FO 2005-23: Hooray for Urban Broads

Dec 29, 2007 update: The thumbs were operated on to make them convertible too. If you make these, consider making a thumb cap so you can expose the tip of your thumb. It makes picking up and holding objects easier.


Patterns:

• Marnie MacLean's Hooray for Me Gloves
• Janis Cortese's Broad Street Mittens
• Colleen Michele Meagher's Urban Necessity

Yarn: Trekking XXL, 65gms, Color = 90
Needles: Addi Turbos 3.0mm, Crystal Palace 3.0mm DPNs
Technique: 2 mitts on 2 circulars, tubular cast-on
Gauge: 33sts/4", stst

They're finished and I'm wearing them as I type. Views of the glove:


I haven't done anything to secure the mitt cap in this position--I may add something as it has a tendency to flap around.

Views of the mitt:



For back of the mitten cap, I used stitch pattern Stansfield #11 from Charlene Schurch's book

Sensational Knitted Socks

More about that book later.

To start, I knit both gloves using the Hooray for Me Gloves pattern with the following changes.

• Cast-on both gloves using a tubular cast-on.
• Mirror the thumb gore shaping to make the left glove.
• After moving the thumb sts to waste yarn and completing that round, add a lifeline. It's a reference for the mitten cap.
• Before starting the index finger, I don't "Fold glove so that thumb is to one side and folded in half." I like having the thumb slightly forward on each glove, so I leave the gloves as they are on the needles.
• To avoid holes between the fingers, I picked up more stitches than called for and knit them together. For example if the pattern said to pick up 2 stitches, I'd pick up 2 sts & knit them together, pick up and k1 st, pick up and k1 st, and pick up 2 sts and knit them together. That makes a total of 4 new sts. Knit around until there's one st before the first new st. Knit that st and the first new st tog, k2 sts, k2tog.
• Similarly, if the instructions are to CO 2 sts between the fingers, I'll CO 4 sts. Then on the next round, k the last live st tog with the first new CO st, k2, then k2tog.
• The fingers were a little short, so I added a few rounds to each finger.
• Follow the instructions for starting the thumb, but work it on 4 DPNs.

Knit the thumb decrease as in the Broad Street Mitten pattern.

The mitten cap starts off like the Urban Necessity.

• Pick up 33 sts along the back of each mitten. I positioned mine 3 rows above the lifeline after the thumb join, but you should put it wherever it's comfortable for you. Just make sure it's above the thumb join.
• After knitting across the back of the mitt cap, cast on 30 sts and join as described in Urban Necessity. If you'd like to have a stitch pattern on the back of the mitt, start it now. Knit a 1x1 rib along the palm side of the mitt cap.
• When you have 1 inch of ribbing, continue to work in the round and knit across the palm side of the mitt cap increasing 3 sts evenly across. Total # of sts along the palm side of the mitt cap is now 33sts. Work the palm in st st, and the back of the mitt cap in the st pattern of choice.

Work the mitt cap until it is about 3 inches long--or whatever length works for your hands--then start the star decrease.

• *k9, k2tog, PM* around
• knit 1 round
• Decrease Round: *k until there are 2 sts before the marker, k2tog, slip marker* around

Continue to alternate the Decrease Round with a knit round until there are 5 sts between the markers. Decrease Round each round until there's a total of 6 sts. Cut the yarn and thread the end through the live sts.

A nicer, more symmetrical decrease would start like this:
k9, ssk, *k9, k2tog* twice, k9 ssk, *k9 k2tog* twice

As I'm looking at my mitts, I wish I had done it that way. But I've already knit the mitt caps twice and I can't think of knitting the decreases again.

So there you have it, 3 patterns thrown in a Cuisinart => warm hands.

Related posts:
Mittens in California?
Phalanges