Yarn: Inca Alpaca Yarn – Less than one skein.
Pattern: School Color Mittens by Vicki Howell from Not Another Teen Knitting Book.
Needles: #5 DPNs. (Crystal Palace 6″ Bamboo)
I made some pattern adjustments (obvs. only used one color) but since these are my first Mittens, it took me a while to get the best outcome from the pattern. Then duplicating it again for the second mitten went better.
First Mittens
-CO 40 sts. (10-10-10-10). Join. Work K2P2 rib for 2 3/4 inches (20 rounds)
-Change to Stockinette St. Inc 1 stitch at end of next round (41sts)
Shape Thumb Gusset:
-K20, PM, M1L, K1, M1R, PM, K to end (43sts)
-Knit 1 rnd
-*Knit to marker, slip marker, M1L, knit to next marker, M1R, slip marker, knit to end (45sts)
-Knit 2 rounds even
-Continue from *, inc in this manner (2 sts every 3 rounds) 5 times – 15 gusset sts between markers
-On next rnd, remove marker and place gusset sts on holder. Make 1 st over gap left by gusset, knit to end of rnd (41sts)
-Work even until st st part of mitten measures 5 3/4 inches. [Placed marker to denote round count vertically - don't remove until finished in case you have to frog!] (23 rounds.) On next rnd, dec 1 st (40sts)
-*K8, K2Tog*, repeat around. [Placed another marker to denote round count vertically in case I messed up decreases and had to frog-- which I did several times.]
-Knit 1 rnd even
-Repeat these 2 rnds (dec 1 st every round) until 24 sts remain (6sts on each needle)
-Dec 1 rnd every rnd until 8 sts remain (2 sts on each needle)
-Cut yarn, thread tail through remaining sts, pull tight, fasten to inside.
Thumb:
[This is where I derailed from the pattern- first I worked in Purl where the pattern says to knit. I purled counter clockwise from the gusset so I could keep the stockinette stitch going around the thumb.]
-Place thumb sts on 3 dpns. Pickup 3 sts over gap and join. (19 sts) [The pattern says to pickup 1 but it left this huge hole in the gusset. I picked up 1 double st on the first needle and 2 double sts on the 3rd needle and that seemed to close the hole better. You just have to dec until you end up with 16sts total then proceed working the thumb.]
-Work in the round for 1 1/2 inches (9 rounds) from the pickup round. [I put a marker at the end (of 3rd needle) in case I had to frog back.] Where I had to decrease I used P2Tog – So I ended up with 16 sts total. (On the first round I started with P2Tog for the first 2 sts on needle 1 and P2Tog twice with the last 4 sts on needle 3. – On the next round I just had to P2Tog on the last 2 sts on needle 3.)
-P2Tog, P3, P2Tog, P3, P2Tog, P4 (13 sts)
-Purl 1 round even.
-Continue to dec 3 sts even across every other rnd, 2 more times until 7 sts remain.
-Work 1 more dec row (4sts)
-Cut yarn, thread tail through remaining sts, pull tight, fasten yarn to inside.
-Weave in all ends.
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