Kiddie Mitts

Little Miss Katie was nagging me for a lacy pair of mitts...

So I worked up the Challenge Mitts in a kids size - and they turned out perfectly!

The adult size pattern is available as a free download from here.

And here are the alterations I made:

1. This yarn is a very fine 8ply - or maybe even a 5 ply!
2. Made a starting chain of 30, and worked 6 shells in each round
3. 6 rounds of shells before the thumb opening round
4. 3 rounds of shells after the thumb opening

LOVE - LOVE - LOVE the results... and I can see many more kiddie mitts in my future.

(Especially seeing how quick they are to make)

Free Pattern For You.

download free pattern now

These mitts are worked in the round with no shaping. The shell pattern is stretchy and will accommodate the shape of your hand beautifully. All you need to do is remember to add your peek-a-boo hole for the thumb!

Are you up for the challenge?

Can you make a pair of these mitts in less than one hour?

I can complete the short ones (darning ends and everything) in that time, but the long mitts take me about one hour and ten minutes.

Try them for yourself and see…

Lotsa Mitts...

So I followed through on my plan to darn in those ends...

Of course, it's pretty tricky to photograph yourself wearing a PAIR of mitts...



I'm loving this pattern.

There's NO SHAPING whatsoever - but the shell stitch pattern stretches to accommodate the shape of the hand...




Then there's just a little peek-a-boo hole for the thumb to pop through...




I tried working them backwards, from the fingers down - so that I could add a little trim at the arm hole like this:



But it actually made the thumbhole feel more restrictive. Weird. But it does.

 


I made some long crazy mitts...



And some short ones:



Some black ones:



And some grey ones:



Thirteen pair so far!

I can't stop making mitts!

You know the way I tend to get a bit obsessive about things?

Usually at the most inconvenient times?

Well...

I did it again.

Something made me want to make fingerless mitts. I've been making some really pretty knitted ones lately, but they take so long for me to finish - especially working in the round...

So I was inspired to design some crochet ones.

Quick ones.

Gorgeous. Stylish. But Speedy to make.

And easy, of course. That goes without saying....

And now I can't stop making them.



As soon as I finish crocheting a pair - I just pick a new yarn - and MAKE MORE!

It's hard to tell from this photo, but there are TWELVE PAIR of mitts in the basket - all made this weekend.

I just need to darn in those pesky ends!

More Mitts...

Yep.

It's ANOTHER pair of fingerless mitts...

The fourth pair I've made from this pattern.



Little Miss Katie has claimed these ones for herself.

I thought they'd be huge on her - but they're not that bad!

Success!

I think I've finally found my own rhythm with this Continental Knitting...

Notice I say KNITTING.

I can now work the knit stitch with even tension and no white knuckles. It takes a really long time to relax your hands when learning a new technique. You're concentrating so much on holding your fingers in new positions - and having them perform different roles than they normally would - that the poor things cramp up! Seriously. You can only work in short bursts because it it so exhausting for the Poor Little Fingies. I know that it sounds pathetic, but it's true...



But I'm confident now. And relaxed. I can knit Continental Style.

Just don't ask me to knit two together.

Or increase.

Or purl.

Those skills are going to take A LOT more practice!!!!

As you can see, I finished that third mitt.



Do you think it was a match with Loose Tension Mitt (the 1st one I knit) or Tight Tension Mitt (the 2nd one I knit)???

Come on - you know the answer. Just think about which would be the most annoying outcome!

It matched NEITHER.

But at least it fell somewhere between the two. Closer to the loose one... So I'm pretending they are a matched pair. Sometimes you just have to pretend a little. Fake it 'til you make it. Isn't that what they say?

Which Mitt Should I Frog?

Well?

One mitt is smaller than the other - so they're useless as a set... but which one do I frog???

My plan is to knit a THIRD mitt, and see which ones match best!



Do you see the little green bag in the photo?

That's another one of Dawnie's creations
- it's for keeping my yarn neat and clean and tidy as I work...

And if I want to work outside, or on the move... I just pop the drawstring around my wrist and off I go - no yarn trailing behind me to get tangled.

Anyone would think she had witnessed my yarn rolling around on the floor as I work on a project!

Surely not!




So this clever bag is made using a plastic bowl.

Dawn has drilled holes all the way around it
- and then crocheted into the holes to work the rest of the bag.

At the top is a drawstring closure. How cool is that???

(It's probably, maybe a teensy weensy bit on the PLAIN side for me - but I'll fix that - and Dawnie won't mind a bit. She's used to me by now, and knows exactly what I'm like. In fact, she's more likely to be SHOCKED that I haven't done it already.)

Edited to add:

I've just had an email from one of my readers, which I'd really like to share with you (and I don't think she'll mind at all)

I taught myself to knit and wanted to suggest what helped me. Continental method is the closest to how you would hold crochet;

the project in your left hand with the working thread wrapped around one of those fingers for tension while you knit with the needle on the right.

Once I thought of it in those terms my tensions became the same throughout.

So... I'm going to start thinking along those lines when I next pick up my mitts, and see if it helps. Thanks for the tip Steph - and by including it here in the blog, I hope it can help others too!

