(Sold these to a winter biking mama friend for $20 when i ran into her in the farmers market this fall. Went to a good home. Time to make a new pair for self!)
Notes from May 2019 - Well i think i've taken these as far as i can. Conclusion - they are great if you're making them out of wool and cloth you have at home and don't want to spend money on them. Also are cuter than store-bought options out there.
Was drizzly today, but came down mild to medium hard on way back. Hallelujah - the insides stayed dry! You could feel the top was damp, but there was no dampness inside. See 20 sec video clip HERE.
Liner - I was worried the minky cloth i ordered from Spoonflower might not work. But i put my hands in and out of the gloves numerous times on this ride, and the insides didn't get wet. Minky is super soft. Thick flannel would be a bit cheaper and likely as warm.
Outer shell - 100 percent WOOL chunky to bulky weight yarn. Avoid using acrylic even in the stripes. You will feel the wind whistle thru any non-wool lines - i kid you not! Knit in somewhat tighter gauge than suggested on ball band to increase heat retention and water shedding. Squared off top gave warmer mitten. Make like an oversize mitten, but instead of thumb, leave a tall gap to ease over brake levers. I did this by knitting in a round up to where thumb would be, then back and forth for apx 4 inches for gap, back to in-the-round to top of mitt, 3 needle bind off for top seam. Brake lever slot - pick up stitches for a 2-3 inch short 'cuff' around edge. Add short drawstrings thru stitches to tighten and increase warmth.
I like all the colour on them, and the bike patterns. Aesthetic-wise - 200 percent improvement over MEC type pogies.It was about 4 degrees C when we were out. The kid had cloth bike gloves, and his hands were wet and cold. Mine weren't. If biking sub zero, i would wear lite biking glove underneath. I do this with my rubber store-bought ones anyway.
