Fiddlehead

My first attempt at stranded knitting was a sweater I made for my Dad. It was fair isle pattern and it took so long to make that by the time it was finished, he had lost weight {very proud of him, since it was after his heart attack} that it no longer fit.

So, mittens seemed a safer pick.

Meet the Fiddlehead Mittens.

I must say, I have never been so proud of making anything in my entire life. I have bored my entire family to death with showing them off, pointing out to them how even the stitching is and how flat the transitions are between the colors.

Quite frankly, they are starting to avoid me.

But, with that said, I have made oven mitt mittens. And they started out even bigger.

I lost one of my needles quite a few times and at one point in time a larger needle got mixed in with the smaller ones. I didn't notice it until I finished one mitten and someone said {was it Emma} 'whatcha making? Oven mitts?'

Yes, very fancy oven mitts.

And that is when I looked at my needles and noticed that one was larger. So, I decided that I wouldn't unravel it until I had made the second one {which would eventually be the first mitten in the pair} just so it wasn't depressing. That is the Knitting Psychology lession #52.

Plus, it allowed me think that the second {soon to be first} mitten was of a normal size. Thus, allowing me to still think I was a fabulous knitter and still enjoy the project.

It's always nice to have something left, when you take apart your hard work.

When I was working on the thumb gusset, I ended up using one of my needle tips from my needlemaster kit. It was barely long enough but made the stranded knitting in the thumb so much easier!

I just love how the motif shows itself on the inside as well in the stranded yarn.

From what I remember from making Dad's sweater, I hated when I had to carry yarn more than just a few stitches. Beyond that, I was having trouble keeping the sweater from puckering.

That and having the color go up in a straight line.

Perhaps I've become a more relaxed, easy going person over the years...

{snicker}

The topmost motif was set in one stitch to accommodate the shaping at the top, which was quite pointy.

I realized on the second mitten {and, of course, I mean the second one which became the first one} that the orange stripe that went up the side was getting lose. I was able to tighten it up as I went but wasn't able to do anything about the rows I'd already knit.

Thankfully, I've already lost some of the perfectionist in me that would have made me tear out the previous rows to get it right because, really, did you notice the loose stitches before I mentioned it?

The yarn tail is threaded through the last stitches and pulled tight to finish off the top. I didn't know if I'd like it, but I do.

The thumb has two colors in it and I was thankful that it didn't show any gauge differences that I sometimes see in my mittens/gloves between the thumb gusset and the top of the thumb. The top also was pointy like the top of the mittens and also had the yarn tail threaded through the last stitches.

It is tricky to hide the knot. I only made it disappear on the top of one of the mittens. You can see it on the other top and the two thumbs.

In between the motifs, the center was different than the center in the middle of the motif.

That one single stitch in the middle {in both centers} there I tried to make loose so that it wouldn't get lost.

I have never made mittens with linings, so this was a new experience for me. I wasn't quite sure where to pick up the stitches in the i-cord beginning. But, straight knitting was a relief after stranded knitting, which was a bit stressful {I might say}.

I was surprised that the top was rounded instead of being shaped the same as the outside.

And, it was here that I realized that my perfect mittens, weren't quite perfect. They were about an 1 1/2 inches too long. So, I had gone from oven mitts to small oven mitts.

{I still love them}

But I did have to make some adjustments when making the thumb gusset for the lining to make up for the gauge difference. I added 3 more knit rows that I put in between the last few increase rows.

The lining turned out wonderful. Two layers of wool.

Now, you might be thinking, 'I thought she lived in the desert. What the heck does she need lined wool gloves?'

{lined with cashmere, even}

Have you ever met my mother? She carries gloves with her all the time. They are in her purse, coats, desk, car, husband's coat pockets {I have no proof on that, but, you know, Mom, that is a good idea}. And she never goes into the cold room in Costco. One day, her fingers' turned white and she went to the doctor because it is freaky when your fingers turn white for no reason. The doctor did tests with thermometers and beakers of cold water. And the reason...

Raynaud's syndrome, which you can get from using a jack hammer...

...or being related to my mom.

Which I happen to be, and each year, my fingers get colder and colder.

And, while I was making my favorite mittens {and thinking they are the finest things I've ever made}, I decided to do something I've never done.

So, last weekend, I wrapped them up...

...and turned them in to be judged at the state fair this year.

Wish me luck!

Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent.
~ Langston Coleman