A Bit of Mending

I love my thrummed mittens (first shown in this post from nearly four years ago). I live in New Hampshire, and our winters are cold and snowy. I occasionally get annoyed, but for the most part I love it. Or I love the part where I curl up on the couch in front of the pellet stove with a pile of wool on my lap and knit.


These mittens are great, because when I do have to brave the elements they keep my hands toasty. After several years of use they are perfectly fitted to my hands. The only issue was that the wool in the tips of the mitts and thumbs was thin, partly because of how the pattern was written (no more thrums are added after the decreases begin) and partly because the wool felted to other areas.


What's a thrifty New Englander to do? Add more wool, of course.



I turned the mittens inside out, and using both a darning needle and a crochet hook, I added extra thrums. I used some scraps of wool from my spinning stash.



I just wove the pieces in and out of the bare spots of fabric, being careful to keep everything on the inside so the odd colored scraps wouldn't show through on the right side.



I'm very happy I took 20 minutes to sit down and do this--my mittens are much warmer, and I found a great use for my scrap wool.