Abstract:
An improved mitt for cold weather use is configured to provide a variety of modes of wear. The mitt is convertible between a fully closed position for covering the hand and fingers and open positions for exposure of the thumb and/or finger(s) or the entire hand. An internal pocket within the mitt permits continuous or intermittent warming of all or some of the fingers when the mitt is in either a generally open position or closed position. Insertion and removal of fingers and thumb relative the internal pocket is easily accomplished without use of the other hand. A thumb hole and/or finger hole for thumb/finger exposure is formed with an overlapping two-layer seal of stretchable material to prevent heat loss while ensuring easy thumb/finger insertion and removal. In one embodiment, stretchable fillets connect the terminal ends of the palm side and back side of the mitt to provide a snug fit about the wrist. The wearing modes include full exposure of a hand, exposure of the thumb and/or a finger(s), exposure of the four finger tips, and full hand coverage.

Description:
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/079,118 filed Feb. 20, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,847. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to hand coverings. More specifically, the invention relates to modified mitts which are separately worn or are integrated into upper body garments, and which may be worn in a variety of different modes to accommodate a wide range of atmospheric conditions and activities of the wearer. 
   2. State of the Art 
   The need for warm upper body garments, e.g. coats and jackets, has always been important for humanity. In regions which experience cold temperatures, it has been found that heat transfer from a person&#39;s head and extremities, e.g. arms and legs (particularly the hands and feet) is most critical. This is because the ratio of surface area to mass is highest in these areas, and human activity is often predicated upon having at least a portion of the head and hands being exposed, i.e. uncovered at times. This is true of many outdoor winter activities which are becoming very popular, such as skiing, ski-touring, ice climbing, mountain climbing, rock climbing, ice sailing, skating, ice fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, winter camping and the like. 
   In cold-weather use of an upper body garment such as a jacket or coat, heat transfer from a wearer&#39;s body typically occurs in several specific areas. First, there is general heat transfer through the body and arms of the garment. This heat loss may be controlled by varying the insulative value of the coat material, and/or as commonly practiced, by layering of shirts, sweaters, etc. under the outer garment. Secondly, there is heat loss by movement of air through the space between the lower extremity of the coat and the person&#39;s waist. This heat loss may be controlled by varying the tightness of the coat about the person&#39;s waist. Thirdly, there is heat loss from exposure of the wearer&#39;s head, which in many cases is the major source of heat loss from a wearer&#39;s upper body. Control of the head area which is exposed, and varying the insulative properties of the head covering, are two methods used to effect a desired head temperature. Fourthly, heat transfer from the hands and lower arms is also very important. Most cold weather activities require the uncovering of the fingers or the entire hand at times, or use of a fingered glove in place of a mitten. 
   In the field of upper body garments, headwear and handwear, the art is filled with a plethora of designs and configurations of hand coverings and head coverings which may be used with or be a part of a cold weather jacket. These prior art apparel were generally intended to providing a particular function. Some of the hand coverings provide for alternative use as mittens and fingered gloves. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,189 to Christman et al., a garment is shown with cuffs which are retractable over inner gloves to provide additional warmth, or alternatively, cooling, to the fingers. 
   U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,756,027 and 4,944,041 to Buenos et al. shows a similar arrangement, wherein an inner glove portion in the garment sleeve has finger chambers with ends which fold backward to expose the fingertips. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 2,340,017 to Rasmussen, an outer garment or coat for a child is shown with attached mittens with integral slide fasteners which are configured to prevent a child from opening thereof without removing the garment. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,944 to Bromer et al. discloses a jacket sleeve with an opening through which a thumb may be placed to retain the sleeve over a portion of the hand, when no mittens or gloves are used. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,335 to Kennedy, a mitten is shown with a full-width aperture in the palm, permitting a user&#39;s fingers to slide out of the mitten to handle keys, tickets and the like. A welt along the edge of the aperture serves to close the aperture and provide a supplemental grip for grasping a steering wheel. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,248 to Lengyel and U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,336 to Beckman et al. disclose mittens having a slitted end for extending one&#39;s fingertips out of the mitten. In order to maintain the fingers covered, the fingers must be folded within the mitten. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,427 to Van Bergen et al., the mitten is sufficiently large for maintaining the fingers in an unfolded state. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,408 to Helfer describes a hand covering having an inner glove covered by an outer mitten having a full-width slit through which the glove&#39;s fingers may be extended. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,441 to Slimovitz, a hand covering similar to that of Helfer has a slitted mitten whereby the fingertips may be extended through the slit. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,836 to Bush, a mitt is shown in which the distal end is closed by a VELCRO® member so that the finger ends may be exposed when desired. 
