aswim in knits

Monday, November 07, 2005

Shooting Mittens

The Christmas gift Shooting Mittens are done! I hear that this style is also known as a lobster claw mitten.

Here is how they look, being modeled by my superstar husband, Thom. (Hey, Thom, if you're reading this, just be glad that I don't ask you to model like Lauren's FHBF!)
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And, here they are, posed restfully against my $10 faux-pashmina-as-artistic backdrop.
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In answer to a question from my comments, I used the Magic Loop technique for these mittens, as I do for many small items knitted circularly. For the uninitiated, the ML method uses a long circular needle to knit small circumference items. While a google search might yield some directions, the best instructions I found were in the Fiber Trends Magic Loop booklet (click for a photo of the technique, too).

I also used the ML technique on my Broadripple socks. I just realized that I never posted a photo of the finished socks laying flat, so here it is...
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(Click for larger, if you want). The socks are more orange in real life -- a nice rich coral color.

I knitted these using the ML technique, 2 socks at once, so that I could be sure they were identical. I had to readjust the stitches, with the aid of stitch holders, as I turned the heel. If I had been less impatient, I'm sure I could have set up the socks so that I didn't have to move them around. Even so, I still love this technique, as I can finish both at the same time and avoid "Second Sock Syndrome".

I also knitted both shooting mittens at the same time, with the exception of the thumb/single finger parts, as there was just too much extra fabric and hanging yarn and I got annoyed when I had two on the needles together!

Finally, here are the project specs for the mittens:

Project: Shooting mittens, aka Lobster Claw Mitts

Recipient: My F-I-L, for Christmas 2005 (to match the hat from Christmas 2004).

Pattern: My own, based on F-I-L's request for a mitten with a detached first finger.
I use a combination of references as a basis for the sizing. The mitten patterns in the Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and the Nancy Lindberg "Fittin' Mittens" pattern helped me with the sizing. I got the ribbing pattern from Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I used my husband's hands, which are just a bit smaller than my F-I-L's hands, to check as I went.

Yarn: Cascade 220 in navy and heathery peacock blue. Exact colors not available, as the ballbands are, once again, nowhere near the computer!

Gauge: 6 sts/in, for maximum wind and moisture blocking power!

Needles: Size 5 Addi Turbos. What else?

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