I finished the second hooded scarf. It was identical in almost every way to my first, as the coworker requested. I did use a smaller hook now that I’m more comfortable with a bulky textured yarn. It turned out pretty well.
Hump-me-the-Tiger modeling the second hooded scarf
I thought I was ready to move beyond the scarf. I’ve crocheted several scarves now, surely I’m ready for something a bit more complicated than a single-crochet stitch rectangle. I decided I’d take the leftover yarn from the hooded scarves and make my coworker’s four-year old niece a pair of mittens.
I was using the same bulky textured yarn and I found using the hook the pattern called for nearly impossible – so I used one size up. I also found mittens confusing. As I started crocheting, they certainly didn’t look like mittens. As usual, I didn’t do a gauge swatch, figuring if the width was right for a child’s wrist, it would be okay. Seemed to be going all right until the pattern called for me to turn the fabric and I realized what I thought was the width was really the height of the cuff. But, I carried on. That is, until I got to the thumbs. No idea on the thumbs. Pattern’s directions made absolutely no sense. So, now I had two flat mitten-shaped swatches with no thumbs.
Thumbless mitten-shaped fabric
Thankfully, my friend Heather was able to help me out and explain how to start the thumbs. I carried on again. I struggled with the thumbs, not clear how I should be keeping track of how many stitches/rows I’d made when I was crocheting in a circle. I also found, once I’d finished the thumbs, the tails of yarn I’d left weren’t quite long enough to properly sew one of the mittens closed. I was left with two bulky mittens – with two different sized thumbs. My friend, Black, pointed out they’d be perfect for someone with dislocated thumbs.
Horrible mittens - ugh!
These mittens were also MUCH too large for a four-year old. They fit ME! Well, if my fingers were longer and my thumbs were shorter and fatter and dislocated. Also, one was already falling apart from not being sewn together (seamed) properly.
Refusing to be discouraged, I figured I still had some yarn, I’d try again, making a smaller size. So, off I went again, crocheting mittens. I got the first one finished and started the second… and ran out of yarn. So, now I have one smaller mitten (with a HUGE thumb) and one piece of mitten-shaped fabric. One of the Ravelry “Learn Crochet” moderators named it the “hitchhiker mitten”.
Hitchhiker mitten... and hitchhiker mitten want-to-be
So, I give up. Not forever, someday when I’m feeling brave I may try again – but for now I’m going to work on a nice square baby blanket.
