In Defense of Fingerless Mitts

I always thought the whole concept of fingerless gloves and mitts was rather strange. What good are they? Maybe your palms would be ok, but that would still leave your poor fingers hanging out in the cold.

I even tried making fingerless gloves once. My work desk at the job I had at the time shared an uninsulated wall with an unheated warehouse. And while I liked the fact that my cubby was cool temperature-wise, my right arm tended to be rather cold as it frequently brushed against the steel file cabinet that was positioned tight to that preciously mentioned wall. Being left-handed, I could deal with writing and such, but that cold right arm had to frequently make phone calls.

So I decided to take some of the precious handspun Romney lamb/mohair kid yarn I had left to make a fingerless glove. I only needed one after all. It went well, although with my short stubby fingers, the separate fingers weren't really practical. Short as I made the fingers, I still had to roll them down. But the wool was warm, even I'd the short fingers were a pain. Unfortunately I couldn't find the one glove for pictures.

Later I decided to try again with sock yarn and do without the fingers entirely. I made them nice and long, but the palm could have been longer. Too long to wear with a coat, they nonetheless were useful inside if I was sitting in a draft.

But like I said, not good with coats and too light for outside.

But I decided to give them one more try. Using some leftover Patons Merino I made a pair that had shorter cuffs and a bit longer palm.

And surprisingly, I love them!

Granted they look a bit scruffy here but that is because I use them constantly. I have actually only used my alpaca lined full mittens once or twice this year. I find that the palms on these keep my hands warm enough to keep the arthritis from hurting, but I have my fingers free for gripping the steering wheel, keys or whatever else I need to hold.

So it turns out they aren't as useless as I always thought. Maybe they wouldn't be as warm if they weren't real wool, but they are great. I see another pair in my future.

 

Posted with Blogsy