A Friday Knitting Snack - Mirk Wood Mitts

Stash busting is an art, don't you think?  Well, I need to be an artist, because I'm that person in the knit group that always takes the lonely ball of giveaway yarn that no one wants.  I'm also the one who comes home with a pile of dubious thrift store mohair to stick in the freezer.  And yes yes, I'm the one who always says yes to that cone of bulky acrylic bouclé.

(by the way, always freeze thrift shop yarn twice to prevent moths!!)

One of the reasons I got into pattern testing was to stash-bust.  I try to never buy yarn for any test knit.  I've only failed to follow this edict once, for my anatomically-correct clarinet socks.  You can see why I just had to go out an buy the right colors!

My Clarinet Thigh-High on Ravelry

About fingerless gloves.  I said recently that I was picky about cowls.  Well, I'm even more picky about fingerless gloves.  Actually, I don't really like gloves, I like wristlets.

But I made an exception for the lovely Mirk Wood Mitts by Natalia Demakova (which have a thumb hole but no thumb) because I like that pointy cuff thingy that lithe young things had on their gowns in medieval times... 

Emerald Empress's Mirk Wood Mitts on Ravelry

Is it a leaf, or a Star Trek alien skin, I wonder?

Good things about this pattern:

First, it only used 90 yards of fingering weight yarn.  Yesss!  Second, it's quite fun to make as the stitch is changing all the time.  Third, it has this nifty little ring on the finger to stop it from twisting... something which is a pet peeve of mine in fingerless gloves/wristlets.

I attached the ring to the point to keep it even more aligned.  

I'm not sure it worked, the point still flips up a bit.  But I feel like it flipped up even more without the attachment.

If you attempt this pattern, it's really important that you have a nice slip stitch edge, especially for the leaf points.  To do this, always slip the first stitch purlwise with the yarn in back, and then purl the last stitch.

In Montréal, there's not much time to wear a fingerless glove.  Maybe for that one week of fall before winter, lol.  Here it is with the coat I wear 2 weeks per year (spring/fall):

I've been thinking though, should I jam the glove under a mitten for more warmth??

Yeah, let's force our knits to work for us!

My Leafy on Ravelry 

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