Knitting – Page 52 – New England's Narrow Road

Finding a KAL Mitten Pattern

The Woolly Thistle mitten knit-along begins on February 13th so I need to settle on a pattern to knit. I had thought I would knit the Helianthus mittens, and downloaded the pattern to browse. The thumb is difficult because the thumb chart is not with the mitten hand chart. Am I supposed to overlap it? And how? Seems difficult to follow a chart when one part is in one place and the rest in another. (This is why I decided to NOT knit the Helianthus, and stick with the Milet pattern.)

The Helianthus pattern does give me the opportunity to do a Latvian Braid, which I tried. I love the look of it! I was using a 9-inch circular needle and the knitting was slow going, but the end product is pretty sweet! The pattern has clear directions for making the braid.

Latvian braid knitting — Fontana and my first Latvian Braid!

I’m using Rauma Finul PT2 yarn in colors Dark Petrol Heather (blue #4123) and Very Light Green (#4106) in the image above. If I decide to continue with this mitten pattern, I will probably begin over with a prettier color match up. It’s a floral design, so it really should be “flower” colors. The pattern designer knit it in orange and yellow.

The Latvian braid is created by simply knitting and purling rows but carrying the yarn certain ways. It’s very easy, just tricky when working with such small needles and tight stitches. To knit 2-color mittens like these, one needs to know the correct way to do colorwork.

Adding More Rauma to My Stash

Now that my new Rauma yarn has arrive, (The Woolly Thistle has super speedy shipping!), I will choose three new colors and cast on a new Milet.

I’ve seen way too many mitten patterns that I would love to knit – or attempt to knit. My first choice was the Milet Mitten pattern which I began and is turning out large (see my trial mitten). The pattern is easy enough to follow that I think I could have a good end result AND get the pair finished by the end of the knit-along – which is March 26th.

More Mitten Patterns Using Rauma Wool

Here are more mittens (and a couple fingerless mitts) I’ve had my eye on which use Rauma yarn, or similar. If my first pair of colorwork mittens come out okay I may go for it and knit all of these. If it ever snows in Florida, I will be ready…!

Snovotter, by Skeindeer Knits (snowflakes) Fingering
Winterland / Vinterland by Wenche Roald (winter scene) Fingering
Marit, by Skeindeer Knits (big flowers) – DK yarn
Shine, by Sofia Kammeborn (not sure about yarn for this one)
Arthur Mitts, by Kristin Drysdale (fingerless)
Sionnach Mitts (Fox Face) by Nina Pommerenke – these are cute!! Fingering

If you want to join the knit-along, sign into Ravelry and find The Woolly Thistle group. The rules and such are listed in the forum. There will be prizes, and pattern discounts, but the fun is seeing what everyone makes, and trying to keep up with your knitting! Cast on days are February 13th and 14th.

Thoughts About This Mitten KAL

As time has passed, and I’ve browsed tons of mitten patterns, and read lots of forum posts, I began to doubt if I would participate in the KAL. Forums can be cliquey and in this case, I feel that there are loads of participants – so many that getting lost in the crowd is very possible.

However, knowing that many people, from all over the world, are casting on, and knitting mittens specifically, while I am too… is encouraging.

So Cast-on day was February 13th… see how it went. I amusing the maroon and blue, with white, for my mittens.

Rauma skeins — New wool yarn to add to my stash

I know that KAL’s are advertising disguised as camaraderie. Shops and yarn and patterns are mentioned in forums and on Instagram as hashtags abound. It’s all about sales in the end, but for a few weeks we can believe we are simply buddies, in the knitting trenches together, working to create a yarn keepsake.

In the end (fingers crossed) I will have a wearable pair of mittens.

Knitting in the Round, Choosing Needles, Size Issues

My new year knitting program is going to include smaller projects, namely socks and mittens. I began The Woolly Thistle Mitten KAL (knit-along) this month (2/2020) and while knitting my mittens, I’ve used 9 inch circular needles, Flexi-flips and DPN’s. Here is my opinion on all three.

A Look at 9-Inch Circular Needles

I really like the little 9 inch circular needles. I think I first used them when I made a little baby bootie (never made the second bootie!) But they were too big for the cuff of the bootie so I used DPNs. I also used them to knit the sleeves of the Polliwog Popover baby sweater sleeves.

