Squad Mitts

Fingerless mitts have been problematic for me. I get the usefulness. In fact, that's why I made this pair. I will be our dog's sole walker for the next few weeks while Chuck recovers from ankle surgery. And Diggory's cooperation is reliant on treats. Treats are hard to manage with mittens or even gloves. So, I made these Squad Mitts. They're from Modern Daily Knitting's first Field Guide, No. 1, Stripes.

I'm happy with how they turned out, but the fingerless glove problem remains. Cold is hard on my hands. If I don't keep my hands covered in the cold, the skin around the nail splits and peels. It's ugly and it hurts. My fingers still get cold in these, with all the problems that go with that. They help a little. Keeping my treatless hand in my pocket helps. For now, I'm off the hook, as we have too much snow here for dog walking, at least if your dog is little like Diggory.

All that said, if I liked fingerless mitts, I'd love these. I used leftover Plucky Knitter Primo Sport, knit very tightly. This pattern calls for fingering weight yarn, so I thought using small needles for this heavier wool would help my warmth problem.  I love the dense fabric I got. I didn't manage to finish my starting and stopping points as nicely as I'd hoped. To be honest, these are dog-walking mitts, so while I wish the beginnings and ends were more invisible, it doesn't bother me enough to warrant the effort to find a remedy.

I moved the colors around between the two mitts to allow for a little more color play. They match my down jacket, and the gradient Weather Scarf I made about 5 years ago (coded to high temperatures for 2015). 

Squad Mitts

• designed by Ann Weaver
• Available in MDK Field Guide No. 1: Stripes
• Plucky Knitter Primo Sport, 75% Merino, 20% Cashmere goat, 5% Nylon; 275 yards / 105 grams 
• Bellini (coral)
• Bubbly (pink)
• Silver Linings (very light gray)
• Dovecote (grayish blue/green) 
•  US 2 needles
• Size S
• Ravelry link

 For now, we're waiting for better walking weather.