Yesterday started out with skies clearer than we've seen, but it was so co-o-old and it stayed cold all day. When the weather is frightful it's so nice to wrap up in the warmth of wool scarves, hats and mittens. I've found that fingers just don't stay warm enough in gloves.
Fingers are happier snuggled together in a warm nest of wool. In my last post on mittens I said they weren't very comfortable and it was Sylvia's comment that helped me see the light. She said the fit of a mitten could make a difference and it was then I realized fingers confined in a too small area were unhappy. One must find the right mitten, the right fit and style.
In an effort to find the perfect fit I wore all the mittens shown in that last post. When wearing them one after the other the one I thought would be the least likely to be comfortable was best pair for comfort and warmth. The worsted weight yarn of the Bird in Hand has softened with wear and the stranded fabric is extra warm for very cold days. The best part is there is plenty of room to wiggle the fingers. Wiggle room makes them easier to wear and easier on the psyche, abating finger claustrophobia. The answer is to find mitten patterns with a nice sized "finger box".
Now that I have some idea of what it is that makes a mitten work for me, which styles best fits my needs, I'm ready to start knittin' mittens. Leftover worsted yarn (ahh, Beaverslide!), along with Kirsten's new mitten pattern (ONE of her many new mitten patterns) combine to make a very nice project. Who'd a thought a month ago I'd be joining NaKniMitMo09 (another Rav link). Maybe this mitten thing will work out after all. Are you happy now, Katherine?
heh heh finger claustrophobia.. that's a good one.
Posted by: Teyani | January 28, 2009 at 03:16 AM
You've become a joiner;-) Love the mitten and I'm so glad the Bird In Hand mittens are getting used. How's the sweater going??? You are still working on Wisteria, right?
Posted by: cindycindy | January 28, 2009 at 04:44 AM
Now, see, I've just finished a pair of mittens and decided I hate wearing mittens. My fingers get cold without wool snuggled up to each one. It's hard to get my keys out of my pockets. These mittens are just awkward to wear. I'll probably start a pair of gloves as soon as I finish the never-ending scarf. Each to his or her own!
Posted by: Lynn | January 28, 2009 at 04:52 AM
Yay for mittens! Enjoy them.
Posted by: Nora | January 28, 2009 at 04:52 AM
Mittens used to bug the heck out of me, but I find myself wearing (and knitting) them more and more. You're right, fit is key.
Posted by: Ruth | January 28, 2009 at 04:59 AM
Lovely, lovely mittens. Thanks for the tips about mittens and fit. Makes perfect sense.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 28, 2009 at 05:09 AM
I love mittens the best....my hands are always much warmer in them! I am very sad though for I recently lost my handspun red mittens :(.
Posted by: Kim | January 28, 2009 at 05:13 AM
Ooooo... I have one lone skein of BSDG sitting with no purpose (Well...maybe it does now!), and I might have some more when I'm done Amanda. And then of course, there are the other sweater's worth of skeins, but we won't talk about that right now.
Posted by: Anne | January 28, 2009 at 06:03 AM
A mitten convert? I would have never predicted it from your last post on mittens.
Posted by: Wool Winder | January 28, 2009 at 06:31 AM
Indeed - cramped fingers are crabby, mitten-hatin' fingers! My goodness, how many Na...Mo09s can you join?!
Posted by: Chris | January 28, 2009 at 06:56 AM
Hooray for mittens! Your new ones are beautiful.
Posted by: caroleknits | January 28, 2009 at 07:01 AM
Yep. Warmth can't be beat with wiggling fingers. I LOVE my stranded babies.
Posted by: Laurie | January 28, 2009 at 07:04 AM
EZ has a very funny comment in one of her books (KWT, maybe?) about too-tight mittens.
You'd probably like the Very Cabley Mittens (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/very-cabley-mittens#). They're very boxy and comfy.