Here you can see my Latvian Braid (first one I ever made) using two yarn colors on a 9 inch needle. I think Fontana is unimpressed, but I had fun making it. After doing a Latvian braid on the Milet mittens using Flexi-flips, I realized a 9-inch circular makes for a neater braid.

Overall, I do love using the small 9-inch circular needles. Yarn holders for the ends of the needles are necessary, and the tight circumference can tire my hands quicker, making them ache. Also my colorwork knitting is very sloooow on tiny needles because the stitches are so small and tight.

I have the ChiaoGoo and Hiya Hiya 9-inch and they are both very similar.

Three-Needle Knitting With Addi Flexi-Flips (Size Problems) and Hiya Hiya Flyers

Both Addi Flexi-flips and Hiya Hiya Flyers brands come as a three-needle set. You knit with two needles holding the yarn and use the third to knit. A bit like DPN’s but with fewer, and longer, needles, that flex.

Addi has different tips on the end of each needle so you can knit with either sharp or blunt points.

Flexi flip needle tips are blunt or pointed — Addi Flexi Flips – One needle with two tip choices – sharp or blunt

Using the 3-needle set is easier than DPN’s as there 1 or 2 fewer needle changes, depending on the number of DPNs used, but I still have some trouble with the beginning of round stitches. See my braid rows below and how the BOR colors are off. I do have trouble adding a 3rd needle to start a row.

Beginning of round difficulties — My braid is off a bit using the 3-needle combo

Also with only two needles holding the work, I found that I was dropping stitches, so I began to put stitch blockers at the end of the needle not being used.

I have both brands and the needles are similar. The tube connecting the needles is a little longer on the Hiya brand, and Addi’s needles are a little longer overall. Addi’s come in a tube and Hiya’s come in a plastic bag.

Addi’s Incorrect Sizing

But I want to warn you of one crucial difference and it has to do with needle size – dimension.

When I began knitting my first Milet mittens, I ordered (what I thought was) a size 1.5 US set of Addi Flexi flips. I ordered them from Wool and Company and they were listed as size 1.5 US – no mm size was mentioned. However, when they arrived, the tag simply said 2.75mm (see tag below). I had to look it up, and come to find out 2.75mm does not equal 1.5, it equals size 2. The needles were too large.

So I checked my older pair of Flexi’s which actually says 3.0mm / US2. (See the photo below) BUT…3.0 mm does NOT equal 2, it equals 2.5 US…!!!!

Size difference in Flexi flips — Incorrect mm to US sizing in FlexiFlips

I went back to my order form at Wool and Company to make sure I did not mistakenly order the wrong thing. I did not. I kept the size “2” needles since I didn’t have that size, but I still needed a 1.5 size for my mittens. So I looked at other places online. The small size needle is hard to come by but Amazon had them and advertised them incorrectly also. Or should I say, they were advertised as Addi Flexi Flips advertises them.

Jimmy Beans Wool was where I saw the only notice to customers that the sizes of the Flexi Flips were off. They mention that the smaller size needles are off in the product paragraph. I wasn’t crazy – the needle sizes are not true to advertising. And only 4 of the smallest sizes are listed wrong – all other sizes seem to equate correctly.

If you buy according to the metric system you are fine, but those of us in the US will be using the wrong size needles unless we compare the mm size to US sizing.

The Basic DPNs

I have a heck of a time beginning any small item using DPN’s (double-point needles. With all those pointy sticks in the way, it’s not fun to keep track of where I am and what I’m doing.

Using wood double-pointed needles to knit a sock.

I think it’s actually a little better when using very small needles to knit socks or mittens. The Snowfall sock pattern below has a repeat pattern that fits nicely on four, size one, metal, DPNs. But I did cast on using a 9 inch circular and knit the ribbing before changing to DPNs.

knitting socks with size one dpns — Sock knitting using double pointed metal needles.

Magic Loop

Many knitters use the Magic Loop method to knit in the round. I have looked into it, on YouTube, and found a toe-up sock example, which I may try one day soon.

I can’t give an opinion on the Magic Loop method because I have never used it. Basically you use a long circular needle, split the stitches, and knit as in the round. Some clever people knit two pair (both mittens or both socks) at one time on the same long needle!

