Fairisle Gloves

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This is not my pattern but I just had to brag about them.  I never thought I’d be knitting gloves as I always thought that the time and energy involved weren’t worth the effort.  How wrong I was.  I saw these posted on Ravelry.com and thought they were so very pretty that I just had to try them.  It took me a couple tries to get my head wrapped around the pattern but after I accomplished that, my first prototype was a success and knew that I needed a pair.  I really like them.  Ya can’t buy gloves as nice as these. 

I used some pretty bad superwash merino/nylon sock yarn that I wasn’t going to use for socks for the main yarn and the contrast yarn came from the closeout bin at Hobby Lobby.  Both are a bit heavier than the sock yarns I’d normally use so I increased the tension dial a full number higher than the pattern called for and I worked the fairisle section a full number higher than what I knit the fingers.

The pattern was developed and posted on Ravelry.com and on her blog by Ingrid Cojocaru, AKA ‘bruchaip’.  Best of all Ingrid was kind enough to offer it to us for free. 

http://ingridkreativ.blogspot.de/2013/09/weihnachten-kann-kommen.html

Socks for Wide Ankles or Calves

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Getting socks to fit those with extra wide ankles or calves can be frustrating.  I’ve tried tension graduation from the ribbing down to the foot with a bit of success but I still don’t find that I can get enough extra width in the calf area and I don’t like to loosen tension in the ribbing too much.  So I got my mind wrapped around adding more stitches at the ribbing than I normally would and evenly spacing decrease stitches as I work down toward the heel.  It’s not a quick knit because it involves moving stitches together after the decreases and transferring stitches from bed to bed but it works for me and I can get a nice fitting sock for those who need more fabric in the calf or ankle area.

I work my socks in the round on my standard gauge machine and ribber from the cuff down with the ribbing seam up the back of the leg.  The same can be achieved with a toe up sock, just reverse the shaping from decreases to increases.  As with any sock, good measurements are key to a good fitting sock.  I want enough stretch so the fabric is not stressed but not so loose that the sock bags and won’t stay up in place.

Knitting a flat sock would be much easier to incorporate the increases and decreases but I don’t like seams in socks so this is the theory behind my madness and here’s the method of my madness.  As an example, I’m using these calculations for socks I made with Cascade Heritage sock yarn at T5.  Cast on as many stitches and add evenly spaced decreases as needed to fit the foot you’re knitting for.

9.5” long foot, 9” around foot, 9” around ankle, wide calf
T5 Gauge:  9 sts, 11 rows = 1”

Ribbed Cuff:
1.  CO 80 sts, 1x1 rib at T3+ for 50R,
2.  Transfer MB sts to RB and K1R across at T5.
3.  Convert to circular knitting by transferring outermost 1/4 of total sts from ribber bed to main bed.

Leg:
T5, 114R total in leg.
1.  At RC002, 028, 054 and 080, decrease one st on 3^rd st each side of 0 (from outside toward center),    Dec down to 72 sts  (With ribbing seam up the back, work decreases on main bed) 
2.  Move sts in to fill the empty needles and move the outermost left hand st from the ribber bed to the left hand outermost empty needle on the main bed, then move all ribber bed sts one needle to L  (See note 1 below.)
3.  After all decreases are made, move all sts on the ribber bed to center over 0 so the heel is centered on the back seam, ensuring that there are the same number of sts (36) on each bed.  (See note 2 below)
4.  Knit even to RC114.

Heel, Foot and Toe:
1.  Shortrow heel down to 12 sts and back out, with Woolly Nylon.
2.  K116R in circular for foot.
3.  Repeat toe as for heel.

NOTE 1, To work decreases:

1.  With COR, move sts together to fill holes at decreases on the main bed,
2. Transfer outermost left hand ribber bed st to outermost left hand main bed empty needle,
3. Move all ribber bed sts one needle to the left.  There should be the same number of sts on each bed.

