Help with Rowan Ash mittens

#1

Hi, everyone,

I’m fairly new at knitting and I’ve decided to try to make a pair of mittens. However, I’m stumped on the thumb part of the Rowan Ash mitten pattern. It’s a stockinette pattern and I’ve completed it up to the thumb. Can someone translate these directions for me, especially the parts in bold?

Thanks.
Suze

Cast on 20 sts and work in stockinette stitch (OK.)

K15 and turn. (OK, I understand this.)

[B]Cast on and P 5 sts, P5 and turn[/B]. (So there should be five stitches left on my right needle?)

Work 6 rows on these 10 sts.

Break yarn and thread through rem 10 sts. Pull up tight and fasten off securely. [B]Join thumb seam.[/B] (What thumb seam? Does this mean to sew the thumb together?)

With RS facing, [B]rejoin yarn at base of thumb[/B], K to end. 20 sts (huh?)

#2

What you’re doing at this point is working just the thumb.

You’ll knit across 15 of your 20 stitches, turn, and cast on 5 more stitches to the left tip. Purl across these 5 and 5 more of the original stitches. You’ll have 10 stitches on your needle in use for the thumb. When you get it as long as you need to, you’ll cut your yarn, pull the yarn through the 10 stitches, tighten it up like a drawstring and sew down to the bottom of the thumb.

Then you’ll resume knitting the hand with a new strand of yarn. Just start knitting. You can snug up the edge later.

#3

Thanks, Ingrid.

However, I’m still a little confused. So I have 20 stitches on my needle and then I knit 15 and turn, with 5 still on my 5 needle. Then i cast on 5 more and purl those. Then I purl 5 more on the left needle, which would leave 5 from the first step, right? (The part about knit 15 and turn).

Also, how do I rejoin the yarn and start knitting since I have to cut it to sew up the thumb?

#4

You’ll work across 15 of the 20. That will leave 5 on your left needle. They’ll stay there until you finish the thumb, if I’m picturing it correctly.

When you rejoin the yarn, you’ll just have to start knitting with the strand. The first stitch may be a little loose, but it will tighten up and you can snug it up further when you weave in the end.