Not a clue on needle size -- I love the colors!!! Enjoy the knitting.

i like the ball of the old yarn best. against the brown. but if you're set against that one, i vote for the third blue, the one on the bottom.

happy, happy knitting. enjoy the weekend.

I like the top combination, can't say exactly why. It's the sharpest, nicest contrast.

What pattern did you get?

I vote for the top one. The colors seem to 'pop' more than the others.

I like the last combo best. The blue feels a bit muted and I think it goes better with the brown because of it.

I like the middle one. The first is close to the blue and brown you see in a lot of stylish little boy clothes. So, if you want to match your possible future child, then that would be the one! All of them are great though - can't wait to see the FO!

I vote for the bottom combination. True the colors don't pop as much in the skein, but I think it will be more prominent when knit. The truth is that they're all good choices. Enjoy, whichever you choose.

Thanks for the tip on the pattern mods. I never would have found Kathryn's blog on my own.

I just bought the Bird in Hand pattern last week. I'm thinking of making them in a purple and green combo.

I'd vote for the middle picture. Love blue & brown combo!

Good luck when nesting does hit. I found it refreshing to actually WANT to clean.

I also like the old color the best, or the last photo with the heathery blue. Thanks for the link to the cuff mods.

you know the last one is the best, thats why you put it last!

They are all lovely! But then, that's my current favorite color combination, and has been for about 2 years now. Still going strong. I'm no color expert, but I like the bottom combo best.

I like the top one best as it's the brightest, but they are all absolutely lovely. I am totally in love with these mittens and can't wait to make some myself!

Whatever happened with your move? I am blissfully away from the jackhammering and was thinking about you putting up with that. Hope your head's not splitting from the sound!!

Love the blues and brown (all the blues look great to me).

I love the first blue and brown combo. I think it would have the most contrast!

Congrats on getting all your work done! Wish I worked from home :)

These are next on my to-knit list as well but I have no idea about the needle size. Kate Gilbert uses a worsted weight yarn on size 1s! I am kind of freaked about that, but I was reading on Ravelry and everyone was asking if it was some sort of mistake because it seems like it would be so tight, but everyone is saying it's coming out too loose on anything other than 1s (even someone using Cascade 220)...you can read about it here: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/bird-in-hand-kal/48953/1-25#6

I love the old blue (the greenish one) with that brown, but they're all great combos. I also just wanted to say thanks for your impeccable grammar; your writing is always a pleasure to read because of what you say and how you say it. I hope you enjoy knitting the mittens! (And once you're done with the Bird in Hand, I recommend Elliphantom's Chevron mittens. I finished a pair in green and blue with pompoms that I've worn every day this week!)

If the colors are showing true, which they probably aren't on my monitor, I'd use the bottom one. I like the darker hue and think it goes very well with the brown.

Even though I opted for the braid I think that I might skip them if I knit another pair. The technique isn't difficult, but it cramped my hands like crazy! The braids don't stand out that much, either, since they're surrounded by the same color.

I am knitting the Bird in Hand mittens on US 6 for the largest size. These are a gift, and I wanted to err on the side of too big. But that being said, I'm the tightest knitter ever - even tighter when stranding.

I think I like the last combination, but I don't know why.

i like the bottom two in the photos where you've combined them one at a time with the brown, with a preference for the third photo.

whatever you choose, i'm sure they'll be lovely!

I like all of the combos! That's a great brown. I've had a secret thing for brown the past couple of years.

What was the pattern you were so desperate (and impatient) to have?!

Wow - all the colour choices are gorgeous, but based on what I can see on my computer I'd go for #3. Can't wait to see what you choose!

I love the blue and brown combo. Enjoy!

As far as the nesting thing goes, tell George to be careful what he wishes for. When I was very far along in my pregnancy, I wanted to remove the wax from my kitchen floor and I was using straight ammonia all day. My hubster came home from work and started screaming. He was almost sick with the strong smell, but I had gotten used to it by then. I was such a dufus not realizing all that ammonia might hurt the baby.

I love the brown and any of the blues for the mittens. Enjoy making them this weekend :) You seem in a lighter, much happier mood now that the testing is over with.

On my monitor the last one pops the most but you really can't judge these things on the net. Trust your instincts - clearly, judging by your pics, you have a good eye...

Blessings!

I think I like the last one the best, but honestly they are all lovely. LOVE the blue and brown combo - I just finished a fair isle hat in those colors.

Love the last one the best, but blue and brown is such a SWEEEEET combination. Enjoy your weekend!

I like the middle one best, but if it's not what you're going for, I like the blue on top second best. The one on the bottom is too purple (omg, *I* just said something was too purple?? What is wrong with me??)

Uh, yeah. :)

I definitely like the top combination. The blue really pops against the brown, more so than the other blues in my opinion.

I actually cast on for the mittens this afternoon, and the braid isn't all that bad. It's not the most comfortable because you're twisting the needle around a bit, but it's the same three steps all the way around. And for what it's worth, I'm using a dark brown for my MC and while the braid doesn't exactly pop, it does look good.

Hi Cara,

I have just started a pair of these, and I am forgoing the braid as well. I tried it on a swatch, and it just isn't worth the annoyance at such a tight gauge. I am instead just replacing those rows with two rows of purl, and it gives a nice little ridge.

I have had to go down to 2.5 mm to get gauge - and it is tight! Woo, they will be warm, I think!

I am sure that you will do a marvellous job; I prefer the middle combo as the lighter blue gives better contrast with the brown.

I'm in love with your colours and the mittens pattern! They made me do the sugar test twice with each child. By the fourth time I was trying to bribe them with a dozen doughnuts if they'd let me substitute my own dozen. They let me go shopping while waiting and I bought a goldfish (?!!)

I vote for the top combo. The darker blue is too much the same intensity, therefore making it too much the same as the brown. A little contrast is nice and the lighter blue stands out just ever so slightly from the brown. Of course, if you want neither color to stand out then choose the darker blue......I LOVE making color decisions!! 8^)

Is that brown Cordovan? I love that color--I have lots of it for a few sweaters, it goes with everything. That said, the brown is a warm brown. If you're looking for a complementary blue, the first is good, since it's a cool blue. The second is a nice combination, because both colors have touches of green. The third blue is not only almost the same value, but has a red tone. It could be an interesting combination.

Regardless of all that color theory, the 2nd combination works best for me--er, the bag.

Don't forget experimenting with yarn dominance! :-)

Middle one . . . reminds me of my grandmother's favorite turquoise ring.

I love how that ball of blue sitting in the brown (center photo) looks like a robin's egg in a nest. That one!

Go for the top pic of the 3.Do you know this combination is HOT and called Chocqua!!!

I had a bunch of different colors out for this pattern, but couldn't find one I loved so I wimped. My favorite is the middle one.

I'd go with thw darker blue, bottom photo. I like the similarity of values and heatheriness. The greener one does have a nice vintage feel to the combination, though.

So nice to see you knitting and excited about it again. The rest will come. And if it doesn't, so what? Nesting is not mandatory for good mothering.

I too love the blue ball sitting in all that blue is calming and georgous. Thanks...

I honestly can't choose--I love the combination of brown and blue in general (chocolate brown and tiffany blue are even the colors I've chosen for my 'wedding colors'), so I love them all.

I like the first the best - don't know why - just seems to be a 'clearer' blue.

actually- I like the last pic in the last set best..... something about balance between the 2 colors... yum;)

I'm partial to the middle blue. It seems (on my monitor) to be more the color of a bird's egg (speaking of nesting...) and I like that more "natural" blue combined with brown. Is that the Summer Sky heather?

Gorgeous felted bag...