freja

I was right, my favorite part of these mittens are the fussy little thumb motifs. I think I like the on on the right best (the one with the thumb not flipped down), but they are both pretty awesome, nonetheless. 

I knew I needed to block the mittens when they were done, but I wasn't sure quite how. Some determined searching online got me all sorts of information on blocking techniques for mittens, but the simplest sounding one was the following: cut cardboard to appropriate sizes and cover with packing tape. 

It may look a little funny, but it certainly worked like a charm. My tension wasn't that bad (if I do say so myself), but the curlicue motif on the back of the hand especially was a little bit lumpy and uneven in places. Now? You'd hardly know it. Blocking is magic. 

Also good to know is that blocking helps stranded knitting grow. I was a little concerned that the mittens were snug on my hands when I got them off the needles. Trying to avoid the same issue I had with my last socks being a little big, I thought I'd erred and gone too small. But once these were dunked in water, the yarn got so soft and stretchy that I was almost worried they'd be too big! 

I was very gentle when putting the blocking templates in, especially making sure to not stretch out the ribbing too badly, and then I worked the fabric up and down rather than stretching side to side in order to even out the stitches. After a few days of drying out, I tried them on and they fit like a glove! Well, a mitten. 

Pattern: Freja by Emmy Petersson - free on Ravelry (my Ravelry page)

Needle: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock in 'Lettuce' and Serendipidye King's Mountain Sock in 'Claret'