iText iTouch I’m Warm!

These densely felted and super soft mittens allow you to text and use a touch screen while exposed to the winter elements. The thumb has a “thumb cap” that flips back with optional magnetic fasteners. The index finger can be exposed by slipping it through a “bottomless pocket” in the palm of the mitten.

Materials
Blue Sky Alpaca Sport Weight 100% Baby Alpaca (50 grams / 110 yards) and/or Blue Sky Alpaca Melange 100% Baby Alpaca (50 grams / 110 yards) or similar sport weight yarn created from wool or other animal fibers. Do not use superwash yarn. If questioning the “feltability” of yarn, knit a test swatch and follow the directions below for felting

Size 7 (4.5 mm) 16” circular needles
Size 7 (4.5 mm) double pointed needles
2 Stitch markers - each a different color
Stitch holder - for 23 stitches
Small locking stitch markers or safety pins - for 2-3 stitches each

Optional materials to secure thumb cap closed & open
8 Mighties Magnets - ¼ inch magnetic dots (as of November 2010, they are available in packs of 16 from the Container Store or Amazon.com) or similar strong magnets
4 -5 inches of Extra Wide Double Fold Bias Tape - ½ inch wide, matched to color of thumb and gusset
Needle and thread

Hand measurements
Medium: Base of hand to longest finger – 7” / width of palm – 3.25”
Large: base of hand to longest finger – 8” / width of palm – 4.25”
The adult medium seems to fit most women and the adult large fits most men. When felted, the length of the mitten will shrink more than the width, so finished measurement can be altered due to the amount of felting. If in doubt about choosing a size, go with the width of the hand as the determining factor.