My Pinions FO

Pattern: My Pinions

Inspiration: Pinion Mitts by Veronik Avery

Source: Brooklyn Tweed Look Book Winter 13

Yarn: Viking of Norway Sportsgarn

Source: Passionknit Toronto

Colours: 102, 113, 115, 117

Needles: 3mm straights and dpn`s

Start: February 9 Finish: August 18, 2013

Modifcations: Used DK instead of Fingering Weight Yarn - necessary for gauge change outlined below

Garter stitch worked flat and seamed down the palm with a three needle bind off worked wrong side out. Graphic. Modern. Love em! I had dk yarn on hand for a while waiting for the right mitten ìdea to come along. But the pattern called for fingering. Oh heck, I`d just use the schematic from the website, the visual from the Brooklyn Tweed Look Book, my swatch and hand measurements and dive right in. Who needs a pattern?

Apparently I do. After quickly whipping up a couple of flat "hands" I stitched one up into a tube to find my tallest finger protruded ever so slightly above the top.

So I did what any mature knitter would do - shoved the whole works in a bag, shoved the bag into a cupboard and moved on to something less irritating more entertaining to knit.

Up north at the cottage a couple of months later, however, that bag emerged from the load of knitting miscellany I took up to work on over the summer. In fresh surroundings the project seemed less "why did I bother" and more "how can I fix this?".

So... I added cuffs to both sewn sections to get an accurate idea of length at the wrist using the darker grey of the stripes that run "cuff-ward".

Then I worked out the thumb details with a rapidly dwindling amount of black yarn. To be safe I conserved yarn on the first thumb, knit the second to best advantage and then, assured I had enough to re make that first thumb to match, re-knit Thumb #1.

With cuffs and thumbs finalized I rechecked the overall length and it remained just a tad short. So I seamed the existing sides of the finger tip sections before picking up and knitting in the round at the tip using the lighter grey from the stripes running towards the top of the mitts. I lost the nice squared off top profile getting the needed additional length - especially after decreasing for a rounded top but form follows function right?

I could consider this to have been a collection unnecessary steps but with hindsight I see if I'd knit to the full nine inch length from the beginning I would have run out of black yarn before finishing the second mitt and honestly that would have been more time consuming to fix than this was.

As for the mitts themselves they will be great  for the fall - not heavy enough for the depth of winter but good enough for the days between warm and cold.

The afterthought thumb is not my favourite...

Its unfortunate the way moving the thumb pulls the handsome mid-palm seam out of alignment. I also prefer the function and comfort of a thumb gusset but its fun to try different approaches.

They still have a modern look and graphic quality - the features that originally drew my attention. I just have to look past the fact the finger tip looks like a contrasting toe cap on a sock.

There were, of course, ends to deal with. I left them hang on the first mitt  - bad idea but wove them in as I went on the second - much better.

I'm happy with them and Darling Daughter proclaimed them "really nice!" High praise indeed!

So that's my o-pinion on my-pinions (groan!) Thanks for dropping by!