Knitting Inside Out… What?

Something else I have just learned is that when knitting colorwork some knitters knit their mittens, socks, and whatever, inside out! Crazy right? The reason for doing this is to keep the floats more uniform and less tight.

I had to search YouTube for that information as well. Melissa B has a good video explaining how simple it is to knit inside out.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I’d have to say from personal experience that I prefer casting on with circular needles. If I need to do a Latvian Braid, circular is my choice. If needle size is not too small – say size 0 – 2, I don’t mind knitting along with them either. Normal knitting, or stripes, are easy, but for very small sizes and colorwork, they can make my hands ache.

Beyond that, it really depends upon the project at hand. I still have a lot to learn and new methods to try, and a pair of mittens to finish.

Mitten Knitting Practice With Milet Pattern

As soon as I saw the Milet mitten pattern, I knew I would try knitting it one day. The suggested yarn, Rauma Finull, is a wool yarn that I have never used. Come to find out an online store (The Woolly Thistle), which I’d been checking out, sells that type of yarn, which comes from Norway.

I’ve learned a lot from this experience. What I like and what I don’t.

Read on…..

Then, I learned that The Woolly Thistle, (referred to as TWT), is also sponsoring a knit-along (KAL) for mittens! What this means is anyone who wants to can join in and we all choose a pattern and “knit along” showing off our progress and finished mittens by the time the KAL ends.

I’ve done one KAL before, which was actually a MKAL (mystery knit along) for a shawl. It was intense for me, and we all knit the same mystery pattern. This mitten KAL is different because we each choose our preferred mitten, or mitts, pattern. I’m also a bit more experienced knitter, but not with colorwork. For this KAL, the mittens must be knit of at least two colors.

Have Yarn Will Practice

I was not at all sure I would join the mitten KAL because I’m not good with double-pointed needles, or knitting small circumferences (socks, mittens), and I’m a newbie at colorwork too. But I learn best when I jump in without thinking too much about it. I ordered the Rauma yarn and the mitten pattern (see link in first paragraph) and decided to begin knitting just to see how my gauge was.

Casting on a mitten cuff — Using DPNs to do the colorwork cuff

This will not be the mitten I knit for the KAL. I can’t start that one until the cast-on date of February 13th and I haven’t decided which pattern to choose. (If you want to join in, see the rules and participating designers – offering discounts on their patterns! – in the Ravelry TWT forum – you will have to sign in.)

I’m not used to casting onto small needles and I REALLY DISLIKE knitting the first few rows. I didn’t have the correct needle size, and decided to go up a size, since I usually have to. But wow, that cuff seemed huge!

Small Addi Flexi-Flips Are Sized Off…so I am knitting with larger needles than I thought!

Come to find out, a few of the smaller Addi Flexi’s are not true to size. The mm measurements don’t equal true US measurements. I intend to write a new post on all that, but in the meantime, my size 2 (US) is really a 2.5.

If you are shopping for Addi Flexi-Flips (three needle sets for circular work) be careful of the mm to US conversion which is not correct.

For instance, I ordered a size 1.5 US and was sent needles saying: 1.5 US / 2.75mm. But 2.75mm does not equal 1.5, it equals a size 2 US! Jimmy Beans Wool actually mentions this discrepancy in their Addi sales page.

Milet mittens cuff — Stranded colorwork cuff

This cuff is unique as it will be folded over, but it still seemed way too large. I almost stopped, thinking I would tear it out, but I decided to keep going with the smaller needle (which was bigger than I thought!). Now that I have gotten further along, I’m glad I kept going. Maybe the cuff needs to be larger to fold up easily? Also my arm is bare and when wearing mittens I would be dressed in heavy clothing. That cuff would have to fit over a sweater or shirt. (Things I forget about living in Florida.)

You can see the construction below and the green with white is the beginning of the hand. The cuff is inside out because it will fold up.

See it on my arm with the cuff folded up to cover the yellow ribbing. I’m going to keep knitting and see how the first mitten comes out. The other mitten to this pair will be knit with a smaller needle.

My size 2 needles are Flexi-flips (are actually size 2.5), which are a bit strange to work with but better than DPNs. I kept dropping stitches so added little yarn blockers to the ends of the needle not being used.

