PW: progress wreport

Just kidding, the PW stands for Project Wibble.  I've gotten too bored with it to write it all out.  But I am actually done with the mittens and starting the (excruciatingly tedious) hatband now.  The hat I have in mind sort of reminds me of a fisherman's cap.  We'll see how it actually turns out.  Incidentally, between my day job, writing, knitting, baking, and the upcoming growing season with my very own rosebushes to attend to, my forearms are going to either fall off or reach Popeye the sailor man proportions.

But I'm not here to talk about my forearms.  I'm here to see if can actually write out a pattern, albeit a somewhat tediously simple one.  Thing with me and patterns: they're more like guidelines, really, so if you're a newly minted knitter you might prepare for a little bit of confusion off the bat.  But that being said, here goes:

Project Wibble mittens with double-thickness rib cuff:

Cuffs:
Using double-points or circulars, cast on 36 stitches (any multiple of 4 will do when adjusting for size and gauge).  Join and mark beginning of round.
k2 p2, rpt to end of round to set up 2x2 rib
Continue 2x2 rib for about 30 rows or twice the desired cuff length.
Fold cuff in half so the cast-on edge is even with your live stitches.  Pick up stitch along cast-on edge so that it's in front of your first live stitch, then k those 2 sts together.  Repeat until you've got a double-thickness cuff and (hopefully) the same number of stitches (36, right?) you started with.

Body:
Mark beginning and middle of round.  For right glove you'll make your thumb gusset at the beginning of the round, and for the left you'll make it at the end.  Continue 36-stitch rounds in stockinette stitch until you're ready to start your thumbs.

Right glove:
round 1: m1, k1, m1, k to middle marker, sl marker, m1, k1, m1, k to end of round.
round 2 and all even rounds: knit to end of round.
round 3: m1, k3, m1, k to marker, sl marker, m1, k3, m1, k to end of round.
round 5: m1, k5, m1, k to end of round.
Continue thumb gusset increases until your m1-kx-m1 equals desired number of thumb stitches minus 3 (you'll pick up 3 stitches later to close your thumb.  Slip thumb stitches onto holder.
Knit remaining stitches in round until desired length (about 16 rows), then start decreasing.
K2tog at beginning and middle of round for 4 rounds (decrease by 2 sts per round).
K2tog, k2tog at beginning and middle of round for remaining rounds until 6 sts remain (decrease by 4 sts per round).
Place sts on 2 needles, 3 per needle.  Hold parallel, knit together 1 st from each needle, repeat with 2nd set of sts, sl previous stitch over that new stitch, repeat with last 2 sts.  Congratulations, you just bound off.
Pick up thumb stitches and 3 additional sts from mitten body edge.  Divide stitches evenly among 3 dpns or use markers.  Knit to desired length (about 12 rows?) and start decreasing.
K2tog at beginning of each needle or at each marker for 2-3 rows, then k2tog at beginning and end until 3 sts remain.
Break yarn, pull through remaining sts.

Left glove:
round 1: k to 1 before middle marker, m1, k1, m1, place marker, k to last st, m1, k1, m1.
round 2 and all even rounds: knit to end of round
round 3: k to 3 before marker, m1, k3, m1, pm, k to last 3 sts, m1, k3, m1.
round 5: k to last 5 sts, m1, k5, m1.
Continue thumb gusset increases until desired number of sts.  Slip thumb sts onto holder.
Knit remaining sts in round until desired length, then decrease and bind off as with right glove.
Knit thumb stitches as with right glove.

Like I said, more like guidelines.  Especially since I was so ADD with the second mitten I forgot what I did with the decreases and essentially reinvented the wheel on the spot.  It works best if you play around with decreases of your choosing (might even throw in some ssk if you're really anal about symmetry) until you get a nice round contour for the fingers.  Happy snoozing, and here's hoping you never have to budge until spring creeps over the windowsill.