I just finished my first ever piece of colorwork, yay! It’s Eunny Jang’s Endpaper Mitts. One of the problems I hope to sort out on my next one is this gaping hole by the thumb…does ayone have any tips on how I can avoid that?
I backward loop cast-on 3 stitches over the gap as the directions said, but it didn’t seem to help. Suggestions?
Thanks! 
:happydance: They look great!!
What I normally do for the thumb is I pick up in the corners and I might pick up a st or 2 more and then the next round do a decrease till I even it back out… usually I’ll still have to go in and close in small holes :teehee:
I had the same problem and I made 3 mitts. The first one I just left it alone and the other 2, I just sowed it closed since I didn’t know what to do. I just thought it was my mistake.
Thanks! I’ll try to do that pick up thing and see if it helps. Glad to know it isn’t just me! 
It just made my day when I searched on THUMBS to figure out what I was doing wrong with the gaping hole - and realized that I wasn’t the only one. (Not that I wish trouble on others - just glad to know that I am not entirely clueless!) I’ve done four pairs of mittens this month - trying different patterns and ways to do the thumbs on each - and just kept getting the hole.
By this last time, I tried the “picking up extra stitches” method. It made the hole smaller but still there. I think it might depend on the yarn. Wool stretches - and there is pull and stress on the yarn at the point. There is a lot happening with the upper half of the mitten/mitt/glove and the lower half splitting up to allow you to shove some more stitches in there for a thumb. I would still love to see others weigh in on this - there has to be some magical way to avoid this. Weaving later works but adds bulk.
What else should we try???!!!
I make a couple pairs of mitts a month and i used to get that hole all the time but i have worked it out and now my thumbs are tight! All i do is when the pattern calls for me to pick up 3 stitches (this is when you’ve gone back to add the thumb onto the gusset) i just pick up 6 or as many stitches as i can and then i decrease them slowly into the next few rows. I also use a new piece of yarn to pick up or create the stitches i need instead of the older method of just sticking your needles into the loops that you think are stitches. I love this method and i look forward to doing it everytime! Nothing makes a nicer tighter thumb. I HATE HOLES! Good luck 
I had the same problem. My hole wasn’t so large, but it was still there. When I made the second mitten, I made sure that while picking up stitches, I was placing the needle a little deeper into the stitch, so that it looked like there were 2 strands on my needle instead of one. Granted it still made a little hole, but nothing so huge and I was able to sew it up closed when I weaved in my ends.
Side note - the colourwork looks great!!
Well, as usual, I’m so glad I came here. I thought the holes were something I was doing wrong as well. I’ve made tons and tons of mittens but always ended up with a small hole or 2. I just sew them up and they look great. I guess I was doing the right thing after all and didn’t even know it! I feel so much better!
:knitting: