Genia's Blog

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December 02, 2004

December

And I was just writing about it being November! Tomorrow is my little guy's 6th birthday. Talk about time flying, last week he also lost his first tooth and now has another loose. He'll be a toothless wonder before long and asking Santa for front teeth.

With everyone running around looking for gifts for this holiday season, I thought I would offer to you a few really quick gifts that you might even be able to knit from available stash (depending of course on what your current stash looks like.)

This first pattern is one that my dear daughter Myla had requested on the evening before going on vacation. They are mittens that I was able to knit up in an evening. Please note that I am not a speedy knitter rather a marathon knitter (slow and steady.) The scarf I knit to match the mittens will come later.

Myla's Mitts:

size 9 dpns (you'll need 4) or two circulars or a 40 inch long if you prefer to knit using the magic loop.
One skein of chunky yarn**
Waste yarn -- approximately 16 inches per mitten of a contrasting color.
Yarn needle
Stitch marker

**Chunky Yarn: if you don't have a chunky yarn be creative! Pull together two or three yarns that will look really cool together. Throw in something furry, or eyelash, or the railroad Eros type yarn. The idea behind these mitts to keep the hands warm, look neat, and knit up quick.

Cast on 22 stitches, place marker, join and knit a ribbing of either k1, p1 or k2, p2 for 10 rounds. Your piece will measure approximately 2 to 2-1/2 inches. If you prefer a longer cuff - hey go for it. They're your mitts.

Knit every row (sliding your marker as you go) until the stocking stitch part of the mitten measures 2-1/2 inches. If you pulled the mitten on, it should reach the webbing part of your thumb or the thumb of the intended hand.

Here is where your waste yarn comes in. Knit one stitch beyond your marker and drop your yarn. Pick up your waste yarn (fold it in half) and leaving a tail of about 3" inches knit the next 5 stitches; turn and knit back the same 5 stitches. This is where your thumb will go.

Now pick up your main yarn and continue knitting in the round (it's okay to knit over the thumb stitches) until the piece measures to the top of the little/pinky finger.

Decrease the round by two stitches. (20 stitches) The purpose for this decrease round it make the rest of the decrease rounds even. Knit one round.

Rnd 1: knit 3 stitches, k2tog around to marker.
Rnd 2 and every even rnd: knit
Rnd 3: knit 2 stitches, k2tog to marker.
Rnd 5: knit 1, k2tog.
Rnd 6 knit

Check your mitten length now. If it is long enough to cover your hand, break yarn leaving a 8 inch tail and draw the yarn through the live stitches using your yarn needle. Finish and weave in the tail. If it is not long enough, knit another round. Then finish as described above.

Thumb:

Using a dpn, pick up the 5 stitches just below the waste yarn. Then using another dpn pick up the 5 stitches above the waste yarn. Now cut the waste yarn and pick it out.

Pick up and knit the bottom thumb stitches (knit 5 sts) and pick up two stitches on the side. Knit the top 5 stitches, picking up two stitches on the opposite side. Use your favorite method of picking up stitches, or you can pick up the loop below the last and first stitch of the thumb opening.

Knit one round on all 14 stitches.

Next round, k4, k2tog, ssk, k4, k2tog, ssk. (10 stitches remain)

Knit every round until the thumb measures to top of the thumb. Break yarn leaving a 6 - 8 inch tail and draw the yarn through the live stitches pulling them tight and weaving in the tail.

One mitten done. Now knit the second.

Clear as mud? or still too murky? Let me know. Now get knitting folks, the Holidays have begun!!

Posted by Genia at December 2, 2004 11:55 AM

Comments

Posted by: Dani at December 2, 2004 01:19 PM