   A similar mitt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,338 to Schublom. In this patent, the mitt has adjoining break-apart edges which may be peeled back to expose a user&#39;s hand. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,992 to Kallman, an attachment for a glove is described which slides over the back surface of the glove and is held there by several straps. The attachment includes portions which slip over the fingers and thumb of the glove to provide added insulation, and includes space for storing keys, money, etc. 
   A variety of other openable mitts/gloves are found in the prior art. For example, mittens having a substantial terminal portion closable by a zipper are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,128,796 and 2,603,790 to Bohm-Myro and U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,784 to Harrington. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,323,136 to Johanson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,828 to Henrikson, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,405 to Monk describe soft fabric mittens in which slots permit protrusion of a user&#39;s fingers or gloved fingers through the mitten fabric. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,771 to Treiber, a mitten is contained in a zippered pocket in a coatsleeve. The mitten may be retracted and positioned over the cuff for wear. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,350 to Dawiedczyk shows a work glove which has open truncated finger portions and a thumb portion with an intermediate hole. A half mitten is attached to the back of the glove and may be pivoted forward to cover the exposed fingers. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,894 to Yates et al. shows a thermal mitten for golfers in which a finger enclosure contains an in-wall heating device. The finger enclosure may be folded back and attached to the lower portion of the mitten by a VELCRO strip. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,693, to Noonan, a hand covering is depicted which has an L-shaped palmar slot with a flap to seal the slot. The wearer&#39;s hand may be extended through the slot for exposure. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,850 to Patton, Sr. et al. describes a therapeutic exercise glove with a finger enclosure adjustably attached by straps to a palmar region to position the fingers in a desired bent-forward bent-backward position for therapy. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,647 to Smith et al. discloses a scarf having a mitten at each end. A fold-over pocket fully surrounds the cuff. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,874 to Samelian et al. depicts a hand covering which permits easy egress of a hand therefrom. Three temporarily securable flaps on the back portion may be opened to enable egress; the glove then hangs loosely from the wrist. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,315,889 to Wells shows a mitten in which the portion covering the fingers may be swung open to uncover the fingers. The finger covering portion may be held closed by a snap, and when open, is not prevented from freely swinging. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,117 to Buenos et al. discloses a 360 degree cuff which folds in upon itself and is retained in position by “Velcro” material. No interior pocket is shown. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,265 to Reich, a hand-protective article is described which includes a full-size thumb hole for exposing a user&#39;s thumb. No hole closure means is disclosed. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,381 to Kelley discloses sleeved apparel having gloves or mittens sewn into the cuff interior, and an exterior thumb covering which is retractable into the cuff. 
   None of the above references provides a unitary hand covering which may selectively function as an open sleeve, thumbed open sleeve, fingerless glove, full glove, or full mitten with optional exposure of a thumb or trigger finger. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is, in one embodiment, an improved mitt for temperature protection of a person&#39;s hands. The mitt may be configured for separate wear, or alternatively may be incorporated into the sleeve of an upper body garment such as a jacket, coat, shirt or vest. Typically, the mitt is configured for cold-weather use where large temperature variations may be encountered, and physical exertion of the hands is required. Thus, the mitt is uniquely designed to be used in a variety of ways to achieve a desired combination of warmth, comfort and dexterity. The hand covering i.e. mitt may be formed of a pliable and/or non-pliable material, preferably one or more types of stretchable fabrics such as a fleece or a hard-surfaced fleece, in combination with a “shell” type material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), including fabric products which are trademarked under the name GORTEX®. A variety of other fabrics may also be used, at least a portion of which must have high 2-way or 4-way stretch properties. The hand coverings of the invention may be combined in various configurations in combination with various garment types, i.e. coat, jacket, shirt, vest, and vest with attachable/detachable arms, etc. 
