Mittens and Scarf

I was on a finishing kick the other day, so I finished the Pine Tree Scarf off. It looks really pretty, and I'm sure Mommy will like it. And then I decided to finish up the first of a pair of mittens intended for my Dad. But I've been making this pattern up as I go, and it turned out all wompy. I started out by trying to make it extra large, so I knit a lot of cuff and hand before putting in the thumb opening. Then I picked up stitches for the thumb, but there seemed to be too many (like 22!) so the thumb was turning out too wide. So I decreased in the middle of the thumb, which left it looking like a rocket with several stages. Then I added Fair Isle across the finger section, which turns out to be a funny looking place for a little design. And finally, when I ended it off, it was too soon, given the dimensions of the other parts of the mitten. So the thumb is too close to the top.

So now I have a couple of choices. I could undo the finishing, undo the thumb, and add more length and try to decrease the thumb in a more rational manner.

Or I could start all over, knit another mitten using an actual pattern, and then knit a third mitten, unraveling this one for extra yarn if needed.

Or I could press on and make one which matches the wompy one.

I'm thinking maybe I'll use the actual pattern for the garter stitch mittens and just make a pair like that. Should be fast and do-able, and it should produce a pair of mittens that actually look like normal mittens.

In my angst over the wompy mitten, I decided to try something simple instead. (Sock is on pause at the moment. I needed Sam's foot to measure before I do the same stupid thing to it. He's home now, but it will have to wait a bit yet.)

So anyhow, Nancy and Tesesa both made good looking fingerless mitts by making a simple rectangle of 2 x 2 rib and then seaming it up, leaving a hole for the thumb. So I decided to make a pair of those for Karen for Christmas. The nice thing is that in worsted weight and size 8 needles, they go so fast. Even for me. I'm using the second skein of the Ocean Blues that I used for Kristen's mittens last year. I'll call these Maine Morning Mitts. And I'll finish them this weekend and then get back to mittens for Daddy, followed by the never-ending socks for Sam.

Also, I've decided on what I want for Christmas: a simple-to-use digital camera! And then I will illustrate my blog, like every other blogger on the planet! And I'll have pics for my Ravelry page! I'll ask Kristen to pick out a suitable camera for me. And I'll use the laptop to easily upload the pics. Then the world can see the wompy mittens.