Finally, finger-less mitts!

Well it took me several tries (three, to be exact) but I finally got these finger-less mitts made!

I knit the part that goes over the fingers a little bit shorter because  I personally prefer them that way. I’m less likely to wear them if the end bit is too long, hampering free motion of my fingers.

I also like short cuffs that just cover up the wrists.  I have a pair that are long, going way up my forearm, and they drive me crazy. I never wear them. Well, I guess I could, but they look silly under a sweater, and I always wear long sleeves in the winter.

I had made a pair for my mother for Christmas out of a beautifully soft Malibrigo silk & merino wool blend, so that she could wear them while reading in the evenings. Her hands get so cold, I thought they would be nice for those times where she wishes she could wear gloves but wants her fingertips free for turning pages, ya know?  Anyway, I had enough left over for a second pair. Well, I was fairly certain I had enough left over, and I wanted to make a second pair. You can see where this is going, right?

Yup. You guessed it. I got to within about five rows and ran out. Totally, completely, not a single scrap of it left. Sigh.

So since I wanted to make the second pair as a gift for my mother-in-law in the Yukon, I started all over again with this luscious ruby red wool (Cascade 220). This will be better for her anyway…heavier, warmer wool (hello…Yukon).

So I settled in and knit a mitt for the left hand. Then I knit another for the left hand.  Yes, you read that right. Two mitts for the left hand.

Argh! So I knit a third one, making sure it was for the right hand this time. But when I had it all cast off and was trying it on for appreciation size, Mr. C noticed something. One mitt was shorter than the other, which resulted in another frenzied session of ripping out and more knitting.

After several sessions in front of old Battle-Star Galactica episodes, I finally have two pairs of beautiful finger-less mitts. One pair will be winging it’s way to the Yukon shortly.

Despite the trial my lack of attention put me through, they are nice and warm, tightly knit on small needles to keep the wind out and the heat in.

I liked knitting them so well, I thought maybe I could work on a bunch over the year and sell them at a craft fair next Christmas. Or maybe I’ll get around to opening that Etsy shop I keep threatening.

I know pricing is a huge issue and you can’t ask a price that would actually pay a living wage. But here’s a question: Assuming a person wanted to purchase a pair of hand-knit finger-less mitts made from good quality, local yarn shop wool (not acrylic stuff from WalMart), and not a cheap made-in-third-world pair bought from a big-box store (like WalMart), what would a person realistically expect to pay for a set?

I wonder if $20 is in the right ball park. Hmmmm…

(linking up with Janine for Wool on Sunday. Better late than never, eh?)