   The hand coverings comprise mittens which are formed to be multi-modal such that they may be worn to achieve various combinations and degrees of exposure for each of the hand, the thumb and the four fingers. The hand coverings may be terminal portions of the garment sleeves, or may be separate mittens which may be worn together with a jacket or other garment, or may be worn independently of any particular body garment. An improvement of the present invention is the addition of an interior finger-protecting pocket within the cuff of each mitt, wherein one or more fingers may be readily protected while operating with an open-ended cuff. Another improvement is a two-part flexible insulative overlapping covering for a finger hole or thumb hole. The flexible covering prevents heat loss through the hole, but permits easy insertion and removal of the digit. In another improvement, the terminal corner portions of the palm and backside panels are joined by generally triangular fillets comprising stretchable insulative material. 
   In one embodiment, the hand covering comprises a fabric tube with a full or substantially full end opening. The end opening is closeable by a 2-way external pocket which may be flipped between the mitten&#39;s backside (to form a fully closed mitten) and the mitten&#39;s palmside, where it covers a thumb enclosure but opens the end opening for full or partial hand exposure. A thumb enclosure may be used whereby only the wearer&#39;s fingertips (excluding thumb) are exposed. A second optional feature is a thumbhole proximate the end opening whereby the thumb may be independently exposed. Similarly, a finger hole for e.g. a trigger finger, may be formed whereby a finger may be exposed independently of the thumb and other fingers. 
   A second embodiment is similarly formed, but in addition has glove finger enclosures open to the tube and storable under the 2-way pocket. With the 2-way pocket flipped to the mitten&#39;s backside, the glove finger enclosures may be configured as one enclosure for each of the four fingers, or enclosures for 1 and/or 2 and/or 3 fingers of the wearer. This embodiment is useful where particular fingers are used to perform particular tasks such as in riflery, archery, outdoor electrical work, and the like. 
   In one version of the garment, a jacket with a hood and face shield has arms which are attached by zippers or other attachment devices such as hook-and-loop strips sold under the trademark Velcro®, and the like. The cuffs of the arms may include thumb holes, hook-and-loop (e.g. Velcro®) tightening strips, or hand coverings of any of the embodiments described herein. 
   The mitt may be formed of a variety of materials, such as artificial fleece, hard-faced fleece, shell material such as PTFE and other similar materials, including both highly elastic materials and low elastic materials. 
