You’ve seen this bad boys before. Many times. You know that they broke my heart.

For a long time (actual length of time: the hours it took to knit the second mitten), I thought that it was my own thumb that was the problem here. Looking back now, when a pattern makes you think this, it is an evil pattern. I thought going up a needle size would fix the issue so I did that with the second one. It didn’t – so I cast on for a third one.

Finally I came to my senses, realizing that my thumb does not spring forth from the palm of my hand. Length of time this took me: the year or so that they sat in a dark corner of the WIP chest. In the August WIP-smack-down, I took them out, wove in the ends, blocked them (again) and declared that they were D.O.N.E.

They are very pretty, and I would love to make them again someday, with A PROPER GAUGE GUIDE, AND THUMBS THAT ACTUALLY FIT THE HUMAN HAND, but this won’t happen until I stop having cat-mitten-shaped nightmares, or shuddering when I see stranded scrolls.

They’re nice and warm to wear, and they don’t immediately look as though one is bigger than the other. And if I’m sitting in a stationary position and not wanting to do anything at all, except clutch my thumb into the ridiculous place the mitten puts it, then they’re absolutely fine and lovely!

Isn’t S. a simply febulous mitt-model?

Moving on from the Mitten Anger

I have tentatively drawn up a pattern (so far, in my head) for the beardy hat. I have also found some yarn that would do for it. Fingers crossed! (Except when I need them to knit with.)