Tuesday, February 17, 2015

New Mittens, New Thumbs


Hi, Knitters,
Do you remember these stripey Noro Kureyon mittens I was knitting last fall? I knit and Knit and KNIT mittens for a couple of months starting last September. Honestly, I can't remember how many mittens I knitted, some went to charity and lots were gifts. Well, I gave every last mitten away and there were no stripey mittens left in my house.

Miss Molly has a stripey pair I knit for her and she wears them every single day. Quite awhile ago, I was talking to her about her mitten love and she said her sister and mom wear their stripey mittens I knit for them a lot, too. That makes me feel good.

After this conversation, which was a couple of months ago, TC told me that she would really like a pair of stripey mittens. I told her I would knit her some. Time passed, the weather got colder, no mittens were knit. I felt bad.

Last Sunday I decided that today was the day and early in the morning I cast on a pair of stripey Waiting for Winter Mittens for old TC. By the afternoon I had finished the mittens and TC was a very happy girl. Those are her hands in the first photo. Now she's happily wearing them to school this week and it's a good thing because we are having an arctic blast as they say.


I talked all about this stripey version of the Waiting for Winter Mittens on this blog post.


The Noro Kureyon yarn I am using is being recycled from this decade-old project that I pulled apart last fall. Click here to see the old project. And here is all of the yarn I saved.

I Instagrammed about the mittens here, here, and here if you are interested.  


Since TC's mittens were knit out of recycled yarn that was really quite old they definitely needed a wash and a block. The yarn was a little kinked up while I was knitting. 

I love Soakwash for my woolens. Click here to find out more about Soak.


Now the mittens are so soft and they smell great.


On to the other mitten story. Miss Molly's mittens have worn through at the inside of the thumb. This thumb in the photo is threadbare but the other thumb had completely worn out and there was a gigantic hole. The mittens wore out here because Miss Molly had been doing a ton of driving last semester and she thinks the steering wheel was the culprit.


I decided to cut off the thumbs and rip them back to the held stitches from the thumb gusset and put the stitches back on the needles and knit brand new thumbs on both mittens. I pulled out a ball of the recycled Noro Kureyon and began the new thumbs.


I quickly got the stitches back on the needles and knit....


.... and knit...


.... and knit until I had a brand new thumb!


Good as new.


Miss Molly has given the new thumbs on her Waiting for Winter Mittens an official thumb's up.

And with new mittens and the new thumbs I bid you adieu.

Later this week I'll be back with some new socks and some big news. The big news is the reason many of my knitting plans for new and revised patterns have been pushed aside. 

Until then....
xo ~ susan
p.s. I always knit the Waiting for Winter Mittens and Fingerless Mitts on my Dyakraft Darn Pretty Needles double-pointed needles for some reason. I like these dpns a lot, they are warm, smooth and they have a nice point, perfect for mitten knitting. 

15 comments:

Renee Anne said...

I've made several pairs of the mittens forChristmas gifts. We don't really have a need for actual mittens here in California but the fingerless mitts....well, I've not done those yet but I probably should :)

keatime said...

Love the colors of the mittens, so bright and cheery!

Anonymous said...

Such a timely blog post -- this morning I was looking over my queue for the next project to cast on, and decided on your Waiting for Winter Mittens to knit for my daughter! Seeing this post made me even more excited about getting them on my needles, probably tonight!

-KnittingDaddy Greg

Unknown said...

Thumbs Up ! !

Sam I Am...... said...

I'm trying so hard to finish some WIPs but every time I come over here I end up wanting to start something new! LOL! Love those mittens!

Barb said...

Those mittens are perfect! I think they even help make this especially cold enter a lot more fun.

I need to try to make a pair of those, too.

pens and needles said...

I've made mittens, with and without fingers, from your pattern. I'm never able to make the thumb with forming a hole. Wish I could sit with you are you form the thumb to see how to avoid that hole. :( Otherwise, I love your pattern -- it's MY problem, not yours. Is there a quick trick for this?

Susan B. Anderson said...

pens and needles,
You can pick up extra stitches where the holes would be when you start the thumb and then on the next round decrease those away.

I often will leave an extra long end when I reattach the yarn and then when weaving the end in I cinch up those holes on the inside with that end on a yarn needle.

I hope this helps!
susan

Noelle said...

Susan,
Even though I don't always have time to knit, I'm so excited when I see a post from you in my email. You encourage and inspire me to just be a better person after reading what you're up to. Thanks for sharing your insights and the way you give to others in practical ways. I read your posts and don't feel guilty for not being able to knit that day. That's a gift in itself! So appreciate your work.

bitten78 said...

Love those stripey mitts! I've been mourning my loss of winter weather (I know, I know, crazy right?) since I've moved south from New England. We finally have some cold, snow & ice and I'm able to pull out my knits and wish I had some bright mittens! I love seeing your projects, your color sense is so amazing! The Dyakcraft needles- LOVE mine! I have one precious pair of DPN's and treasure them since they may now be irreplaceable!!! Stay Warm, and can not wait to see what you have coming up!

bspinner said...

Love your mittens and also the Polish Pottery. I love and collect it.

Kristi said...

I made several pairs of waiting for winter mittens for Christmas gifts last year. They were a big hit and I had fun making them! Thanks for the pattern! I love your work and I love reading your blog. I'm curious about the big news!

Maureen said...

It's beyond freezing here in New England! I would love to knit a pair for my 6 year old and line them with fleece for extra warmth. Would the child's size accommodate a lining, or should I go up a size (even though I'm afraid they would be too big)? Thanks so much for your help!

Susan B. Anderson said...

Maureen, I would still use the smallest size but I can't say for sure.

Maureen said...

Many thanks, Susan - I'll just play with it and hope for the best! Stay warm...happy knitting!