Mittens for Me

The holiday knitting is done, and nothing's on the needles except a big project I can't face right now. What could be better than a little somethin-somethin for myself? I love these Kureyon mittens for their asymmetrical coloring!

These are a fingertip-to-cuff, afterthought thumb mitten inspired by this pattern at Just Jussi using a skein of Noro Kureyon in colorway 170, with a bit of a coordinating yarn for the cuff (Lamb's Pride Worsted in a charcoal gray, left over from a Felted Wine Cozy. ) I'd seen these a while back and forgotten where, so I reinvented the wheel from the top down, trying the mitten on as I went for a good fit. (PS I have to remember to bookmark more often.)

I used dpns in size 6 for the body and 5 for the cuff, with a gauge on the body of 4.5 sts/in.

Using a crocheted provisional cast-on (which I learned how to do just for this! See tutorial here.) cast on 16 sts and join for working in the round. Distribute needles like this: needle 1: 8 sts. needle 2: 4 sts. needle 3: 4 sts.

Knit one round plain.
Increase round:
Needle 1: k1, m1, knit to last st, m1, k1.
Needle 2: k1, m1, knit to end.
Needle 3: knit to last st, m1, k1. This increases 4 sts every time you do it.

Continue to repeat these last two rows (knit one round plain, then do an increase round) until your mitten is the proper width (you can try it on over your fingers to check!).
The mittens pictured here (I have small hands in length but not in width) went up to 32 sts.

Needle 1: has 16 sts
Needle 2: has 8 sts
Needle 3: has 8 sts

Or, you can place a marker at the beginning of the round and knit however many sts you'd like on each needle - whatever!

Knit until the piece fits you, from the top of your fingers to the inside "corner" of your thumb. This turned out to be 4.5" for me.

Left Mitten:
Using a contrasting scrap of waste yarn, knit the first 5 sts of the round.
Slip these sts back onto the left needle, and knit them again using the working yarn.

Right Mitten:
On the first needle, knit to the last five sts (you've just knit 11 sts of this round) and knit these five sts with a contrasting scrap of waste yarn.
Slip these sts back onto the left needle, and knit them again using the working yarn.


Continue to knit until the body of the mitten is long enough to reach your wrist nicely. For me, this turned out to be about 8".


If you've got small wrists, do a round of decreases, otherwise go straight to the cuff:

Needle 1: k1, k2tog, knit to last three sts on needle, SSK, k1
Needle 2: k1, k2 tog, knit to end of needle
Needle 3: knit to last three sts on needle, SSK, k1

Break the yarn, switch to the smaller needles and join your contrasting color for the cuff. If you don't want the contrasting color purl bumps to show, knit one round plain in the new color; I kind of liked the punctuation of the bumps so I went straight into the ribbing.

Knit k2 p2 ribbing, for as long as you want it. I didn't want mine folded over, so I stopped after 2 inches or so.

Bind off using the sewn bind-off method (pictures here ) or, in pattern, or however you'd like, keeping in mind you have to shove your hand through whatever opening you're left with, so make it stretchy!

Now for the thumbs!! Go back to the waste yarn and pick it out. You'll have nine live sts. Place them on the larger needles, and knit one round, picking up two sts at each end of the thumbhole. Knit until your thumb is the length you need it, trying your mitten on as you go.

Once you've got the length about where you want it, try on the thumb once more - where the pad of your thumb is, right in the middle, k2tog to shap the tip of the thumb a bit. This isn't necessary, but it'll look a little less cumbersome.

Knit one more round, break your yarn and draw it through the remaining sts. When you finish your ends off, you can use the tails to close up any gaps in the thumb's base or at the opening at the very tip.

For the fingertip edge, remove the crocheted waste yarn and kitchener stitch those 16 live sts together (tutorial here).

Weave in your ends, and there you go! Mittens for yourself - you deserve them.