By this point you're probably getting more comfortable with the whole process of having five knitting needles in your hands. In the first segment you started the mitten by casting on the cuff stitches. Now it's time to finish the cuff and start shaping the mitten to your hand. (And remember: when you finish this mitten and start the second one, you'll have to make some slight adjustments in order to make sure you have a mitten for each hand!)
After 2", increase 4 sts evenly spaced all around (you now have 32 sts; make sure there are 8 sts per needle). Note: Remember to use the make-one increase here.
When piece measures 4", mark thumb as follows: on needle #2, knit 2 sts, then knit the next 5 sts onto a piece of waste yarn. Now slip those 5 waste yarn sts back onto the left needle and knit across them with the working yarn.
Continue until piece measures 7-1/2" (remember to measure from where the stockinette section begins, not from the bottom of the cuff). Begin decreases at top of mitten as follows: SSK at beginning of first and third needle, K2tog at end of second and fourth needle. Do the decreases every third round twice more, then start doing the decreases in every round until only 4 sts remain.
Knitty Gritty Tip: Want to keep moths from munching on your wool mittens? Contrary to popular belief, the pesky critters that chew holes in your woolens don't fly in through doors and windows. Clothes moths are carried into your home on your clothing. And it's not the adult moths that eat wool: only in the larval stage do moths feed on wool. It helps to brush wool garments with a lint brush on a regular basis during the wearing season to remove these tiny terrors.
Before storing wool garments for the off-season:
1. Wash all of your woolens with a pH-balanced mild soap using cool water.
2. As an alternative, freezing wool garments for several weeks is also believed to kill eggs and larvae.
3. Clean and vacuum the storage area, concentrating on the crevices.
4. Check your wool garments frequently for any sign of insect damage.
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