NOTE 2, To center ribber bed sts on ‘0’ again:

     a.   With COR, move all ribber bed sts one needle to the right,
     b.  Transfer outermost left hand main bed st to outermost left hand empty ribber bed needle,
     c.  Unravel far right ribber bed stitch and transfer to outermost right hand empty needle on the  main bed.
     d.  Repeat the steps in a. thru c. til same # of sts on ea side of ‘0’ and same # of sts on ea bed.

     e.  Resume circular knitting.


EDITED after I received a nice comment below from Tanya, AKA 'ItMakesYouSmile' from Ravelry.com:
Tanya commented with another good suggestion of how to decrease/increase in the calf area to fit wide ankles or calves for a longer sock or stocking.  She suggested that it might be easier to move half of the stitches to the ribber bed and make the decreases on both sides of the open seam line, then rotate back to start the heel and complete the foot.

I’m happy to report that I had time to play with this and found that for a short sock with only 4 or 5 decreases/increases that the difference was about the same.  But I can see the definite time saving advantage for using her method in a longer sock or stocking.  After I got the decreases done, I scrapped the whole thing off (both beds) and rehung to center the heel section.  Another way would be to scrap off or use a Decker comb just the ribber stitches and transfer them back to the main bed, then either scrap off or use a Decker comb to convert to circular.

Thank you Tanya, for giving us another way to do this.

Dishcloth, Vertical Tuck Stripe



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I ran onto a wonderful tucking technique from 'ridelikethewind', a gal on ravelry.com who shared the technique in really nice hat and mittens made with the same stitch pattern.  To simplify things and to learn the mechanics, I made a dishcloth with some cotton yarn.  It's quite a great stitch pattern with vertical stripes on one side and a vertical tuck pattern on the other...and no ribber needed.  It makes wonderful dishcloths and I can see lots of applications for it.  'Ridelikethewind' used a punchcard machine to make her hat and mittens and I used my electronic Brother 965i.  My dishcloths were made on my KX350 midgauge manual machine so this can be done on any machine.  I urge you to pop in on Ravelry and check out 'Ridelikethewind's projects. 

 

For vertical stripes to be properly knit, patterning must start with row #2 of a punch card or the electronic equivalent.  See below for the stitch pattern and my notes on how to work it.

 

Machine:  Brother KX350 Midgauge (7mm)

Yarn:  Maysville 8/4 Cotton rug warp

Tension:  4 to 5  (I prefer T5)

Gauge:  4.5 sts, 17 rows = 1” in tuck

Size:  9” wide x 10”long

 

1)   CO 46 (44) sts with waste yarn and ravel cord.

2)   T5, E-wrap and K1R to left.

3)   RC000, beginning with needle 1, pull EON to HP across.

4)   Engage the hold levers on the carriage.

5)   K1R to right.

6)   *  Change yarn color.

7)   With a flat edge or your fingers, push the needles in hold position back to upper working position. Then pull the needles in lower working position out to hold position.

8)   K2R.  **

9)   Repeat from * to ** to RC170 or desired length, continuing to change yarns and alternating needles each time carriage is on the right hand side.  End patterning with COR.

10) Take carriage off hold and K1R to the L.

11)  Back stitch bind off.

12)  Add a border if desired.

 

ELECTRONIC MACHINES:

This technique is much easier and less time consuming done on a punch card or electronic machine.  A single bed color changer would be a luxury to aid changing yarns every 2 rows but certainly not a necessity.  Don’t let not having a color changer keep you from using this wonderful patterning.



I have a Brother KH965i and used Stitchworld pattern #256 with the elongate button activated.  To my dismay, I didn’t get vertical stripes but nice horizontal stripes, no matter if I started on row 2 or 1.  So thinking thru my machine mechanics in relation to the pattern, I concluded that the elongate key was the culprit.  This technique starts with row 2 of the Brother 820 punch card #2.  The elongate key freezes the pattern for 2 pattern rows, no matter which row number is selected.  Here are my 2 solutions:

 

1)   Design the pattern in DAK and download it to the machine, do NOT activate the elongate key, and begin patterning with row 2.