Posted by: susan | January 28, 2009 at 07:13 AM
Love mittens, and my fave pair is quite aged - must knit another pair ... wish I'd know about NaKniMitMo09 sooner!
Posted by: Joy | January 28, 2009 at 07:34 AM
I do love that mitten!
Posted by: Heather Joins The Round | January 28, 2009 at 07:55 AM
Cute! And it looks like there's plenty of finger room in that one.
Posted by: Cheryl S. | January 28, 2009 at 08:42 AM
Ooo, that little tidbit is very helpful! I'm knitting my first pair of mittens and wasn't sure for what size I should aim!
Posted by: grumperina | January 28, 2009 at 08:42 AM
The way it is snowing this morning, I could use a new pair of mittens. Great pattern. I'll hop on over there.
Posted by: JJ | January 28, 2009 at 08:43 AM
I can see Kirsten's last mitten pattern being perfect for you..I've just not clicked the buy now yet..being on dial up, it could take me a few days to complete the process..Happy you're ''gettin smitten with mittens' They are a nice portable diversion~
Posted by: Dianne | January 28, 2009 at 09:36 AM
hmmm I'm not a big mitten fan myself, maybe I need to think about the fit too. I don't really remember why I don't like them, it might be a throwback to childhood and having an issue.
I'm glad to hear you figured out your mitten dilemma! ;o)
Posted by: JessaLu | January 28, 2009 at 10:12 AM
I am happy. Are you happy that I literally dreamed of knitting GLOVES last night? I got Folk Knitting in Estonia and suddenly my glove-phobia is overshafowed by glove-lust. Seems like we (well, and some designers) are influencing each other's hand-covering-knitting-choices.
I still wear my mittens, though, with great love.
Posted by: Katherine | January 28, 2009 at 10:13 AM
I've been thinking of a new pair of mittens and I'm leaning towards another stranded pair. I think Eunny's Anemoi might be the winner for me. I can't wait to see how your new mittens come out.
Posted by: Stephanie | January 28, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Here are some thoughts I tried to share at Grumperina's blog today, re the same issue, but I kept getting error messages. Maybe your blog likes me better today!
As far as mitten ease and fit:
The difference between gloves and mittens, is that gloves need to fit like (yes, wait for it!) a GLOVE for comfort and useability, but not so mittens. An analogy would be the difference in ease & knitted fabric characteristics between a fine-gauge knitted shell, and a real genuine Aran or gansey pullover. Think about the fabric density and how that translates to the ease that the knitted object needs to have. I know this sounds obvious, but it may not be so much to everyone. So a mitten needs to be significantly bigger than your hand to fit 'right', if knit at usual mitten gauge (sturdier, denser fabric).
Also, try holding your hand in mitten position with fingers together (as though you're greeting an visitor from outer space or are in a cheesy old Western pretending to be Chief Somebody). Then hold it that same way for 60 seconds. Starts to get uncomfortable!: you need room to spread and bend your fingers, and the gauge of a mitten (given its function) again should be rather denser/sturdier than that of a glove, so won't 'give' as much. (Since there really isn't any too much blocking to size with a mitten, just gentle blocking a bit to settle the colorwork down, what you knit is what you get, mostly.)
Same idea for length, a bit more is better: a mitten I made recently looked fine, was 1/2 inch or so longer than my hand, but in wear, the tip of my middle finger kept touching the end (when you bend your fingers, it changes the 3-D relationships, plus the hand kind of settles into the mitten), and it drove me crazy. I ended up ripping and reknitting it almost an inch longer and now it's great.
It's warmer too when there's a small shell of air around your hand to trap the heat (then that sturdy knitted layer to keep it in).
Just my random mitten musings, hopefully they won't get eaten this time!
Posted by: Cathy-Cate | January 28, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Love, love , love that pink mitten! I wish I was in more of a mitten knittin' mood myself!
Posted by: gale (she shoots sheep shots) | January 28, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Mitten lover!
xo
Posted by: Cookie | January 28, 2009 at 11:07 AM