Cutting My Losses
Stranded mittens are not my forté.
I had high hopes for the pair I started on Sunday, but they weren’t meant to be.
I originally cast on for the Selbu Mittens in the book, Folk Mittens, but quickly discovered the thumb instructions are completely wrong. A quick check on Ravelry confirmed that there is extensive errata, i.e, the chart and the written instructions have been wholly replaced.
Not wanting to mess with that, I found this nice manly pattern on Knitty. But I didn’t like the thumb so I used a peasant thumb instead.
Unfortunately, now that I’ve opened up the thumb and knit to the point where I should begin the decreases, I’ve come to the bitter conclusion that the mitten is too small for its intended recipient.
I’m nothing if not a pragmatist. Plus, as Elizabeth Zimmerman once wrote, “Nothing is horrider than a tight mitten.”
This means, of course, that the mitten will be frogged.
Tomorrow
Really
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Susan | knitting, mittens
you need to be a Prince Charming and find the Cinderella the mitten fits
I really want to learn to knit multi colored mittens but I feel overwhelmed by the idea. I need a class or something.
Oh, too bad, they are beautiful! Have a great Thanksgiving!
You’re over-thinking it. They’ll fit fine! They fit me!
So sad that the mittens are too small, but try again, with another pattern. Mittens are fun to knit.
Isn’t there someone with smaller hands?? It’s such a beautiful mitten!
I think I’d forge on and find a new recipient. If I rip it out completely, it stays that way.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Finish the mittens (they are beautiful) and donate them to someone who needs them.
That is a nice manly mitten pattern! I don’t remember seeing those before. I started some men’s mittens using the Norwegian Mitten pattern from interweave knits a couple of years ago, in a black/gray color scheme. I loved the way they were looking but I never finished them. Maybe I should dig them out!
Frog ‘em if it satisfies your disappointment but if it makes you sad, just finish them and they’ll fit someone. They are beautiful!
I have had awful, disappointingly tight mittens. The ones I’m knitting now are lovely though. Maybe I should blog them since it’s been, what? A week? I would completely suck at that NaMoBloWhatever.
Sorry, but I’m in the “find a smaller recipient” camp on this one. Way too good-looking to frog. I have very small hands, by the way.
I add my voice to the others, saying “don’t frog them, just find someone with smaller hands!” Of course, I’ve made the Endpaper Mitts twice now, and have yet to get hte right gauge to have a pair for myself (arrgh), so it’s encouraging to see that it’s not just me!
Whatever you do, don’t let them sit. They didn’t take that long to knit, so I say finish them and make another, bigger pair.
And you are funny. Extensive errata: the whole chart and all of the written instructions. That is something.
It seems a shame to frog them. And now I’m worried! I am making a pair out of a traditional Swedish mitten book for my DH’s uncle. Any children you know who would love a pair of warm mittens? Or a singleton makes a great puppet
I know you won’t listen to anybody telling you to finish what you have, so good luck with the reknitting!
or, just maybe, give them to someone else? it just seems a shame after you’ve gotten this far.
No, no. You just need to find a one-armed person with a small hand.
Shew, woman, takes strength to frog something that lovely. Do whatever puts your heart at peace. Blue skies!
but what a perfect home for a Hedgehog from Jan Brett’s “The Mitten” (http://janbrett.com/hedgie_sock_puppet_project_page.htm)
So sorry about that! Especially, since I have FOLK MITTENS just crying out to me to open it up and attempt a mitten.
I’m thinking they would fit me just fine!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Too bad, because that’s a nice looking mitten. Happy Thanksgiving!
Dang. That’s too bad about the mittens.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Susan! I hope to see you in a few weeks when I’m down visiting with Margene & Norma!
Thanks so much for posting the link to the errata. I was looking at that pattern this morning thinking I could bat out a pair in time for a Christmas gift. I would have had a few evenings of gnashing my teeth until I figured out the problems. Those you’re making are so lovely that I may consider something like that also.
I’ve knit a few pairs of mittens from Folk Mittens without errors but fortunately I never tried the Selbu Mittens. I can’t wait to see your manly mittens!