Armored

I can't be the only one who likes to think of my knitting as a protective layer standing between my loved ones and their sometimes harsh environments. So when George asked me to knit him a knight's helmet and gauntlets, how could I resist?

He took one look at this picture and picked out his helmet -- top center, for those without the same clarity of vision.


I lobbied hard for a balaclava style, but he was sure this was the most knightly option. So I looked at several patterns for this very common style from the 1940's, and ad-libbed a larger version.

The mitts started out as simple fingerless hand coverings with one large opening for his fingers, mitten style, but then he decided he wanted them to be more like gloves, with a separate hole for each finger. The original thumb slit looked silly with the fingers so covered up, so I added a thumb. I thought it would look as if the mitts were assembled from separate pieces, like armor, but they look as if they were knitted in one piece at one time.

These were actually finished before Christmas, but much to my surprise we've had some weather that called for hand coverings that cover the tips of your fingers! So they haven't been worn yet.

May I present Sir George?




"Mama," he said, as we were taking these pictures, "it's too bad you didn't knit me a sword and shield."