Wednesday's Yarns- Boiled Wool Mitts

Christmas Gift alert!  Don't proceed if family!

     I've got one week to create an oversized wool mitten for my son, using this pattern from "New England Today"  New England Boiled Wool Mittens.  This was last year's Christmas gift and he liked it so much he asked for another pair, but with a few modifications.  I started them last year using KnitPicks Simply Wool Bulky and then they ran out of his color.  Left with a part of a mitt done, I ordered more yarn this year and finished the one mitt.  I just got the yarn, so I'm hoping to dash off the second mitt.  Here's my copy of the pattern in case the link doesn't work: Boiled Wool Fisherman's Mitten Pattern.

     Last year I knit the Boiled Wool Mittens exactly to pattern and sent them to my son.  He spent a lot of time experimenting on what was the best way to shrink them and his results are in last year's blog post - Wednesday's Yarns - Boiled Fisherman's Mittens.  (Hint they shrink best in the dryer!)

  

 How to best shrink these mittens - Boiled Fisherman's Mittens

     This year he wanted the cuffs longer, so they're 7" before shrinking.  And the glove overall tighter.  So I didn't do any increase after the cuff.  It's straight from cuff to mitt (which means you have to adjust the decrease rounds at the end, I skipped the first decrease and started after that).  Then when I did the thumb gusset I also did one less increase on it (so the thumb has 2 fewer stitches) and to even up the stitches on each needle I also knit two together.  We'll see how it works.  I'll update this later after he gets them and shrinks them.

This year's slimmer design:

Last year's Boiled Mitt (before shrinking)

     I got sucked again into the apocalyptic world with a freebie offer of  "Altered Genes: Genesis".  But I find it an intelligent read that describes a very plausible circumstance (but hopefully won't happen).  Through spycraft, the world is exposed to a virulent pandemic, a created germ with no cure.  Made to defy any antibiotic available.  The main characters are out to survive but also to find a cure and they have the means within their circle of survivors.  In creative ways, the author educates the reader on the scientific details of certain germs and what can happen and for a non-science geek, that's truly helpful.  I find the worldview of life after a devastating event also more hopeful.  While some people are violent, there are also others that are heroes like the Chinese spy and kind people who crop up constantly.  The characters are likable and it's a great read.  I finished the first book and I'm onto "Altered Genes: Revelations ".

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