Adventures in Steeking

There's this technique in knitting, when knitting a garment in the round, called steeking.  Basically, this allows you to knit, say, the entire body of a sweater without  having to worry about arm holes and the like until the end.  It's especially useful when knitting Fair Isle so that you don't lose the pattern.  You create a section of plain stockinette, do a little reinforcement sewing, and then you cut open the stitches to create the hole you want.

Cut the knitting, you say?  Yes, you heard me right.  You cut the yarn.  This works because knitting unravels up and down, not side to side.  If you're careful, then all you do is create a hole and not damage your work.  

Why am I talking about steeks?  Well, I decided to be brave and use them on Mum's mitts.  Last night, as I was getting to the portion where I'd have to start the thumb hole, I started thinking about it.  I was feeling lazy and I didn't want to do the whole gusset thing.  It's not hard, but I just didn't want to take the time.  My brain suddenly remembered steeks.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this might be the perfect opportunity to use them.  

Now, I've seen them done.  I've read about them.  But I've never actually done a steek myself.  So, I'm a bit nervous about how it's all going to turn out.  But I really think it will work.  As long as I'm very careful about what I'm doing when I get to the cutting part, I should be just fine.

It's a bit scary, but I'm feeling brave.  And I've already got half of it done, so it's not like I can turn back now.  Wish me luck!