R is for Reverse Order

It was recommended to me that I work the lining thumb before the rest of the mitten rather than after, and I can see the reason in it - it would be really fiddly trying to pick up stitches with only a toddler-sized thumb-width worth of room to maneuver in.
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The needles I'm using are too long for this tiny thumb, though, so the process is still very fiddly, and sometimes it feels like I'm trying to juggle a pincushion.

I'm not really sure that I'm doing this right, to be honest, but I forge ahead nonetheless.  After finishing the last gusset increase row, I worked up to the eight gusset stitches, then used a new needle to knit those eight stitches, and another new needle to cast on four more stitches.  Finally I took a third needle and joined the (20) thumb stitches in the round, and worked one round plain.  On the next round, I knit to the last stitch, and then knit it together with the first stitch of the next round.  In that next round, I decreased twice, and then once more in the following round, in rather random order, but the end result was 16 stitches.  I knit 10 rounds, then k2tog around twice until 4 stitches remained, cut the yarn, drew through the remaining stitches twice, and wove in the tail.