleaf Lace Mitts.

I think the Tosh Sock in Malachite was a perfect fit.

I bet you’re all wondering who gets this lovely pattern for free. Well, Maryjo, I hope you have a perfect skein of fingering weight in your stash. You won the contest and it’s time to cast on! Enjoy.

 

 

 

14 thoughts on “Irish Drinking Mitts

  1. I love your green mitts. I was so hoping to win the pattern. I am going to buy the pattern now and get a skein of Tosh sock, maybe in Malachite. I am very envious of your very special St. Patrick’s day celebration. I love love corned beef and cabbage as does my husband and our two sons. My mom used to make it for us around Easter, but she has passed on , and actually we can’t see to find corned beef anymore in any of the grocery stores in our area. I have researched a recipe on the net and just need to get ahold of some pink pickling salt to make it. Thanks for such a great post about St. Patrick’s Day. You are already an invaluable addition to the Knitspot team.

  2. The Irish certainly know how to party. I have Irish roots and love going back to the ‘homeland’. It is such a beautiful place. Your mitts look great, glad you were able to finish them in time. Buddy looks cool kitted out in his green and white too!

  3. I love the green mitts, that shade of green is beautiful!. The St. Patrick’s day feast looks fabulous, mmmm, I wish I had a bite. Looks like you had a fun with your family.

  4. omg, that looks like a barrel of fun! next year, i am SO coming out for that! i can’t *stand* that i haven’t met candy yet; i just know we’ll be buddies in no time.

  5. Looks like an awesome afternoon! I’ve been an Irish Dancer as both a child and an adult, and the weather has never been that nice for the annual local parade haha!

  6. thanks SO much for the pattern — looks like you all had a FABULOUS day, too! Your mitts looks fab, too! :))

    I want to “repost” my “toast” , because it was so much fun:

    “…That your wife may knit for infants and may her needles always click after dark”

    “(It was thought best to knit after dark because the sheep were asleep and wouldn’t be offended!)”

  7. What a great idea, making St. Patrick’s day a day of friends, family, and food—sort of like Thanksgiving, but in the spring!

    I had no idea that Kalamazoo was such a hotbed of Irish fun!

    Great post!

  8. But that’s the same day as the Kalamazoo Gun Show! Oh, wait, I mean Living History Faire. But those of us who have been attending for years still call it the Gun Show.

  9. Well I certainly am blessed to have a daughter that so enjoys her family and friends, and of course good food, isn’t that why we gather?! What a fun St. Pats and thanks to my family for being who they are. Yes there really is an Irish Kalamazoo!!!!

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