Got time for a quickie?
Well, here you go...
A quick little mitten pattern made from selfstriping sock yarn.
To fit my hand - not so big, and certainly not small, using a 4.5mm 40 inch circular needle, I cast on 20 stitches using Judy Becker's magic cast on method and two strands of sock weight yarn. I also used the magic loop method to knit the mitten. This is my favourite method to knit socks, mittens, hats - anything that has a small circumference and is knit in the round.
But, before you can even begin to cast on, you must match up the pattern repeats of the two balls so you end up with this wonderful stripey goodness. Sometimes it's easier to match up from the outside of the ball as you can see where the pattern repeats start. However, sometimes the yarn manufacturers play games with us, and one skein will be wound the exact opposite. That means one needs to be knit from the inside of the ball and the other from the outside. That's what happened to me this time.
So, after matching up the two strands of yarn, and casting on, I knit the first round plain, then I began increasing 4 stitches per round by knitting the first two stitches on needle one, then increased one, knit until two stitches remain on needle one, then I increased again, then knit the last two stitches. I did the same on needle two - a total of 4 stitches increased in one round. then i knit another round plain. I repeated the last two rows 3 more times - which gave me 36 stitches. then I knit without increasing until the mitten fit over my hand down to the crotch (oops, I said crotch!) of my thumb.
Now you have to make a thumbhole. So for the left mitten knit 2, cast on 10 stitches using the e wrap method, and knit to the end of the round. Don't do any fancy casting on here - you need to use the ewrap method. You will see why when the stitches are picked up. Knit the next round plain. We shall begin to decrease to create the thumb gusset. Starting at the needle that has the thumbhole stitches cast on. Knit 1, SSK, Knit 8, knit two together, knit to end of round. Knit next round plain. Repeat this, decreasing the number of stitches between the decreases by two each decrease round - knit 6 the second decrease round, knit 4 the third decrease round, knit 2 between the decrease stitches, then on the final decrease round you will knit the first 2 stitches, then SSK, K2tog, knit to the end of the round.
You're on the home stretch now - just knit plain for another inch or so, until the mitten fits nicely just beyond the wrist joint, then do a K2, P2 ribbing cuff for about 2 inches. bind off loosely.
You now have a thumbless mitten - not so good at keeping your hands warm, but great if you text a lot.
Not being a texter, I choose to have a covered thumb. Here's how: Match the yarn pattern as closely as you can to the yarn at the e wrap edge. To pick up the stitches, just poke the needle under the loop of the cast on edge - do that 10 times, then pick up 4 stitches around to top of the thumbhole edge to close up the gap. You have 14 stitches. Distribute them over your circular needle - 7 on each and knit the thumb plain until it just barely covers the top of your thumb. Knit 2 together across the round - 7 stitches remain. Then k1, k2 together 3 times. Break the yarn and draw it tightly through the 4 remaining stitches, and bingo. You have a mitten.
Make another the same except when you are making the thumbhole for the right mitten, you knit 16 stitches, e wrap 10 stitches then the remaining 2 stitches. On the decrease rounds for the thumb gusset instead of knitting 1, SSK, knit 8 k2tog, knit to end of round , you will knit 15, SSK, k8, k2tog, k1. Continue doing the decreases as you did for the left mitten, and finish the mitten to match the left one.
The mitten shown weighs 43 grams, so you should get a pair out of a 100 gram ball of yarn, or two 50 gram balls. Not the best photo, but you might notice the tip of the thumb and the tip of the mitten are both green. I wish I could say I planned that, but truly, I didn't. It just happened. How cool is that?
I'm thinking the next pair I make will be of Austermann Step with the aloe vera and jojoba oil in the yarn. Just think of how soft your hands will be after wearing the mittens a few times!
A quick little mitten pattern made from selfstriping sock yarn.
To fit my hand - not so big, and certainly not small, using a 4.5mm 40 inch circular needle, I cast on 20 stitches using Judy Becker's magic cast on method and two strands of sock weight yarn. I also used the magic loop method to knit the mitten. This is my favourite method to knit socks, mittens, hats - anything that has a small circumference and is knit in the round.
But, before you can even begin to cast on, you must match up the pattern repeats of the two balls so you end up with this wonderful stripey goodness. Sometimes it's easier to match up from the outside of the ball as you can see where the pattern repeats start. However, sometimes the yarn manufacturers play games with us, and one skein will be wound the exact opposite. That means one needs to be knit from the inside of the ball and the other from the outside. That's what happened to me this time.
So, after matching up the two strands of yarn, and casting on, I knit the first round plain, then I began increasing 4 stitches per round by knitting the first two stitches on needle one, then increased one, knit until two stitches remain on needle one, then I increased again, then knit the last two stitches. I did the same on needle two - a total of 4 stitches increased in one round. then i knit another round plain. I repeated the last two rows 3 more times - which gave me 36 stitches. then I knit without increasing until the mitten fit over my hand down to the crotch (oops, I said crotch!) of my thumb.
Now you have to make a thumbhole. So for the left mitten knit 2, cast on 10 stitches using the e wrap method, and knit to the end of the round. Don't do any fancy casting on here - you need to use the ewrap method. You will see why when the stitches are picked up. Knit the next round plain. We shall begin to decrease to create the thumb gusset. Starting at the needle that has the thumbhole stitches cast on. Knit 1, SSK, Knit 8, knit two together, knit to end of round. Knit next round plain. Repeat this, decreasing the number of stitches between the decreases by two each decrease round - knit 6 the second decrease round, knit 4 the third decrease round, knit 2 between the decrease stitches, then on the final decrease round you will knit the first 2 stitches, then SSK, K2tog, knit to the end of the round.
You're on the home stretch now - just knit plain for another inch or so, until the mitten fits nicely just beyond the wrist joint, then do a K2, P2 ribbing cuff for about 2 inches. bind off loosely.
You now have a thumbless mitten - not so good at keeping your hands warm, but great if you text a lot.
Not being a texter, I choose to have a covered thumb. Here's how: Match the yarn pattern as closely as you can to the yarn at the e wrap edge. To pick up the stitches, just poke the needle under the loop of the cast on edge - do that 10 times, then pick up 4 stitches around to top of the thumbhole edge to close up the gap. You have 14 stitches. Distribute them over your circular needle - 7 on each and knit the thumb plain until it just barely covers the top of your thumb. Knit 2 together across the round - 7 stitches remain. Then k1, k2 together 3 times. Break the yarn and draw it tightly through the 4 remaining stitches, and bingo. You have a mitten.
Make another the same except when you are making the thumbhole for the right mitten, you knit 16 stitches, e wrap 10 stitches then the remaining 2 stitches. On the decrease rounds for the thumb gusset instead of knitting 1, SSK, knit 8 k2tog, knit to end of round , you will knit 15, SSK, k8, k2tog, k1. Continue doing the decreases as you did for the left mitten, and finish the mitten to match the left one.
The mitten shown weighs 43 grams, so you should get a pair out of a 100 gram ball of yarn, or two 50 gram balls. Not the best photo, but you might notice the tip of the thumb and the tip of the mitten are both green. I wish I could say I planned that, but truly, I didn't. It just happened. How cool is that?
I'm thinking the next pair I make will be of Austermann Step with the aloe vera and jojoba oil in the yarn. Just think of how soft your hands will be after wearing the mittens a few times!
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