The Last FO of 2006

Finished, a mere 7.5 hours before the ball drops:

Pattern: Broad Street Mittens (fall '02 Knitty) by Janis Cortese
Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull (100% superwash wool) in color 5545/blue (one skein) and color 2203/yellow (approx. 1/2 skein)
Needles: US 2 and US 3 dpns, both set of five
Started/Completed: December 23/December 31
Recipient: My baby brother
Mods: as needed to correct mistakes in pattern (see below)


My brother specifically requested a pair of these convertible mittens (or glittens, as I like to call them), and as he never asks for anything hand knit, I didn't think it wise to second guess. I promptly picked up some yarn in his school's colors and got to work.


These were a relatively quick knit, but unfortunately I happened across a number of errors in the pattern. They're all minor and all seem to be related to counting the number of the stitches on the needles at any given time. If you're paying attention, you'll catch them easily, but just in case, here are corrections that I made to the pattern as I knit:

• In the cuff section, following the 30 rows of k2p2 ribbing, you will need to increase a total of 12 sts to go from 48 to 60. If you follow the pattern as written for the increase row (which reads "Work *k3, INC 1.* Repeat to end."), you will wind up with four more stitches than you need (64 instead of 60). To increase the correct number of stitches, you should work *k4, INC. 1* around for one round.
• In the decrease portion for the mitten shell, the section reading "On each needle" does not specify that for each decrease direction, the decrease pattern will be followed twice on each of the four needles. Thus eight (8) sts are decreased on each decrease round -- and so the stitch count given after the first line is incorrect. After the round worked as k5, k2tog, you will wind up with 48 stitches, not 52.
• The final line of this decrease section instructs you to K2tog around, and the next instruction is to knit I-cord with the four stitches remaining. However, if you k2tog the previous round, you'll wind up with 8 stitches, so you'll need to knit this round twice to wind up with the required 4 sts for the I-cord.

And just in case these aren't enough to help clarify the pattern, J happened upon this publication that looks to be extremely useful: