Bunker Mitts

I have always had a fascination with industrial clothing. I hounded my local army surplus at university and I am still digging through the rails of Emmaus in search of one of those blue factory jackets that will actually fit me. Lately, the obsession is fire fighter's clothing: I think I like the chunkiness of it, coupled with the worn look that comes with regularily being exposed to fire and water. Bunker gear is really expensive to buy, so it's not kept as new and pristine as other uniforms are and I love that.
I had noticed that the big jackets come with extendable cuffs with thumbholes in them and I was already planning on knitting my own version when my mother sent me the most amazing yarn in the post. The yarn was so amazing I couldn't leave the post office carpark because I was squishing it so much!
                                   

The yarn is by Skein, a company whose colours I have always admired but not had the funds to buy for myself, in the Midlands colourway. It's on the Himalaya DK base, and I just can't believe that it is discontinued!!

I think I have mentioned before how, as a yarn dyer myself, it is sometimes hard to find indie yarns that don't use the same bases as I use myself. We don't have many suppliers of undyed yarn here in the UK , so most dyers end up using the same bases. The Himalaya, however, is a completely different texture, and just that is a joy in itself. It is also the most gorgeous, silky blend of Merino and Cashmere, and happened to be the exact colour I had envisaged for my bunker mitts.

So instead of working on finishing nr 3 on my 12 UFOs knit-along like a good girl, I dropped everything and spent the weekend knitting up these very long, plain fingerless gloves, trying to use as much of the yarn as possible. My mother is a little disappointed at how plain they are, but I wanted to let the yarn do the talking, and also, I don't think fire fighters have much lace or cabling in their gear...