How to repair Olympic Red Mittens
It seems that these mittens are starting to come apart with a bit of wear. I guess I have developed quite a reputation as a knitter, because people at work have started to bring me their mittens to fix. Since I do have a soft spot for red mittens, even if they are machine knit from an inexpensive loosely spun acrylic fiber, I agreed to do what I could. I fixed two different pairs of mittens today!
The most common issue seems to be stitches that are not knit into the next row, or stitches that break because the yarn has worn thin, or ends that were once woven in that are now coming loose. To fix the problem of a loose stitch, sew a thread through the stitch, and tie a knot leaving a long tail at each end.
The thread will hold on to the stitch to make sure that it wont run. Examine the stitches around the area. Determine where the stitch “should” go, and insert the needle there. Since the mitten is lined, the needle needs to stay between the knitted layer and the lining layer. Bring the needle back up through the knitted layer a few inches away. Pulling on the thread should tug on the loose stitch, which might need some gentle coaxing or directing with a knitting needle to fall into place.
Work in the ends of the thread as you’d usually work in the ends of your yarn when you knit.
You can hardly tell which mitten was fixed!
Are your red mittens falling apart?
Tags: knitting, knitting olympics, mittens, tutorial, vancouver 2010
