Diamine Inkvent 2025: Day 14 — Mittens
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*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Day 14!
Welcome to day 14! Today, we’re looking at Mittens.
The Color and Properties
Diamine Mittens is a pigment ink — it contains solid pigment particulates to give the ink water and fade resistance. The base color is a bright cool-toned pink that’s very heavy on the blue undertones, especially on white paper. The ink shades with a soft cut into a slightly warmer pink where the ink pools when writing in both print and cursive.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance | Cleaning
Rhodia
Leuchtturm
Mittens is well-behaved, and I didn’t notice any traces of bleeding or feathering on the papers I tested it with. The ink has a medium flow and is lubricated enough to provide a comfortable writing experience. I didn’t experience any clogs or drops in flow during my tests. The only performance issue I encountered was the need to get the pen “started” after uncapping it, but once the pen was writing, the experience was pleasant and consistent.
As expected, when exposed to water Mittens showed no signs of color or definition loss.
As far as pigmented inks go, Mittens cleaned out shockingly easily. Using a syringe to spray the inside, the ink flushed out of the pen quickly with no visible stains or residue left inside the barrel.
The nib units were more difficult to clean, although they took less effort than the other pigment inks in the calendar so far. Soaking the nib units and flushing them with a bulb syringe alone isn’t enough to get all the pigment out, so I employed the use of a soapy toothbrush (using basic Dawn dish soap) to gently scrub the pigment out between the nib and feed. Regardless of the cleaning experience above, I would take great care in not letting the ink dry out in the pen, as cleaning will become much more difficult.
Even the syringe I used to fill the pen cleaned out quickly with the dish soap.
Writing Samples
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper (white, 7mm ruling) with a medium nib.
Written on Midori MD paper (cream, 7mm ruling), with a medium nib.
My personal thoughts…
I’m more or less in the middle of the road with Mittens. I think the name is adorable, and it feels in line with Inkvent’s general theme. I think a cooler-toned pink is perfect for the season, but at the same time, I’ve never loved blue-heavy pinks, and that’s what kills it for me. Cream papers warm the ink up a lot, but still, it’s not quite my choice. Personal preference aside, I have no problem recommending Mittens as a great permanent pink ink. Just be aware that as a pigment ink, it’s going to come with higher maintenance.
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with a medium nib.
More Images/Info:
Featured in the photography and writing samples:
Diamine Mittens
TWSBI Diamond 580AL Silver, medium nib — Amazon
Traveler’s Company “Have a Nice Trip” brass clip — Endless Pens | Amazon
Nanami Paper Tomoe River Cafe Note B6 Slim - Ruled
Midori MD A6 lined notebook — Amazon
Current text: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens — Amazon
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Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 3 nib units including a Fine, Medium, and Broad. All nibs are tuned to perform at the same wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook