I asked some test knitters for advice about what to design next, Heidi suggested a Herringbone Mitten to match the scarves, cowl and toque. Because it’s fun to make matching sets of things, and bias herringbone is fun.
I thought a bias thumb was impossible. I wrote her that it was impossible. I wrote to Elizabeth Green to ask her if I was right that it was impossible – but I never sent the note, because just as I was about to hit sent, I saw little plastic tan-a-gram pieces clicking into a bias thumb shape. I sketched it on a spare envelope back, and reluctantly ran to the kitchen to start supper – because the family’s got to eat even if I am inspired and my right brain is sending me freaky video solutions with sound effects!
I know it was a Thursday, because Dan brought all of the kids to the library for chess night after supper, and I was left alone in peaceful quiet to graph my thumb, cast on my thumb, and knit it while I streamed an episode of Nova. Just as the kids burst through the doors to tell me about the games, I tried the thumb on and, wow! it worked! (But thumbs without mittens look really bizarre)
The pattern repeat is pretty long, so sizing while maintaining the stitch pattern was a bear. I decided to make four samples in four different weights of yarn for sizing, but to give all of the different gauges and measurements so you can confidently size your mitten.
I still had a lot of Quince and Co Lark in Storm color from the rectangular scarf and the sweater which I haven’t published yet, so I picked more autumn-y colors to go with it – but despite the sample colors, the mittens have been warm enough in winter so far, K is wearing the split pea green ones.
Heidi was concerned that the wrist was too short, so I wrote a variation into the pattern with a longer one, you can see the difference in the two split pea mittens above.
You can see that the mitten shape is like the Herringbone Toque shape, only longer and more narrow.
Once the mitten curls up, you graft it – you can get really fiddly and keep the knits and purls lined up, or you can just do the whole row in one stitch – I have photos of both treatments in the pattern.
And the thumb itself is worked in the round into a diagonal slot left in the mitten seaming. You make rapid decreases for the web of the thumb and the bottom of the hand, then finish off in two parallelograms. To finish the thumb, you fold the top triangle down into the bottom v, and graft it. In Rib and Welt Diagonals, (or garter stitch) the fabric had enough stretch that it molds to the rounded shape of the tip of your thumb. But in stockinette, you get ears on either side. I have photos of both treatments in the pattern so you can decide which you’d like better.
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