merletto mitts

...are ready for my hands, just in the nick of time, as the weather has definitely turned cold this week. of course, next week is another story. this is california, after all.

i enjoyed the pattern; enough going on to be interesting, but simple enough not to boggle the mind. i did frog the first mitt back to the cuff after knitting the second one. first, i was hoping that i could knit both mitts with one skein of yarn (didn't quite make it) and secondly because i wanted to move the thumbs in from the edge.

merletto mitts
finished size: palm circumference - 6 1/2" relaxed
wrist circumference- 5 1/4 " relaxed

panda wool in lacquer red
us size 1.5 needles (2.5mm)
gauge in stockinette: 8.5 sts/inch
used slightly over one skein
i managed to knit both mitts minus the thumbs with one skein
but this is the original put-up for the yarn so you might be ok with the newer skeins.

i made quite a few modifications so they would fit my almost 6" wrist. i am showing the palm side of the mitt so you can see that the thumb placement is more anatomically correct.

• used smaller needle for smaller gauge. i knew the pattern as written would not fit my hand.
• did 14 rounds of ribbing instead of 10.
  
• continued the ribbing on the palm side of the mitt for 3 repeats of the lace so mitt would fit snugger around my wrist.
• knit 4 pattern repeats instead of 5 before starting thumb gusset.
• for right mitt: k6, pm, then started thumb per pattern. mirrored on left mitt. this helped keep the lace pattern centered over the hand. i knit the first mitt per pattern but found the thumb pulled the pattern sideways. increased every 3rd round instead of every other to compensate for tighter gauge.
• didn't like that the top ribbing did not match the bottom ribbing but could not find another way so finally just followed the pattern for the top. i did mirror the bottom ribbing on the palm side. also started ribbing on palm on round 7 of final pattern repeat.
• errata-there is a mistake in the first decrease/set-up round; the pattern assumes 29 sts on the palm side but there are only 27 sts.

i don't know how to photograph my own hand so that it is in a graceful position. this is about as good as it gets. it's kind of like trying to photograph your socks on your feet without making your leg look like an elephants.