Update 2.13:: Mittens accomplished! And just in time. We had our first bonafide snow of the year and I didn’t even get photos of these until they’d been on the kid in the snow and were hanging up to dry again. She loves them.

When I dropped my daughters off for school my 10 year old was obviously moping. When I asked her what was wrong she confessed that she was extremely disappointed to have passed her “mama made” mittens down to her younger sister and she really wanted them back. I explained that they were too small for her now and that the ones she was wearing were also hand-knit and just as good. She was actually tearing up when she looked up at me and said, “But they weren’t knit BY YOU.” I promised her mittens by the end of the weekend -- really what was else I to do? While one part of me was a little frustrated (I don’t have time to drop everything and knit mittens and clearly I can’t pass it off to someone else as her whole point was they needed to come from my needles), the much larger part of me feels so blessed to have a kid who totally GETS IT. I thought she’d be way over handmade gifts by now, but they still mean the most to her. I hope they always do.

She chose the yarn from my stash. I think it’s a great choice for kid mittens; soft, warm, and hard wearing. ::fingers crossed for no awful pooling::

My notes as I knit… Gauge: 3.75 spi

Cuff…
CO 24 & knit in 1x1 twisted rib for 16 rounds (about 3”). (K6, M1) around; 28 sts. K 5 rounds.

Thumb gusset…
K2, pm, M1, k1, M1, pm, k to end of round. Work in stockinette increasing after first marker and before second marker ever third round until there are 9 sts between markers. K two rounds after the last inc. round. K2, remove first marker, place the sts between markers on a holder, remove second marker, CO 1 st to the tip of the right needle, k to end of round; 28 sts.

Mitten top…
Work in stockinette for 16 rounds (about 3.5”).

Dec Round 1: (K2tog, k1, SSK, k9) two times; 24 sts.

K to 1 st before the end of the round. K the last stitch together with the first stitch of the next round, k1, SSK, k7, K2tog, k1, SSK, k to end of round; 20 sts.

K to 1 st before the end of the round. K the last stitch together with the first stitch of the next round, k1, SSK, k5, K2tog, k1, SSK, k to end of round; 16 sts.

Put the first 8 sts onto one DPN and the last 8 sts onto a second DPN. Graft the sts on the 2 DPNs together to close the top of the mitten.

Thumb…
Transfer the thumb gusset stitches to 2 DPNs. With a third DPN pick up and knit 3 sts -- the CO st and one on either side of the CO st; 12 sts.

Join yarn and k to 1 st before the end of the round. Work the last st in the round (the last thumb gusset st) together with the first picked up st, k1, K2tog; 10 sts.

Work in stockinette for 10 rounds (about 1.75”). K2 tog around; 5 sts. Break yarn and pull the tail through the remaining 5 sts to secure.