LordJohn Grey’s
.Wet Felted Mittens
Pattern & History
The Farm at Morrison Corner
Lord John Grey appears in works by Diana Gabaldon, including the “Big Books” of the Outlander series and the “little books”
of the Lord John series. He is one of my favorite characters and in the short work “Custom of the Amy” finds him in Quebec at the beginning of winter. Lord Johnis a practical man and would have worn and appreciated these historic mittens:
During the Colonial period women along the north Atlantic coast, from the city of Quebec to around Portland Maine, developed a mitten uniquely suited to the harsh climate of New England and the Maritime provences. The pattern, based on geometry, is simple to memorize and likely was passed up and down the coast by oral traditon until this wet felted mitten was perfected and became a piecework sale-mitten, sold and traded by women to meet the demand of loggers, fishermen, charcol burners, and anyone else who needed to keep their hands warm.
The mittens were distinguished by a thumb gore and a “fourchette,” which is a small gore at the thumb web which strengthens that weak spot in a mitten. The mittens had rounded tipsand were shaped during felting to arc the mitten around the fingers, making it easy to grasp and hold tools (or the rails on a heaving deck). The rounded tip allowed the wearer, when thepalms get wet, to simply switch the mittens from hand to hand, putting the damp side out.
This started out as “experimental archeology,” an attempt to reproduce the wet felted mittensfound along the Atlantic coast c.1760 using the Farm’s wool. Many mittens later...
Lord John Grey’s
wet felted Mittens
materials:
1 skein (2oz) worsted weight wool, the sample mittens are knit from The Farm’s20% angora/80% icelandic blend
1 skein will make a woman’s pair.
sz 8 single and double point needles,darning needle, hot water, soap, bathtub
gauge: 5st/inch, thereabouts.
Cast On 42 on straight needles.
To make the little hanging loop take the extratail of yarn from casting on and make 12 chainstitches, ending with a loop.
K2P1K1.. bring the loop up, slide it onto theneedles and K that loop and the next stitchtogether. P1, (K2P1) to end.
Turn P2K1 to the beginning.
Now put the work on double points (or themagic loop) and make ribbing for 3.75inches.
Historic Note: The cuff is not period. A mitten of the period had half this cuff length because it was designed to be worn over a wrister or fingerless mitten. The short cuff made it easy to take on and off., leavingthe under-mitt in place. For a more authentic mitt, halve the cuff length.
Begin Mitt:bring the P st from the end of your last roundto the beginning of your first round. This willmark your thumb gusset. P1K2P1
Inc. 6 st evenly spaced: 48 stP1K2P1 knit around, two rows
P1M1K2M1P1, knit around, K2 rows.
Inc 2 stitches at the edge of the P stitches everythird row until you have 14 stitches incl.P stitches. K two rows.
Take 14 st off and put on holder. CO 10 st over gap.K one row around 2x, make the fourchette:K2 K2tog k2 K2tog knit aroundK 2 rowsK2 (K2tog)2x K2, knit around, 6 stabove thumb gore=50 around
K up 4. inches
Dec. tip: (K8, K2 tog) aroundK2 rows(K7, K2tog) around, K 2 rows(K6, K2 tog)around, K2 rows(K5, K2 tog)around, K 2 rows(K4, K2 tog) around, K1 row(K3, K2 tog) around(K2, K2 tog) around,(K1, K2 tog) around, (K2 tog) around, darn tip together.
Thumb: PU 14 st from holder12 from thumb edge. K 2 rowsat third needle (thumb joint)K3, K2 tog, K2 K2 tog K3K 2 rowsdec again: K3, (K2 tog) 2x, K3K 2 rowsK 3 K2 tog K321 stitches on nedlesK until thumb measures 3”Dec, K2, K2tog aroundK1 K2 tog around, K2 tog around
c. 1760
OutlanderAdventures.com To felt the mittens:Dunk mittens in very hot water until they are thoroughly soalked. Squirt a lavish amount of dish soap onto the mittens andmake them nice and foamy. Fling the mitts,with considerable force, onto the floor ofthe bathtub, I do this in 25 throws at a time, first one mitt, then the other, to felt themevenly. Dunk the mittens regularly to keep them wet and foamy.
After about 15 minutes of this dunk the mittsin very cold water (or walk away for half anhour). Plunge them back into hot water andfling them down hard for a few more times.
Try them on. Keep shaping and flinging until they are where you want them to be.
Hang to dry. It takes more than 24 hours for the mittens to dry, so be patient.
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