My fingerless mitts designing journey
When I started designing mitts I thought it will be very easy… Was I wrong!
How many mitts do you need to make before you create the most perfect fitting ones? Eight! Could have been worse though.
The first few mitts I made purely to figure out what kind of thumb gusset will feel best. The thumb gusset that is formed at the palm felt pretty good but was pulling a bit at the junction with the palm of the mitt, but it was a good option. The next gusset was worked by making increases for the thumb at the side of the palm and the top of the mitt. This one didn’t work for me at all. It just didn’t feel right, pulling at the base of the thumb and at the line of increases. So, I ventured to YouTube and started watching videos on different thumb gusset construction. This is when I found a method of making increases along the side of the thumb towards the palm, this eliminates a rigid line of increases that restricts the movement. And as a bonus, the drastic increases for the gusset create a slight convex for the base of the thumb and results in a perfectly fitting mitt from the wrist to the palm of the hand and the thumb. But, still, there was a bit of pulling at the joint of a gusset with the mitt body. So I thought it will be a good idea to treat this joint as a sleeve to a body, with gradual increases after the original underarm cast-on stitches. It takes just a few increased stitches over 3-4 rounds to stop the pulling, and that is what I did. It is unconventional but it creates the best fitting mitt. I am very happy with the result and it creates a solid template for future mitts and gloves.
Next came grading and creation of more than one size of the mitt. That is a challenge when designing with Fair Isle, but it was more of a fun puzzle time than a burden, and the easiest part of this project. So far, I created 6 sizes from XS to XXL.
After wearing the last version of the fingerless mitts for a few hours, I noticed that the trim at the palm is gaping out. so I added a few decreases at the palm before the trim is worked, and that alleviated the problem.
Although it took me a few weeks, I am happy with the best fitting mitts I ever wore, with no pulling or tugging. And better yet, I have a great template now to keep designing mitts and gloves with a good fit.
Now, let’s address the long floats in Fair Isle knitting…
To avoid long floats in Fair Isle knitting, I use weaving in technique or twined knitting. With this method, the floats are caught after every stitch. There is a bit more yarn used working with this technique but it creates a sturdy and tight fabric where it's hard to accidentally pull on the long float and damage an accessory, or a garment. In particular, I use a two-handed Philosopher's Fair Isle technique (you can find some videos on YouTube for it or just get a book Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified by Ann and Eugene Bourgeois).
This is what the wrong side with the floats looks like compared to the right side when two-handed Philosopher’s Fair Isle technique is used.