   The features of the invention provide enhanced versatility to the mitt, whether used separately or incorporated in a garment. Use under a variety of atmospheric conditions including severe cold and high wind is enabled. A user may expose part or all of a hand or hands for performing a particular task, but retain the remainder of his hand(s) in a weather-protected state. Rapid switching from an exposed condition to a protected condition is separately possible with each hand, without requiring assistance of the opposite hand. Removal of mitts is not required for performing bare hand tasks, avoiding mitt misplacement and loss. The mitt of the invention is particularly useful when participating in strenuous or dangerous sports, permitting adjustment of hand/finger dexterity and thermal coverage of hands during the participation. Loss of garment items (such as mittens) under high stress activities, e.g. mountain climbing, is eliminated or greatly reduced, and wearer comfort is maintainable at all times. In addition, the mitt is very light in weight, enhancing a wearer&#39;s performance under conditions of stress. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The nature of the present invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, to the appended claims, and to the several drawings herein, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a general perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a mitt in a hand-enclosing position in accordance with the invention; 
       FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  are general perspective views of mitt embodiments having separate finger portions in accordance with the present invention; wherein: 
       FIG. 2  depicts a mitt with separate thumb and four finger enclosures; 
       FIG. 3  depicts a mitt with a separate enclosure for the first (“trigger”) finger; 
       FIG. 4  depicts a mitt with separate enclosures separating the first and second fingers from the third and fourth fingers; 
       FIG. 5  is a general frontal view of a mitt embodiment of the invention with a person&#39;s hand fully exposed; 
       FIG. 6  is a general frontal view of a mitt embodiment of the invention with a person&#39;s palm and back covered but thumb and fingers exposed; 
       FIG. 7  is a general frontal view of a mitt embodiment of the invention with a person&#39;s fingertips exposed but thumb covered; 
       FIG. 8  shows a full covering mode of mitt wear; 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the elements of a mitt embodiment of the invention including sew lines; 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the backside of a multi-finger embodiment of a mitt of the invention in full hand covering mode; 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the backside of a multi-finger mitt of the invention being converted to a full hand exposure mode; 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective partially cutaway view of the backside of a multi-finger mitt of the invention in the full hand exposure mode; 
       FIG. 13  is a cutaway view of the interior of the palm side of a mitt of the invention with a person&#39;s fingers in an inner finger pocket; 
       FIG. 14  is a perspective cutaway view of the palm side of a mitt of the invention, showing an inner finger pocket in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional end view of a mitt of the invention along lines  15 - 15  of  FIG. 14 ; 
       FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional end view of a mitt of the invention along lines  16 - 16  of  FIG. 14 ; 
       FIG. 17  is a plan view of a portion of an exemplary mitt backside of the invention showing conforming fillets; 
       FIG. 17A  is a plan view of another embodiment of a fillet in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 18  is a plan view of a portion of an exemplary mitt backside of the invention showing alternative conforming fillets; 
       FIG. 19  is a plan view of a portion of an exemplary mitt backside of the invention having a one-piece inner pocket with integral conforming fillets; 
       FIG. 20  is a plan view of a one-piece inner pocket with integral conforming fillets; and 
       FIG. 21  is a front view of an upper body garment having arms with integral mitts in accordance with the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Now referring to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, a first exemplary embodiment of a multi-mode mitt  20  according to the invention is depicted. The mitt  20  is shown having an upper tubular portion  44  through which a person&#39;s arm passes. The tubular portion may be formed of a backside  64  and a palm side  12 . A thumb enclosure  46  extends outwardly from the palm side  12 . A terminal opening  18  of tubular portion  44  is, in this mode, covered by a two-way outer pocket  48  which has its outer periphery  60 , except for the pocket opening  58 , attached to the peripheral seam  16  about palm portion  18 . Outer pocket  48  may be folded over the terminal end  26  of the mitt  20  to cover the palm portion  18  and expose terminal opening  18  to the atmosphere. Although the embodiment of  FIG. 1  is shown as a separately-worn hand covering  20 , it may alternatively be an integral part of an arm of an upper body garment (see  FIG. 24 ). In  FIG. 24  for example, a jacket  10  with a hood  30  and a front  22  has jacket arms  14  which terminate in hand coverings  20  of the invention. The mitt  20  is shown in a mode wherein a user&#39;s hand may be extended through terminal opening  18 . 
     FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4  show other exemplary embodiments of the mitt  20  which are adapted to separately enclose one or more fingers, not shown, in their own finger enclosures  102 ,  102 A,  102 B,  102 C and  102 D. Thus, in  FIG. 2 , the mitt  20  has a separate enclosure  102  for each of a person&#39;s four fingers, plus a thumb enclosure  46 . The mitt  20  of  FIG. 3  has a separate enclosure  102 A for the first finger, i.e. “Trigger” finger, and an enclosure  102 B for holding the other three fingers. In  FIG. 4 , a mitt  20  is shown which has enclosures  102 C and  102 D, each of which holds two fingers. Each mitt  20  of  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4  is shown with a palm side  44  and a backside  64 , a projecting thumb enclosure  46 , and a two-way outer pocket  48  with pocket opening  58 . The outer pocket  48  is configured to be foldable from its backside position  64  (as shown) to cover the finger enclosures  102  and thumb enclosure  46  as well. This action also exposes the terminal opening  18 . 
