for three years i've wanted to knit myself some mittens. every year, i knit a new pair for ella but never get around to any for me. this year i also knit a pair for my friend tough mama, and i liked them so much that i decided that THIS YEAR would be my year--i have finally knit myself some mittens.
these are so quick that i've made several pairs in the past week.
the design is a hybrid of two patterns i found online. the cuff comes from the cabled mitts pattern from loom knit. i love the way this cuff looks, but knitting cables on a loom is a tedious process--not hard--anyone who has knit a hat or scarf on the loom can easily learn to do it--but it is time consuming and labourious and generally just a too slow for someone like myself who likes instant gratification. so after the first pair, i have been knitting the cuffs on needles, thusly:
cast on 8 stitches
row 1: P2, K4, P2
row 2: K2, P4, K2
row 3: P2, Cable 4L, P2
row 4: K2, P4, K2
i prefer to knit cables without a cable needle, by just slipping the stitches off and rearranging them in the order to be knit.
then for the actual mitten i use a modified version of the one loom mitten by looming with love. i found that this pattern as written makes a mitten WAY TOO BIG for my hand so instead i use the long pink loom and one loom clip to create an 18 peg round (in this picture it is set up for a 16 peg round--different project).
to start the mitten i pick up 15 stitches on the cuff as for the cable mitts pattern, starting at peg 1 on the end of the loom but in the center of the cuff rather than an end. this puts half the cuff on each side of the loom. this way, the join of the cuff is at the outside of the arm where i feel it is less noticable. i e-wrap the three empty pegs at the end opposite the starting peg when i get to them and continue picking up stitches till i get back to the starting peg. then i knit 11 rounds using the e-wrap stitch. you could knit more or fewer rounds, according to the length you wish from the cuff to the base of the thumb.
for the right hand thumb, i knit pegs 1 thru 4, back and forth with no turning peg, for 30 rows. you might need more or fewer rows, more or fewer pegs, depending on the size you need--you can test as you go. you will end up with a loop of knitting which will become the thumb.
for the left hand thumb i knit pegs 1, 18, 17, 16--in other words, the first peg and the last three of the round. again, adjust according to your own needs.
after that i knit 22 rows--again this has to be judged based on your own hand, you can slip your hand inside the loom to test. i take the mitten off the loom using the gathering method.
then it is just a matter of sewing up the sides of the thumb--i do this the same as for needle knitting, by lacing up the sides thru the little bumps on the ends of the rows, AKA mattress stitch. i close the cuff the same way.
ta-da! each mitten takes me about 45 minutes to complete, so i can easily finish a pair in an evening of TV with my family.
for the pair i'm knitting rudi i am using the blue round loom, worsted weight yarn holding two strands as one, and knitting the one loom mitten pattern as written. for ella, i'm using the pink long loom, 12 pegs, worsted weight yarn holding two strands as one. for both i knit the exact same cuff, but to their wrist size--rudi's took 9.5 cables, ella's took 6.5 cables (mine took 7). the exact number needed will depend on not just the size of the wrist but also how tight or loose you knit and how tight or loose the wearer prefers the cuff.
these mittens are actually part of a set--next time i'll show you the hat.
