Antler Mitts

In December, I decided to finally tackle a thumb gusset.  Or, mittens.  I’ve made my share of fingerless gloves but I thought it was time to knit a finger.  Thumb gussets didn’t seem too daunting, though knitting actual gloves  scared me to death.  Too many fingers!  And so, baby steps.  For a pattern, I turned to the ever-trustworthy Tin Can Knits and their Antler Mittens.

Here’s the story….

The Yarn

This project actually began with the yarn.  While in Colorado in October, I visited the LYS in Estes Park, the Stitchin’ Den.  There, they had a local yarn from Willow Creek Fiber Mill.  I was instantly intrigued by their Everything Yarn base, which uses leftover fibers from the milling process to produce a very unique yarn.

But what to make with such a bulky, uneven yarn?

The Pattern

Thankfully, the lovely knitters at the Stitchin’ Den had a sample of the very yarn I wanted to buy knit into Tin Can Knits’ Antler Mitts.  So there was my answer.  This pattern would teach me how to knit a finger, a thumb gusset, and test my cable powers.  

Details

Pattern:  Antler Mittens by Tin Can Knits

Yarn:  Willow Creek Fiber Mill Everything Yarn

Colorways: 13 (Grey with a hint of lavender)

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)

Made for: me

Time to Completion: 2 weeks

This pattern was a lot of fun to knit.  I handled the cables well, I thought, even though I usually don’t love cables.  I think they work well with this pattern, though!  

The thumb gusset was a breeze but the problem I had was closing up the thumb tip.  The yarn is so bulky that it made the fingertips a bit too pointy.  But that’s the yarn.  And speaking of yarn, this Willow Creek yarn is very warm.  I wore these mittens several times in January and February and my hands were nice and warm.  

This pattern definitely made me believe I can knit mittens – and eventually full gloves….though the thought of all those fingers still scares me!  But this is a great beginner mitten-knitter pattern!