   A description of the general construction, variants, and advantages of the mitt  20  is found in the applicant&#39;s co-application Ser. No. 10/079,118 filed Feb. 20, 2002, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
   Each mitt  20  of the invention may be formed as an extension of a lower sleeve portion  16  as seen in  FIG. 24 , or as an individual mitten unit which may be worn independently of any particular body garment (see the example in  FIG. 1 ). 
   A first embodiment of hand covering  20  is shown in different modes of wear in  FIGS. 5 ,  6 ,  7  and  8 . The hand covering  20  includes a tubular portion  44  through which a wearer&#39;s hand  50  may pass. The tubular portion  44  has a terminal opening  18  at its distal end  66 , and an integral thumb enclosure  46 . A 2-way outer pocket  48  is attached, e.g. sewn on three sides  60  to peripheral portions of the frontside  62  of the tubular portion  44  of hand covering  20 A. The fourth side of the pocket  48  comprises a pocket opening  58  into which the thumb enclosure  46  may be inserted when not in use. The hand covering  20 A may include a thumb hole  70  near the distal end  66 , through which a person&#39;s thumb  52  may be inserted when it is desired to expose a major portion of the fingers  54  and thumb  52  while keeping a person&#39;s palm  51  and hand backside  57  covered. 
   Turning now to the full-hand-exposure wearing mode of  FIG. 5 , it is evident that the thumb enclosure  46  is folded under the 2-way pocket  48  covering a portion of the front side  62  of the hand covering  20 . The thumb enclosure  46  is thus retained in a non-interfering position where it is not visible. The full hand  50  is shown projecting from the exposed terminal opening  18 , enabling full hand manipulation. 
   In  FIG. 6 , a wearer&#39;s hand  50  is withdrawn partially into the tubular portion  44  and the thumb  52  inserted through the thumb hole  70 . The thumb hole  70  limits the extent to which the hand  50  may be uncovered. In this wearing mode, the fingers  54  and thumb  52  are largely uncovered while non-finger portions of the hand  50  are largely covered. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , the thumb enclosure  46  may be retracted from the 2-way pocket  48 , and the wearer&#39;s thumb  52  inserted into the thumb enclosure  46  while further withdrawing the hand  50  into the tubular portion  44 . The distal end  66  of the hand covering  20  may then be drawn back to expose the fingers  50  (particularly the finger tips  56 ) to any desired extent. In this “fingerless glove” wearing mode, the thumb  52  is enclosed and the fingertips  56  exposed. Thus, fingertip dexterity is assured without exposing the thumb  52 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , the 2-way pocket  48  may be pulled over the distal end  66  of the tubular portion  44 , including opening  18 , to form a full hand enclosure mode. A wearer&#39;s hand  50  is fully covered in this mode. The palm area  68  of the front side  62 , together with the thumb underside  72 , may be formed of a material which is conducive to the hand movements required by the particular activities of the wearer. For example, where the hands must form a tight grip on a rope, the palm area  68  and thumb underside  72  may be formed of a material with a non-slippery, wear-resistant surface. 
   The hand coverings  20  of the invention may generally be formed of a pliable and/or non-pliable material, or combinations thereof, preferably including a stretchable fabric such as a fleece, a hard-surfaced fleece, and/or a “shell” type material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) such as available under the trademark GORTEX®. A variety of other fabrics may also be used to achieve the desired properties of stretch, non-slipperiness, strength, wear resistance, insulation value, sensory “feel”, and cost. 
