Is Winter Finished Yet?

I’m sitting here, with my fingers poised over the keyboard, and nothing… absolutely nothing comes. There! Now that I have the first sentence down, the fingers can start moving.

There has been some knitting this week. For some reason, knitting hasn’t been very high on my priority list, but I did get some done. The backs of the cardis for Trinity and Oceanna are done… well, one’s done, the second is a few rows from being done.

Ethan’s Western Seas sweater has seen some measurable progress, too. I’m really loving the colours in this yarn and it’s knitting up nicely. I think this will be a very nice little sweater indeed!

In case anyone wonders, the cast on I used is the Channel Island cast on, a wonderfully stretchy and very nice looking cast on. If you’re interested in learning more about this cast on, click on the picture and it will take you to a picture tutorial by Jolene Treace. And if you Google “Channel Island  cast on”, there’s also a video tutorial available on YouTube.

There’s been a thought niggling around in my brain all week, a design idea. Last weekend, and the beginning of this past week, was a cold one. We had some snow, it’s been windy, and it’s been just plain cold… for here! I still like my walks, though, and was determined to get a couple of walks in. I had a small problem, though.

I use my iPod Touch as a pedometer (there’s an app for that!). Unfortunately, glove-clad fingers cannot interact with the touch screen and you have to remove your gloves in order to use the screen. When you’re all bundled up and your sleeves are velcro’d snugly at your wrists and you’re holding an iPod trying to pull your gloves off with your teeth, it can be a little inconvenient. That’s where the niggling thought comes in.

I’ve decided I want to make a pair of fingerless gloves that will still keep my fingers as warm as possible. I also wanted to make them a little different. A few years ago, 2003 to be exact, in the winter issue of Interweave Knits, there was an article by Pam Allen featuring four thumb gussets, a basic gusset and three variations. I’ve always intended to try the Palm Gusset in a design and this is the time.

Thinking about these mittens over the last week, I came up with a design for what I think will be a well-used pair of fingerless mittens that will still keep my hands and fingers warm while giving me the access I want. This is what I have so far.

The yarn I’m using is a leftover skein of Cascade 220, 100% wool and I’m using 4.0 mm double pointed needles. I’m making notes as I go along and will publish the pattern once I’m finished, just in case anyone else would like a pair of these.

I have to say, I’m already thinking about the possibilities of using this thumb gusset in other mitten/glove designs (colour work comes to mind... 14 or so stitches of blank canvas! Can’t you see it?) So far, I’m really liking the fit and feel of this thumb design. I may need to do more experimentation!