A Rug and A Mitten Crisis

A friend of mine that recently learned to weave made this rug from the mohair of one of my goats. Isn't it lovely?

Do you remember the giant mittens I am knitting based on a previous pair? I have problem that has put a wrench in the works. After I spun up that dark brown yarn and decided it wasn't suitable I decided to use the last of my grey yarn. Knowing that I was going to run out of it, I figured I would use another ball of gray yarn for the middle (both yarns are in the photo) and/or end of both mittens as well as for the wrists. This yarn is from the same sheep taken many years ago, so the shade is slightly different. Since it is heathered the difference between that yarn and the newer stuff won't be all that noticeable. The diameter of that yarn is slightly smaller so I figured I'd add a few stitches if I had to. Well it it turns out that the stitches are bigger because the mitten width expanded! How does that happen?


I guess it's the nature of the yarn and the way it was spun? Because it is some of my very first spinning it is very dense and I realized that for the middle of the mitten it's fine but for the tip it is not as you lose all dexterity because it is too stiff. So even though I had actually finished the mitten, I frogged (ripped) and here is where I am now. Discouraged....

For those of you non-knitters looking for the thumb, you do that last. It's going to be on the left. For now the stitches are on a stitch holder which is barely visible.