And I thought I was SO clever...

I've been hearing over and over again about how much faster knitting is for those who use Continental Style. But it never really interested me. I mean, I've been perfectly happy with my usual pace and technique up until now - so why change, right?

Besides - I've been knitting for over 30 years now - so I wondered if it would even be possible to change my technique at this point...

I kind of have my own little style going on when I knit. People love to tell me how STRANGE and UNUSUAL it is - which used to really bother me - but now I just don't care! Anyway, I tuck my right needle under my arm while I work.

Some people tell me it's a SCOTTISH style...

Some call it PIT KNITTING...

And others just call it weird!

It's not the way I was taught to knit, it's just a comfortable style I fell into as I learned.

So.

My main problem with PIT knitting, is that it doesn't work when you use circular needles or double pointed needles. You can't tuck a needle under your arm pit when it is only 10 cm long (4 inches). So I usually avoid working anything in the round.

Because if I can't tuck, then I SLOW down so much!

But then I was thinking...

If I could learn this Continental Style that everyone keeps talking about, then I could work quickly in the round - SO I DID IT! With the help of some You Tube videos, I taught myself to knit Continental Style. This is the one I found most helpful.

It was a bit tricky at first - since it involves holding your working yarn in the left hand instead of the right - but I got there in the end.

And I practiced, and practiced and practiced until my tension was even...

Then decided it was time to test it out on a project!

I thought I was SO CLEVER.

With my wonderful, even, beautiful tension...

(Which was hard, because it tends to be quite loose when you work Continental)

But I have a problem.

Look at these Mitts:



They're SUPPOSED to be the same size!

I've used the same yarn, same needles, followed the same pattern and worked the same number of rows... But they do NOT match up...

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K...

Mitts that Fit!

Ooooohhhhh... I'm loving the way these mitts fit!

One is finished, and the other one - ALMOST done... 

Just need to knit up the thumb, and stitch down the top and bottom hems.

I'm making them from the Alpaca Yarn which was in my Prize Pack.

Here's the Project details...

I made the small size.

Pattern: Susie's Reading Mitts - free online pattern

Please note there is a small error in the pattern (for the small and large sizes). Errata is available on the Ravelry Pattern Page which I have linked you to.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns, Alpaca Lana D'Oro

The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn, and the Alpaca I have used claims to be a Worsted - but it feels more like a DK to me!

Needles: 3.25mm circulars

The pattern calls for 3.75mm size... I don't own any that size, and chose to go down rather than up because I work loosely.

Must go and finish the other one. I'm already wearing the first, and it's soooo toasty and warm!

Have really enjoyed the way these mitts work up - and I'm planning to make a second pair, using the burgundy alpaca from my Prize Pack. My Mother-In-Law has been complaining about how bitterly cold it is at the moment... and she LOVES that shade of red...

On Short Notice

I love to make things for my kids, but it can be really hard to make things that they love - especially as they get older...

They kind of get past the point where they think that everything you make is BRILLIANT, and move on to thinking that home made is DAGGY... Oh man, even the word daggy is probably daggy these days. What-evah!

Sometimes Master Twelve just looks at something I've made and says "Fail, Mum. EPIC fail"

Anyway, I was probably the same when I was a kid, so I don't bother taking it to heart.

I think this is why I love the idea of making them cuddle toys based on a design which they draw for me, that way they are a part of the process, and can really choose something they love.

But that's not what this post is about...



It was the night before Master Nine went away on his school camp.

We were just about to head out for dinner, when Mr Goldfish asks me... "Do you think you could whip Ben up some gloves for camp tomorrow?"

Gotta love that! WHIP UP some gloves????

Anyway, Benny overheard, and chimed in with "Yeah Mum. I need gloves. Can you make me gloves Mum? Purleeeeease????"

Well - how am I supposed to say no to that?

So I figured that crochet would be the way to go - because I can do that way faster than knitting...

"With skulls on them Mum - to match my hat"

Okay, so that was going to involve knitting... because this was not the time to learn how to do tapestry crochet.

So I found a REALLY easy mitts pattern, and incorporated the chart from his skull beanie onto each glove. They're knit flat, then seamed up the side - leaving a gap in the seam for the thumb to poke out.

Simple, but he LOVES them.

Raced around all morning wearing them... and still had them on when he climbed onto the bus. Who knows whether or not both mitts will make it home from camp? Probably not. But I've had enough enjoyment just from watching him in them already!

And it was near impossible to keep him still enough for these photos



So here's the details:

mitt pattern - Hand Mitts from Leisure Art
hat pattern (for the skull chart) - Adrian's Skull Cap is a free download from Ravelry, click here

I used 4.0mm needles and 8ply yarn, not what the pattern calls for - but that's what I had on hand, plus my knitting tends to be loose. The black was an acrylic and the green is a wool crepe. I like to use what I have, and don't mind mixing fibres. It really doesn't take a lot of yarn. I the gloves make it home from camp, I will weigh them and edit this post to let you know the weight of yarn required!

Plus I made the ribbing at the wrist longer than the pattern call for.

Just because.

And if you want to take a peek at the original hat I made for him, here it is