Warm Paws is an easy to follow knitting pattern for making thrummed mittens. What are thrummed mittens? I’m so glad you asked!
The term originally comes from weaving, where thrums are the leftover warp on the loom after a project has been cut off. What to do with all that leftover yarn??
For knitters, thrums are tufts of wool knit into your project to create a warm, fleecy lining. Thrums are great for mittens, slippers, hats, and headbands. At first your mittens (or whatever you choose to make) will be really puffy, but, with use, the air is pressed out of the tufts of wool and you’re left with windproof, insulated mittens.
Materials for Your Thrummed Mittens
To make these mittens, you need about 200 yards of worsted weight wool and about 2 oz of unspun wool.
Combed top is the easiest to work with — that’s the really smooth fiber preparation that is often sold in beautiful multicolored braids.
Roving will work too, if you want to use what you have around the house. Because the fiber prep for roving is intentionally disorganized (for making woolen-spun yarn), it can be a bit more challenging to control, but I have done it and it’s not so hard that it’s not worth trying.
I also know someone who used a two-ply bulky yarn and cut it into short lengths to use for thrums. She still wears those mittens, so it must have worked!
The pattern calls for US 6 and US 8 needles, but your mileage may vary depending on whether you’re a tight knitter or a loose knitter or winging it with something other than worsted weight yarn.
Heard enough? You can buy the Warm Paws Thrummed Mittens pattern for $5 through Ravelry.