Hi

Brendan did a performance last week and a lot of it was about saying Hi. And while I was sitting there drinking my $4 glass of wine, I got to thinking: how many times a day do I say "Hi"? A lot at work, maybe a million times a day and that is not an exaggeration. It is the glue that holds my job together, saying Hi. I knew what I was going to knit as soon as I got home from Brooklyn that night and it was this:


I did make two gloves but only one has Hi, the other one is plain for those days when I am feeling a little shy.

As the man says, Hi is really just short hand for saying everything is truly grand with the world I hope that we can be friends. But that is too much knitting to put on a glove.

Hi

What you need: 1 set of size 6 dpn; 1 skein Patons Classic Wool Merino (223 yards) and about 20 yards of any other wool that will contrast sharply with your main color. Don't be subtle!

Gauge: well, just about 20 stitches for 4 inches. Don't get caught up in the gauge for this one, this is art.

Okay let's go: CO 36 inches and join round, being careful not to twist, frug or pony. Work in a K1P1 rib for about 3 inches or so. Knit the next six rows.

You can make your favorite kind of thumb gusset at this point. This is the one that I prefer:

Row 1: K1, place marker. Make 1 in the next two stitches, place marker. You will have four stitches between markers. Knit the rest of the round to the marker.

Row 2: knit the entire round to the first marker

Row 3 : Slip marker, M1, k to stitch before marker, make one. You should have 6 stiches between the marker.

Repeat Rows 2 & 3 until you have 10 stitches betwen the marker and have knitted one row after that.

Next, knit to the first marker. Then bind off the next 10 stitches, and continue knitting. When you get to the end of the round at the bound off stitches, you can just knit the next live stitch, therefore joining the mitten again and making a nice thumb gusset.

Knit one more round and count the stitches on your needle. You will have 34 stitches on the needles at this point. Divide the stitches up among the three dpns, beginning at the thumb gusset, as follows: 16 on the first needle; 9 on the second and 9 on the third.

Using the chart below, k2, work pattern in chart using contrasting yarn, k 2 (first needle), k rest of round. You will need to carry the yarn through the entire round, so be neat and loose or else the mitten will squeeze your fingers.

X	X				x	X				x	x
X	X				X	x				x	x
X	X				X	x
X	X				X	x				x	x
X	X				X	x				x	x
X	X	x	x	x	X	x				x	x
X	X	x	x	x	X	x				x	x
X	X				X	x				x	x
X	X				X	x				x	x
X	X				X	x				x	x
X	X				x	x				x	x
X	x				x	x				x	x

Depending on how long you want to make the mitten, you can knit a few more rows and then bind off. Some people like to do a k1P1 rib at the top, but I didn't for this mitten.

For mitty number 2, just follow the pattern and omit the greeting.