2)   Use Stitchworld pattern #256, work pattern row #1, THEN turn on the elongate key.  Then work the pattern as above, changing yarns every 2 rows when carriage is on the left.

 

REMINDER:  No matter which machine you use, the tuck patterning must begin with row 2 in the pattern repeat in order for the stripes to take effect.

 

Stitch Pattern:        x

                              x  

                                 x 

                                 x  

(Tuck side)

(Striped side)



Striped Ribbed Scarf

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This scarf concept has been around for just ages and I’ve been wanting to work it up for just about as long.  I made a couple this fall and really, really like them.  They’re warm, cushy, reversible and don’t require any treatment whatsoever for those pesky curling edges.  They’re done when they come off the machine.  What could be better than that?  I used a couple skeins of worsted roving type yarns in these on my midgauge machine with ribber, but they could certainly be made on any machine with any yarn with the right gauges.  Pair them up with some felted mittens or fingerless mitts and you’ll have a nice set for gifting…just be sure to make yourself a set.

Machine:  SK-860 midgauge with ribber
Yarn:  Universal Classic Shades, 1 skein each of 2 contrasting colors
Size:  5.5” wide, 6’ long
Gauge:  4 sts, 5 rows = 1” in 1x1 rib
Tension:  5+ on both MB and RB

1)   e-wrap CO 44 sts on main bed, K1R  (COL),
2)   Transfer EOS to ribber for 1x1 rib.  Hang CO comb and weights,
3)   K2R in main color,
4)   K2R in contrasting color,
5)   K354R changing yarn colors after every 2 rows or til yarn is gone, ending with
      COL,
6)   Transfer ribbers sts to main bed,
7)   Backstitch BO.

Ribbed Knee Socks

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On the Christmas list for one of our granddaughters was a pair of neutral colored knee socks.  I usually have sock yarn on hand so I went stash hunting and came up with the perfect natural colored yarn.  So on to the pattern.  I’d never made a pair of knee socks before this and I spent a few days thinking out my plan of attack for the ribbing up to the knee to compensate for the larger-than-ankle calf.  And not having her here to measure, I was kind of taking a shot in the dark on size.  My shot worked out well and they fit!  I love it when one of my brain children work out well.  I must admit though that my decreasing in the ribbing needs to be improved to give better looking decreases, hence a better looking seam line.  I’ll take time later to work that out but she really liked the resulting socks, even with the bad decreases.

Machine:  Brother KH965i with ribber

Yarn:  Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn, 2 skeins

Gauge:  T5 in body for 9 sts, 11 rows per inch

Size:  9.5” foot

CUFF:

1)  CO 76 sts, with e-wrap CO, K1R to L and transfer sts to ribber in 2x2 ribbing.

2)   Hang CO comb and weights.

3)   T7, K114R in 2x2 rib.

4)   T6, dec one st each side, K12R.

5)   T5, dec one st each side, K12R.

6)   T4++, dec one st each side, K12R.

7)   T4, dec one st each side, K12R.

8)   Knit in rib at T4 to RC186 and decreasing the same as above, until 64 sts remain.

9)   For the ribbing seam up the back, transfer all mb sts to the ribber, K1R at T5.

ANKLE:

1)  T5, move the outer 16 sts on each side to the main bed and K21R in circular.

HEEL:

1)  T5 and with one strand of Woolly Nylon shortrow down to 10 sts and back out.

FOOT:

1)   T5, return to circular knitting and K116R.

TOE:

1)   Repeat as for heel.

FINISHING:

1)  From wrong side, sew ribbing seam with one of the Bickford style seam.

2)   Kitchener stitch the toe seam from the purl side.

 

 

Striped Blanket



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Here is another masterpiece from our granddaughter, the rising machine knitting star.  She wanted to make a blanket for her little brother’s first birthday but didn’t want panels that needed seaming as in her very first afghan.  So again Gramma came to the rescue.  I have an extra KX350 midgauge plastic machine so we decided to put two beds together to make a wider knitting span.  It’s very easy to join the beds together but my only problem was where and how to mount it.  Neither the bar counter in my kitchen nor the dining table are long enough for this double sized machine.  But DH found an 8’ long by about 12” wide piece of 3/8” plywood that it fit on nicely.  I put the leaves in the dining room table, mounted the machine to the plywood, then mounted the plywood to the table.  I put a couple little pieces of thin cardboard under the clamps of the machine so it wouldn’t mar my table.  And all went well.  My kitchen was in a state of disarray for a few days but it was worth it.  Her blanket is gorgeous, little brother loves it and she got lots of rave reviews at the birthday party. 

I especially like how the borders worked out.  The beginning edge is a hung hem and the ending edge is folded over and tacked down to the back side to form the end borders.  The side borders are attached by Sew As Ya Go (SAYG) and then folded over and tacked down to the back side.

Here’s how we did it.


Machine:  KX350 7mm midgauge, 2 beds joined together
Yarn:  I Love This Yarn Sport, 2.5 oz  (230 yds)
               Black, 1.5 skeins
               Bright Blue, 1.2 skeins
               Red, 2.8 skeins
               Sun Yellow, 1 skein
               Plus 1 skein of each color for the borders
Gauge:  T2, 6 sts and 9 rows = 1”
Size:  Approx 39" x 42" without borders

1)   CO 234 needles with waste yarn and ravel cord. 
2)   T2, RC000, K36R with border color.
3)   To form a hem, pick up the stitches from the first body row and hang on corresponding needles in work.
4)   T3, K1R across.
5)   T2, RC000, knit a total of 374 rows changing colors as desired.
6)   RC000, K36R with border color. 
7)   End with COL and back stitch bind off.
8)   When blanket body is complete, fold the border of last end in half toward the back side and whip stitch to the body. 

SIDE BORDERS:  (Sew As Ya Go, SAYG)
1)   Bring out 25 needles.
2)   T2, CO with waste yarn and ravel cord.  End with COR.
3)   Hold the blanket with the wrong side facing and starting at the bottom right hand corner, *on the side away from the carriage, pick up and hang the first loop stitch of the blanket onto the left edge needle of the border. 
4)   Knit 2 rows.**
5)   Repeat from * to ** for the full length of the blanket edge.
6)   Scrap off with several rows of waste yarn.
7)   Repeat for other side.

FINISHING:
1)   Fold the side border in half lengthwise and seam each end by grafting from the purl side.  Remove scrap yarn. Then whip stitch the border to the back side of the blanket, covering the seam line and yarn tails at the color changes.  Seam the edge of the side border to the end border with mattress stitch.
2)   Weave in all yarn ends.
3)   Gently launder and only partially dry in the dryer.  Then block and lightly steam if necessary.  The hems and wide borders keep curling to a minimum.

This is the schematic for the striped patterning we used, designed and implemented totally by our granddaughter.  This was such a fun project.

 

 

Plating...Who Knew?

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Have you used the plating capabilities of your Brother standard knitting machine for plain stockinet stitch?  If so, you've seen that if you’re using 2 colors of yarn that the front of the fabric will be one color and the back will be the other color.  At our last knit meeting, one of the gals showed some of our favorite tuck dishcloths that she’d made by plating the yarns.  When not plating the yarns, our tuck dishcloths develop randomly placed stripes in the fabric.  Her plated dishcloths were nice solid colors and didn’t show the random stripes that we usually get with not plating.  Granted both colors showed through on each side but there were no signs of unpredictable striping.

I’ve never done plating before so thought I’d give it a shot.  It’s very easy to set the machine up for plating.  Follow your machine user’s manual to replace the regular yarn feeder assembly in the main carriage sinker plate assembly with the plating yarn feeder assembly that came with your machine.  Take out 2 screws, remove the old assembly, insert the plating yarn feeder and replace the screws.  Easy. 

2 color tuck dishcloth with no plating

I found that threading and unthreading the darned thing is a bit awkward however.  I’m sure that’ll get easier with practice.  And there’s no little latch to close to hold the front yarn in place and I had 2 instances where the front yarn hopped out of the feeder.  It was my own fault though.  I was wearing long, floppy sleeves when I reached across the feeder to change tensions and I must’ve brushed up against the yarn and dislodged it.  I just need to be more aware and careful.  Everything went just fine after that.  While threading the feeder, make sure that the yarns aren’t twisted and that both yarns are properly seated as it shows in the manual.

NOTE:  Check out a comment I received from Aminetta below.  She very thoughtfully suggested that threading the plating yarn thru the spring wire on the upper mast of a Brother machine would hold the plating yarn back so that it doesn't pop out of the feeder slot.  Thank you Aminetta.


Also, placement of the yarns in the feeder affects how your fabric will look.  The yarn in the front slot will be predominant on the back side of the fabric. The yarn in the back slot will be predominant on the side visible to you while knitting in tuck.

One of the other gals at the meeting said that she uses a thin plating yarn if she’s working with some pesky yarn or when she wants a bit more body to the fabric.  And another said that she used plating when making her baby blankets to give a nicer look.   So there are more applications for plating than just stockinet stitch work.  I think you’ll be pleased with the results of plating if you try it.

A New Machine Knitter

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Me telling our granddaughter that she couldn’t ‘confiscate’ a scarf that I’d made for myself and saying that I could make her one later or better yet, I’d teach her how to make her own turned out to be the best thing that I could’ve replied.  She took me up on the offer to make her own and we now have a new machine knitter in this world.  I was sure hoping that one of the girls would become a machine knitter and it was looking like the odds were getting slimmer, but here she is.

I set up my little KX-350 midgauge machine on the kitchen counter for her a couple months ago and it’s still there.  The tuck lace scarf was only the beginning.  Since then, she’s knit a huge paneled blanket (in Dallas Cowboys’ colors, of course), several tuck dishcloths and lastly mittens.  She’s been pilfering through my stash, which also turns out to be a good thing.  And she’s got all kinds of plans for Christmas knitting this year.

Yay for her, I’m so proud of her!

Several years ago, I gifted my KX-350 to our other daughter-in-law when it looked like she was going to machine knit but then life got too busy for her with kids and working full time.  She has given that machine back to our granddaughter so she even has her own machine now.  (Yes, I did replace my machine that I gave to our daughter-in-law).

Enjoy the pictures and notice the smiles!

Felted Fingered Mitten

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I really like the looks and warmth of mittens but I don’t wear them at all because they’re so clumsy.  I like to be able to use my fingers without having to take a mitten off.  So I got to thinking and looking around and thought that I could easily use my felted mitten pattern to add a finger just as I did the thumb.  One finger is better than none at all when it’s really cold.

My felted mitten pattern features a shortrowed fingertip but only one side of the fingertip is shaped on this mitten so I used decreases in the center of the mitten to get the shaping I needed.  It’s not hard at all but does take a bit more time than shortrowing.  These too can easily be made in the round on a machine with ribber.

So, here’s my take on a fingered mitten.  They look kind of strange but they work for me.


FELTED FINGERED MITTEN

Size:  Woman’s Medium
Machine:  KX-350 midgauge
Yarn:  Interlacement’s Sweet Feet sock yarn (2 strands), 4 oz
           (400 yds = 4 oz)
Gauge:  Pre-Felt 5 sts, 6 rows = 1”

CUFF:
1)   CO 42 sts with waste yarn and ravel cord.
2)   With main yarn, e-wrap each needle by pulling the e-wrap thru the stitch already
       on the needle created by the ravel cord.
3)   RC000, T6, K6R.
4)   Work 2x1 rib with latch tool, beginning with the 2^nd stitch.

WRIST:
1)   RC000, T7,  K20R (or desired length). 

THUMB GUSSET:
1)   RC000, T8, with 2 prong transfer tool, increase 9 sts on each side by increasing 1
      st on beginning of every row 18 times for a total of 18 added sts.  Fill in the empty
      needle with the heel of the previous stitch from the main body.  Knit across so
      COR. 
2)   Opposite the carriage, scrap off 8 sts with several rows of waste yarn.
3)   K1R, opposite the carriage, scrap off 8 sts with several rows of waste yarn.

HAND:
1)   RC000, T8, K17R on 44 sts.
2)   For finger, opposite the carriage, scrap off 7 sts with several rows of waste yarn.
3)   K1R, opposite the carriage, scrap off 7 sts with several rows of waste yarn.
4)   Continue to knit on 30 sts until RC026, COL.

FINGERTIP SHAPING:
1)   RC000, decrease one st on needle L1 and move all stitches on carriage side in to
      fill the empty needle, K1R.
2)   Decrease one st on needle R1 and move stitches on carriage side in to fill the
      empty needle.  K1R.
3)   Continue decreasing one stitch in the middle on alternating sides, move stitches in
       to fill the empty needle and K1R, until 20 sts remain, RC010.
4)   With 2 prong transfer tool, decrease one stitch on each side, along with the one in
       the middle, K1R.
5)    Repeat step 4.  (14 sts remain)
6)    Scrap off with several rows of waste yarn.

FINGER:
1)  With wrong side facing and finger pieces in the middle of work, hang a total of 16
      stitches with the 7 sts from the left finger section, 1 stitch from that edge of the
      mitten body, 1 stitch from the edge of the right hand mitten body and 7 sts from the
      right finger section.
2)   RC000, K14R.
3)   With 1 prong transfer tool, transfer EOS to its neighbor to the right and move
      stitches together.
4)   K2R.
5)   Dec EOS as above, move stitches together.
6)   K1R and gather.

THUMB:
1)   With wrong side facing and thumbs in the middle of work, hang a total of 18 stitches with the 8
       stitches from the left thumb section, 1 stitch from that edge of the mitten body, 1 stitch from
       the edge of the right hand mitten body and 8 stitches from the right thumb section.
2)   RC000, K2R.
3)   With 2 prong transfer tool, dec 1 st on each edge.
4)   K12R even.
5)   With 1 prong transfer tool, transfer EOS to its neighbor to the right and move stitches together.
6)   K2R.
7)   Dec EOS as above, move stitches together.
8)   K1R, gather and secure.

FINISHING:
1)   Vigorously stretch fabric lengthwise to set stitches.
2)   Loosely graft the fingertip together from purl side.
3)   From the public side, loosely sew all seams with Bickford style stitching.
4)   Felt to desired size.

 















 

Felted Mittens

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I’ve been machine knitting for many years but I've never made a pair of felted mittens.  I’ve been wondering what I could make with some worsted wool that I’ve had on hand for awhile, so guess it’s about time for some felted mittens.  They’re based on my favorite mitten pattern with size adjusted to compensate for the felting.  They feature a thumb gusset for better fit and a shortrowed fingertip.

One 4 oz skein will make the size in this pattern.  But they’ll take a bit more yarn if you need a bigger size or want longer wrists and cuffs.  To save on main color yarn, a contrasting color could be used for stripes or a contrasting cuff/wrist.   These are a basic mitten but could be dressed up with colorful yarns, fairisle or embellished with embroidery, needle felting, adding a braid or woven ribbon, line with a pretty fabric, etc.  Another nice option would be to knit a ribbed cuff in non-felting yarn and sew it to the inside of the mitten wrist.  Use your imagination.

The 2nd pair was made with 2 strands of Sweet Feet by Interlacements Yarns, a non-superwash variegated sock yarn, with a gauge of 5 sts and 6 rows per inch.  (3.7 oz)


Felted Mitten

Size:  Woman’s Medium
Machine:  KX-350 midgauge
Yarn:  Aussi Wool Worsted Weight, 4 oz
Gauge:  Pre-Felt 4 sts, 5.5 rows = 1”

CUFF:
1)   CO 42 sts with waste yarn, knit 6 rows with waste yarn and knit 1 row with ravel cord. 
2)   With main yarn, e-wrap each needle by pulling the e-wrap thru the stitch created by the ravel cord already on the needle.
3)   RC000, T6, K6R.
4)   Hand manipulate 2x1 latched rib, beginning with the 2^nd stitch.

WRIST:
1)   RC000, T7,  K16R (or desired length).

THUMB GUSSET:
1)   RC000, T8, with 2 prong transfer tool, increase 9 sts on each side by increasing 1 st on beginning of every row 18 times.  Fill in the empty needle with the heel of the previous stitch from the main body.  (The last inc will be on RC017, then K across to RC018, with COR).
2)   Opposite the carriage, scrap off 8 sts with several rows of waste yarn.
3)   K1R, opposite the carriage, scrap off 8 sts with several rows of waste yarn.

HAND:
1)   RC000, T8, K26R on remaining 44 sts.
2)   Put machine on hold and half the stitches opposite the carriage into hold position.
3)   Shortrow on working needles down to 8 sts and back out.  (Use a simple shortrow, do not wrap needle on the increases).
4)   Cut yarn leaving a tail to be used for seaming.
5)   Scrap off both sections with several rows of waste yarn.

THUMB:
1)  With wrong side facing and thumbs in the middle of work, hang a total of 18 stitches with the 8 sts from the left thumb section, 1 stitch from that edge of the mitten body, 1 stitch from the edge of the right hand mitten body and 8 sts from the right thumb section.
2)   RC000, K2R.
3)   With 2 prong transfer tool, dec 1 st on each edge.
4)   K12R even.
5)   With 1 prong transfer tool, transfer EOS to its neighbor to the right and move stitches together.
6)   K2R.
7)   Dec EOS as above, move stitches together.
8)   K1R and gather.

FINISHING:
1)   Loosely graft the fingertip seam from the purl side.
2)   From the public side, loosely sew all seams with Bickford style stitching.
3)   Felt to size desired.  (Mine took 3 cycles of hot/cold).

NOTES:
1)   Use no knots in felted objects.  Knots will result in lumps that you don’t want.  Simply weave the yarn ends in as you normally would.  The felting process ensures that the yarn ends will not loosen and disengage.
2)   During felting, the fabric will shrink up more in length than width.
3)   Before starting the felting, I place plastic bags inside the mitten and pin in place with small safety pins so the layers won’t felt together.  After each wash/rinse cycle, I examine and reposition the safety pins if they’ve gotten dislodged and hidden in the fabric.  My felting for these mittens took 3 cycles of hot/cold wash/rinse and after the 2^nd cycle, I removed the safety pins and plastic bags.
4)   All wool is not created equal and the felting process may vary with water temperatures and length of washing cycles.  So check your felting periodically….there’s no turning back if they get too small.

AFTERTHOUGHT NOTES:
1)   After making several of these mittens, I found that with some yarns the thumb base was a bit tight and needed some stretching while drying.  So I've reworked the instructions for the thumb gusset by adding 2 stitches.  Then when knitting the thumb, I knit 2 rows and then decreased 2 stitches, then knit the rest of the thumb as in my original pattern.  It works out well.
2)   I found it totally unnecessary to place a plastic bag inside the mitten while felting.  The sides do not felt together as I would have suspected.  But you can add the plastic if you're worried that they will.