Sheep Shots: Some Mittnz Answers and Pictures

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Some Mittnz Answers and Pictures

Vivian in CA sent me pictures of the three pairs of Mittnz she has already completed.

The green variegated pair are knit sideways. If you are interested in this construction method (lots of folks knit them last year), you can find the pattern link in the sidebar here. Knitting Nonni has several variations on the sideways theme, including mitts.

Look around at the pictures for inspiration. Then come back for some answers.

Ann, any guidelines, rules ('scuse me, I mean roolz), etc re fiber content of these hand socks? You name it, I can do it, but I figured I'd get the best match if there's a preference of wool vs acrylic vs blend. . .Elizabeth D.

Elizabeth, thank you for asking. Clearly, wool and other animal fibers are warmest. Most of the residents of the reservation don't have access to their own washers and dryers (some of them even heat their water on the stove) and use Laundromat facilities. If the Mittnz are not machine wash and dry, please label them "hand wash, lay flat to dry" or whatever laundry instructions are appropriate. Short answer: Use whatever fiber you have on hand, label if necessary to avoid disasters on the other end.

And on an aside: Your use of the term "hand socks" wondered me (yes, that's Pennsylvania Dutch creeping in). The German word for "glove" is Handschue, literally, "hand shoe. "

I'm curious - on the gifted mittens, did you create the side/hand seam the same way as instructed for the thumb seam on these mittens? I've been wanting to try this pattern too, so thanks for blazing the trail first. debbie/in/nas

Debbie, I chained the thumb, per the instructions, but whip-stitched the side seam. Confession: I wanted to try crocheting that seam, too, but I wasn't sure I had enough yarn. I really wanted to finish that pair with one 50 g. ball just to prove that I could.

Anonymous has left a new comment:

Have you made mittens on your Bond Knitting machine? I generally use dp needles for mittens, since I really do not like to sew up seams.
I wonder if the machine knit mittens are any faster.

No. I have made slippers ( a variation on Aunt Alm's Dorm Boots --see October 17, 2004 entry for details) and I know that there are mitten patterns (or at least one) floating around "out there," though a quick Google search didn't turn up the one I was looking for.

In my experience, the Bond is a great time-saver for vast expanses of stocckinette (think blankets and sweaters), but for the smaller, more fiddly things, the time spent manipulating stitches and seaming balances the time saved. In Other Words: I haven't and probably won't.

(Besides, the Bond was stowed in its box when I expanded the stash shelving.)

Labels: mittnz

// posted by Ann @ 4/12/2008 05:16:00 PM

Comments:

Ann, I didn't even know about the German word -- I was just messing around with language when I said "hand socks." Nothing new under the sun. . .

--Elizabeth D

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