Knitting a mitten in colorwork — Mitten cuff rolled up

I love the Rauma yarn and since it is pure wool, will make nice warm mittens (which I will never wear here in Florida, so I’ll have to travel to NH more often). I love this yarn so much that I am ordering a bunch of new colors (it comes in tons of colors!) to be prepared for the KAL. Because the Rauma Finull yarn comes from Norway, not all US stores carry it. Besides The Woolly Thistle, I have found it to buy at Wool and Company, who offers free US shipping with any order! (I bought my new Flexi Flips here, and there was no note about the size being off. I needed size 1.5 and now have size 2.)

Now to find a mitten pattern! Lots of designers are jumping on board and putting their mitten patterns on sale beginning Feb. 6th. I’ve already taken advantage of sales, which began earlier, to get some new patterns.

To Summarize:

I love Rauma yarn, but never found a mitten to knit with it for the KAL. Since then, I have used it to knit Katie’s Kep (a colorful, Fair Isle hat).

For the mittens, I used a DK weight (Brooklyn Tweed Arbor) and knit a faster pattern (two really) which gave me perfectly sized mittens. The Milet mitten ended up being something I did not like, so I never finished the pair.

Although I used the Flexi Flips, I was not crazy about them. They were not a lot easier than tiny circular, or DPNs. I won’t waste my money on more.

Got My First Yarn Order From The Woolly Thistle

While browsing knitting patterns on Ravelry, I found a pair of mittens that caught my eye. I live in Florida, so why am I interested in mittens you ask? I can’t wear much of anything I knit, so why not mittens?

The pattern that I want to make is called Milet and has a double cuff and cute colorwork. I’ve only ever made very simple mittens and I didn’t have a ton of fun knitting them because I dislike DPNs. This is the year I plan to branch out of my comfort zone and figure out how people enjoy making pairs (of socks, mittens, booties, mitts) and any small item knit in the round. I also vow to use new types of yarn.

By Hand book and yarn from TWT — My order arrived!

The Milet pattern calls for Rauma Finull PT2 yarn which is a wool from Norway and I found loads of pretty colors at The Woolly Thistle shop which happens to be located in my favorite place – New Hampshire! They offer lots of pretty wool from overseas which saves us knitters from having to pay for the shipping. (I also ordered the By Hand book which covers NH and VT crafters.) The candy was a treat included by TWT owner! YUM.

I hadn’t ordered anything from them, but had watched some podcasts. Truthfully I had no idea what to use the yarn for. Until I saw the mittens which specifically used Rauma yarn. Wool is best for knitting mittens and hats which need to keep body parts warm. I can’t wait to cast on!

It also happens that TWT (the Woolly Thistle) is having a knit-along (KAL) for mittens beginning February 13th. If you are a Ravelry member, see their forum KAL section here. Seems mitten knitting was meant to be!

Mittens to Consider

The hardest part of doing a mitten KAL is finding mittens to knit – because there are WAY TOO MANY to choose from. Also, I am looking for something I hope I will be able to actually knit. I’m not great at using DPN’s, and have only made one SIMPLE pair of mittens and mitts from the same pattern.

More mittens (and mitts) I have saved in my favorites section include:

Midterm Mittens (fingering)
Nightfrost (Free download)
Ortus (fingering)
Sagostad (Rauma Finull)
Arthur Mitts (fingerless mittens)

Tuku Sock Yarn

I also ordered sock yarn from The Woolly Thistle which is part wool from Finland. Tuku wool gets great reviews, and since I hope to knit at least one pair of socks this year, why not make them wool socks? Wool not only keeps you warm, it helps keep you dry by taking water / sweat away from the skin. A lot of people don’t like the feel of real wool and believe it will be scratchy, but really, nothing beats real wool.

I love the fact that I can use wool that came from sheep living far away in Scandinavia. I have Danish blood. Maybe I can use Danish wool one day. It’s just kinda fun to have these options.

I got a nice thank-you for your order e-mail from The Woolly Thistle shop owner, and once the order was shipped, I got it within two days! The yarn is beautiful and I hope it will inspire me to branch out and try new things. Thy offer a lot more yarn I would love to try, including money saving spools, popular Jamieson & Smith, and tons more.