Fleece Lined Mitts
After dinner today I met up with some fellow knitters at a local (knitting friendly) eatery. The staff were great! They didn’t balk at the three of us sitting down at the table with our hot chocolate, and pulling out our needles, wool and fleece, and settling in for a few hours. I think many patrons got a kick out of our hobby, and some were even brave enough to come over and ask us what we were making.
L-Bo is making a lovely cabled scarf
Barbie G is making a mitten on 2 needles
And me….I’m making the puffy mittens. Did I mention that they are for someone with large hands? Here’s proof!
to compare hand size
When we last left the puffy mittens they were only a cuff. Since then they have grown and developed a thumb gusset, and become considerably more puffy as more fleece was added.
Gusset: K1 P1 K1 P1 K to end of round.
The purl stitches mark the boundary of the thumb gusset. All increases will happen between these two stitches. Increases are made on each side of the thumb gusset every alternate row.
While working the thumb gusset, thrumming must also begin. Fleece is knit into the mitten over 3 stitches, then 3 stitches are knit. The thrumming round is followed by 2 rows of plain knitting.
fleece knit into the mitten (mitten turned inside out)
Thrumming: Step by step
- Separate a small lock of fleece. With the working yarn held to the right, position the middle of the lock over the right hand needle (the working yarn will then come OVER the lock, and fix it in place when the next stitch is knit.)
- Knit a stitch (notice how the fleece is now “trapped” by the wool)
- Put the top of the lock down over the working yarn, and the bottom of the lock up over the working yarn.
- Knit a stitch (the twisted lock is now trapped in place)
- With the working yarn to the right, fold the top part of the lock down, and knit.
- This is what it should look like. The fleece is affixed in such a way that the locks can be combed out without the lock being pulled out of place.
Progress shot of the puffy mitten.
Disclaimer: This is by no means the ONLY way to thrum mittens. I know of two methods, but the person I’m making these for preferred the “hidden thrums”. The other method I know has white flecks (that to some people look like hearts) that show through to the outside of the mitten.
I learned tonight that not everyone approaches a problem the same way. L-Bo watched Barbie G. wind a skein of yarn into a ball, and saw that it took a long time. She decided that instead of winding her yarn, she’d knit straight from the skein! It was working fine for her so far. I’d be tangled up for sure by now! She surely is a fearless knitter!
Tags: art every day, fleece, knitting, mittens, pattern, thrumming, tutorial
