Mitten's too big -- save, start over, or try to felt?

How-to Questions
1

I wanted to make DD some mittens, and finished the hand part of the first one tonight (still have the thumb to do). I had a tracing of her hand, and stopped where the pattern said to stop, 1" before the tip of the longest finger. However, after all of the decrease rows, it’s too long – it just about fits me, and DD’s only 7.

I had planned on this as a Christmas gift, so I’d like to fix them without involving her. I can rip out the decrease rows and a few of the hand rows, but I’m afraid that it might still be too wide for her hand.

Someone suggested that I try to shrink/felt them – but can I control the felting that closely? They only need to be about 1" shorter.

Or should I just start over, with fewer stitches and fewer rows?

Not sure if it’s relevant, but I’m using 100% wool, worsted, on size 7 dpns. My gauge seems ok, though there are some slight ladders where the needle changes are (my first real dpn project other than the top of a hat), which probably changes the width a bit.

2

There really isn’t, at least not that I know of, a definite way to shrink something precisely. Things do tend to shrink more in length that width. Then you’d have to attempt to do the same thing with the second one.

If you attempt felting, I’d knit the second mitten and then felt them both, to make sure they get the exact same timing and conditions.

Personally, I’d make a new pair–I’d rather knit than fret over the washer, but that’s me. :shrug:

You can consider the first one a practice mitt.

3

Thanks for your help, Ingrid. I tried it on DD this morning --she went crazy over it, really loved it – and she insists that it fits. So I will just make the 2nd the same way, and if they are really unwearable, I’ll wait til she grows into them.

4

:shrug: Can’t beat easy-to-please.