Machine Knit Norwegian Mitten Quest

Pretty as they are, I guess these have to be considered a test sample.  For my average women's hand, there are some adjustments that need to be made.  The cuff isn't long enough for my liking.  Should be 2-3 inches longer so they're more like a gauntlet.  The thumb is a couple stitches too wide and long.  And, the whole mitt is 1/2 inch too wide.  At least I got the techniques down pat that I want to use.  They actually aren't very easy to knit-- getting things back in pattern, for example, after the thumb is knit.  And, if you don't like seaming, these aren't for you.  I designed them in DAK, so making the changes is super simple.  Gotta give 'em a rest for a while, though, and try again some other time.  After knitting  6 or 7 (I lost track) thumbs before one turned out ok, my patience is worn thin.

Last night at the guild meeting there was a huge participation in the mitten/hat/scarf challenge.  There were some good ones and some interesting ones and some freakishly odd ones.  Getting a good looking mitten isn't so easy.  The freakishly odd ones gave us a good laugh.  Something we evidently needed while the wind howled outside and the temps were way below zero fahrenheit.  The guild members rose to the challenge and knit mittens for the Hennepin County Burn Center this month.  I think there were about 30 pairs to donate.  (They go on top of bandages so need to be extra roomy.)  Mary Ann, our charity chairperson, had a final total for 2013.  There were 1100+ items donated to local charities.  I believe that's a record for us and given this winter's personality, they'll be used.

It's actually above zero today AND the sun is shining, an unusual combination for us.  Woo Hoo.  Tomorrow it's back to the deep freeze.  More knitting on the way.

Machine Knit Baby Mittens

Our guild's challenge this month is to knit mittens and, if successful, a scarf and hat to match.  It's supposed to be something we haven't done before, which isn't easy to come up with if you've been knitting a long time.

I'm wanting to knit traditional Norwegian mittens on the machine, with a design on both the back and the palm and a pointed tip. (A different pattern on each half.)  Sounds easy, but takes a little figuring out.  I did do a Norwegian mitt for Knitwords a few years ago, but I'd like to perfect it.  There are lots of free Norwegian mittens out there on the internet, but they mostly require a different gauge and they're hand knit, and knit in the round.  The different gauge is easy enough to calculate and design in DAK, but on my machines, one can't knit a fairisle pattern in the round without a lot of hand manipulating.  So, I've knit a few adult sized ones to practice, but I'm not a happy camper yet.  Will post when I have it mastered.

I'll probably keep on with my Norwegian mitten quest rather than knitting a scarf and hat to match.

If you want to knit these baby mitts, sans thumb, here's the recipe.

     Yarn:  any that knits to about 7 st x 10 rows to the inch.
     Machine:  standard gauge, no ribber required
     Directions:
     Cast on 40 st with waste yarn and knit a few rows.  With main yarn Tension 6, knit 10 rows.       Change to T 7 and knit 10 rows.  Hang a hem from the first row of main yarn.  Remove the waste yarn now or later. RC000. Knit 4 rows plain then a little 4 row fairisle pattern. (See below if you want to use mine.) Knit to RC18.  Either take 1/2 the stitches off on waste yarn or put 1/2 into hold to knit the first half of the tip.  If hold, set machine to hold.  Do a *full fashioned decrease both sides by moving stitch 3 to stitch 2 and moving the 2 stitches toward the center.  Knit 2 rows.*  Continue until you have just a few st left (can't remember if it's 4 or 3), decrease and bind off.  Return the other half to working position and finish the same as the first half.  For the don't -lose 'm -cord, knit a 3 stitch I cord at T 3 for 260 rows (24").  I got the 24 inch measurement from standard garment styling in DAK for newborns.  Guess I could have made it a little longer just to be safe.  Next time.  Mattress stitch the side seam taking care to take only one stitch each side so that when you get to the tip, you can still see the nice ff decreases.  Securely attach the cord on the outside of each mitt, hide any ends.

Here's a diagram of how I constructed them:

Here's the little fairisle pattern:

Our guild knits and donates baby items, so that's where these will go.  Super easy not having to do a thumb.   You could knit these on any gauge machine.  The height for a newborn is about 3.5" and the width folded is about 2.25 inches.

I had a fabulous time in sunny southern California.  The night I returned home it was 95 degrees difference between there and here.  Hard to believe it's the same planet.

  Luca loved his little kitchen and all that went with it.  Since I returned home,  it has warmed up a bit, but today the winds bring the feel of the temp way down.    Guess I'll just stay in and knit.  I'm knitting 9 more Minnetonka High School ski team hats, so that keeps me out of trouble.  That's 20 for the year for new team members and family.  Would love to have a picture of them all in their hats, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you are.  If you have knit Norwegian mittens on your machine, I'd love to hear from you!