   A hand covering  20  may be formed of a plurality of fabric panels such as depicted in the exploded view of  FIG. 9 , shown for fabricating a left hand mitt  20  with palm side up. As shown, a fabric or fabrics  74  may be cut to form a back panel  76 , upper wrist panel  78 , upper hand panel  80 , upper thumb panel  82 , underside thumb panel  84 , and outer pocket panel  86 . The panels are joined, as by sewing, along sew lines  88 . Panels  78  and  86  are each shown with one or more folding ends  90  which are to be folded back and sewn to the panel, creating finished edges about the terminal opening  18 , wrist opening  92 , and pocket opening  58 . This embodiment of the hand covering  20  is shown as a separate mitten, i.e. not part of a garment arm, and includes a cinch cord  94  contained within folded ends  90  of the wrist opening  92 , for tightening about a wearer&#39;s wrist or lower arm. The particular material used to form each panel may vary depending upon the intended end use. 
   Preferably, the outer pocket panel  86  is two piece, with a first portion  86 A comprising a stretch fabric along the pocket opening  58 , and a second portion  86 B comprising a durable material of limited stretchability. This combination of materials enables the pocket  86  to be easily moved between the front side (palm side)  62  and the back side  64 . 
   In accordance with the invention, an inner finger pocket  32  is fixed, e.g. sewn along its non-open periphery  34  to the terminal portion  77  of back panel  76 . The inner finger pocket  32  has an open end  34  into which a person&#39;s fingers  54  may be inserted. The inner finger pocket  32  is usable for finger warmth whether the mitt  20  is in a fully closed position or in a fully open position. It is very useful for temporary warmth when the fingers are otherwise required to be exposed for performing delicate tasks. 
   Also shown in  FIG. 9  is a pair of panel-joining generally triangular fillets  28 . Each fillet  28  has one edge  27  which is joined to a terminal end corner  83  of panel  80 . Another edge  29  of fillet  28  is joined to a terminal end corner  85  of backside panel  76 . The fillets  28  are typically made of a stretchable insulative material such as a fleece, and permit expansion of the terminal opening  18  for moving a person&#39;s hand  50  therethrough in either direction. A ring  42  of edging material may be sewn to the third edges  31  of fillets  28  and portions of panels  76  and  80 , to define the terminal opening  18  and provide greater resistance to wear and strength of the mitt  20 . 
   Another feature of the invention is an optional hole  70  through the upper hand panel  80  for exposing a finger  54  or thumb  52  from the inside of the mitt  20 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the hole  70  may comprise a slit, and has an overlying two-panel seal  100  of stretchable material. Seal  100  comprises two overlapping members  100 A,  100 B wherein the outer periphery of seal  100  is sewn to panel  80  about hole  70 . In this configuration, a thumb or finger may be pushed through the seal. Hole  70  with seal  100  is positioned on panel  80  for easy access by the intended digit (finger  50  or thumb  52 ). The finger hole/thumb hole  70  may be of another shape such as, for example, elliptical or round. 
   The hand covering  20  may be formed from panels with shapes and sizes different from those shown in  FIG. 9 . For example, panels  78  and  80  may comprise a single panel. Alternatively, panels  76 ,  78  and  80  may together comprise a single panel which is folded, enabling formation of the tubular portion  44  by sewing their longitudinal edges together along one seam. Alternatively, panels  80  and  84  may be combined as a single panel, or panels  82  and  84  of the thumb enclosure may be formed in a single piece. Various other modifications in construction are possible. 
   For forming an aesthetic mitt  20 , the various elements may be sewn in inverted form, i.e. wherein the formed mitt  20  is then inverted, i.e. turned inside out, to place the overlapping edges within the mitt rather than on the outside surface thereof. It is noted that the panels may alternatively be joined by an adhesive material or by a combination of sewing and adhesive. 
