I cast on the second mitt as we pulled out of the parking lot to head off to Pittsburgh.  I knit on the drive, I knit at dinner, I knit at drinks.  I did not knit at the show (it was dark and crowded) or at the hotel (we didn’t get in until 2).  I did knit on the drive to Ikea and at lunch.  Amazingly, I actually drove back from Pittsburgh, so I didn’t knit then either.  When we got home, I saw that the new Cast-On was up (yay).  I knit through that, and then for a few more minutes, and then it was done.  Total knitting time, probably about 5 hours.  It would have been a bit less had I not made a couple of silly mistakes because I was knitting in low light conditions.  It took longer to dry after blocking than it did to knit.  I may be starting to see the appeal of thick yarn.

I also figured out my gauge problem with the hat.  Remember how I said “it’s not a matter of blocking, as the gauge didn’t actually change when I blocked it.”  Well, yes and no.  Turns out I had tried the first mitt on a bunch of times, and so stretched it out quite a bit.  That’s why the gauge didn’t change much after blocking.  I didn’t bother trying the second mitt on, so when I blocked it it changed dramatically.  It seems likely the hat will do the same.  I feel better somehow.  Gauge didn’t lie to me.