19-10-2019

Learned a few things about thrums, and fascinated by the process of lengthening the roving - feeling the first twinkles of interest in spinning. Uh oh!

Using this method for making thrums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsYjCFuqP28 Have given up trying to pull the thrums through with my needle and instead pull through with a crochet hook and then knit through the thrum and the stitch.

Going with an afterthought thumb as recommended in the pattern, even though I’d never heard of one before.

Have gotten lost a few times (forgot one entire needle worth of thrums, ended up with an extra stitch somewhere) but the project seems very forgiving.

21-10-2019

Finished the hand part of the first mitten, complete with my first kitchener stitch graft, and hated how peaked the fingertips were, so I pulled it all out (admittedly, the kitchener stitch had been a little sloppy) and pulled back two rows and tried it again. Still didn’t like it, so I undid it all again and frogged four more rows, which brought me into thrum territory - that was a mistake. Putting thrums in is pretty easy; taking them back out again is a messy fibrous hell. I think I might have lost a couple of stitches, but I got it done and it’s better, but still not great.

Note for mitt #2: start the decreases as mentioned, but bind off after 16 rows of thrums plus two knit rows.

Trying to decide if I tackle the afterthought thumb or cast on for mitten #2 next. Also wondering why the pattern doesn’t specify that the thumb slot should be on the other side of needle #1 so the palms are together and you don’t have two of the same sided mitten.

23-10-2019

Finished the first mitten. The afterthought thumb had me completely perplexed. Tried to follow a tutorial but couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but I understood the basic idea and seem to have pulled it off. Huge gaping holes on either side, but I stitched those in with the tail.

Note for mitt #2: start the thumb decrease two rows after the fourth row of thrums.

27-10-2019

Finished! Overall, this was a fun and forgiving first-ever mitten project. Still not sure about the afterthought thumb method. For the second mitten, I don’t know why the pattern doesn’t suggest you move the thumb to the other side of the first needle but I did (so there are distinct L and R mitts.) This tutorial was helpful for the thumb, and seemed to leave a smaller hole: https://whiletheyplaydesigns.com/2017/12/10/tutorial-afte...

These are too long for my preference. If I make them again for me, I’ll start the decrease rows three inches after the thumb / six from the cuff, and bind off with 18 stitches left on the needles.

We’ll have to wait for the deep cold to settle in and see if these can withstand an Ottawa winter, but they sure feel cozy!

10-11-2019

Post script: It’s finally cold enough to wear these. I’m not convinced they’ll be great at keeping out a biting wind at -20C, but they may get better at keeping the wind out when the roving felts up a bit more. The left one is somehow comically longer than the right one and rather floppy, so when (not if) I make another pair, I’d probably start the decreases 5.5” or 6” from the cuff instead of 7”. An extra half inch or inch in the ribbing wouldn’t hurt either.