     FIGS. 10 ,  11 , and  12  illustrate a method for changing the mode of a mitt  20  from a fully closed position to a fully open position. The method is depicted as applied to a glove-type mitt  20  having separate finger enclosures  102  and thumb enclosure. In  FIG. 10 , glove-type mitt  20  is depicted palm side down in a fully closed mode wherein a wearer&#39;s entire hand  50  including fingers  54  and thumb  52  is covered. In this mode, the two-way outer pocket  48  has its opening  58  on the backside panel  76  of the mitt  20 . A pull tab  87  is shown attached to the pocket  48  to assist in pulling the pocket toward, and over, the finger enclosures  102 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 11 , the pocket opening  58  has been pulled by tab  87  in the direction indicated by arrow  111 , that is, over the finger enclosures  102 . When the action is complete, as depicted in  FIG. 12 , the pocket  48  overlies the upper hand panel  80 , that is, the palm side  51  of mitt  20 . As depicted in  FIG. 12 , the thumb enclosure  46  may then be largely or totally enclosed within the two-way outer pocket  48 , and the terminal opening  18  is opened for use by a wearer. The process may be simply reversed to restore the mitt  20  to a mode fully enclosing a person&#39;s hand  50  including thumb  52  and fingers  54 . The cutaway portion of  FIG. 12  reveals an inner finger-covering pocket  32  attached, e.g. sewn, on the inner surface  76 A of back panel  76 . 
     FIG. 13  depicts a person&#39;s hand  50  within a mitt  20  in an open mode, i.e. a person&#39;s hand may fully extend from the opening  18  for full exposure. However, as shown, a person may insert fingers  54  in the opening  34  of the finger pocket  32 , keeping them warm. The fingers  54  are easily and quickly inserted and removed, making the pocket  32  very useful when activity requires finger exposure in cold weather. 
     FIG. 14  shows the interior of the same mitt  20  in the fully closed mode. Finger pocket  32  may be used in the same way to enclose some or all of a person&#39;s fingers  54  which are inserted into pocket opening  34 . Typically pocket opening  34  is reinforced by a band of material  37 , as also shown in  FIGS. 9 ,  12 , and  13 . 
     FIG. 15  is an end view of a closed mitt  20 . Visible are the outer pocket  48 , upper hand panel  80 , and thumb enclosure  46 . The two panels  48 ,  80  are generally joined by sew line  88 , as is panel  76 , not visible in this figure. Together, panels  76  and  80  form a major part of the tubular portion  44  of the mitt  20 . 
   In  FIG. 16 , the inner space  45  in tubular portion  44  is shown. Inside panel  76  is shown the inner finger pocket  32 . Outside of panel  76  is shown the outer two-way pocket  48 . 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 17-20 , wherein another feature of the invention is illustrated. The terminal opening  18  of a mitt  20  may be formed to a reduced size with a stretchable material, thus snugly surrounding the wrist, hand  50  or fingers  54  of the wearer while allowing easy hand movement through the opening  18 . A generally triangular fillet  28  has edges  27 ,  29 , and  31  which are attached, as by sewing, respectively, to back panel  76 , upper hand panel  80 , and ring edging  42 . The fillets  28  of  FIG. 17  have surfaces  27 ,  29  which are configured to match the arcuate corner shape of panels  76  and  80 . The opening size of the terminal opening  18  may be reduced by foreshortening the length  31 A of edge  31 , as depicted in  FIG. 17A . However, the shape of the edges  27 ,  29  are maintained to match the corner shape of panels  76  and  80  to which they are attached. 
     FIG. 18  shows an example of a different corner shape of panels  76  and  80 , wherein the terminal panel corners  85  are simply truncated. Fillets  31  may be generally shaped to match the panel corners  85  regardless of the corner shape. It is understood that the fillets  31  may comprise part of another construction member. Thus, as shown in  FIGS. 19 and 20 , fillets  28 A and  28 B and inner finger pocket  32  are formed as one panel, eliminating the separate edges  31 . This embodiment is possible where it is desirable to form the pocket  32  and fillets  28  of the same material. 
   It will be recognized from the above description that the various garment configurations of this invention enable a wearer to perform strenuous activities in greater comfort, safety and enjoyment than was previously attainable. 
   While the present invention has been disclosed herein in terms of certain exemplary embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and appreciate that it is not so limited. Many additions, deletions and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be effected without departing from the scope of the invention. Moreover, features from one embodiment may be combined with features from other embodiments. The scope of the instant invention is only to be limited by the claims which follow.