Kat's Paws
Kat's Paws



This is a very easy fingerless mitten made out of self-striping sock yarn. Despite the small gauge, it takes about 2 hours for each mitt. You are knitting every row and stockinette in the round goes quickly. It's also not so boring since you can watch the colorful stripes as they form in your hands.


Materials:

1 ball of Simple Stripes sock yarn in crayon from knitpicks.com, 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon, 50 gm . One ball will make 2 mittens.
1 set of size 1 double pointed needles, or size needed for gauge
2 stitch markers
1 yarn needle

Gauge:

7 sts = 1" on US size needle 1 in st

Size:

Fits size medium ladies' hands. Left and right hands are knitted the same way.

Directions

Cast on 60 stitches. Divide on double pointed needles and join in the round, careful not to twist. Place marker if needed to mark start of round.

Work 1 inch in k2 p2 rib.

Knit every round for 5" total length, or until desired length.

Begin thumb gusset:

1. k1, place marker, k1, inc 1, k1, inc 1, place marker (four stitches now between markers)
2. k1
3. k1, slip marker, k1, inc1, k until marker, inc1, slip marker. (You will now have 6 stitches between the markers, and 58 stitches outside the markers.)
4. k1
5. Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have 20 stitches between the markers. Place the 20 stitches on waste yarn (if you have wide hands, continue until you have 22 or 24 stitches instead.)

Knit the remaining 58 stitches in the round for 1 inch.

Change to k2 p2 rib for one inch. During your first row, work two decreases so that you come out to 56 stitches (work k2tog twice while doing the rib). Bind off loosely in rib.

Finishing the thumb:

Transfer the 20 stitches onto 3 dpn's. Knit 5 rounds and bind off loosely in purl.

Using a tapestry needle, sew together the gap between thumb and the rest of the mitt using matching scrap yarn. Be careful not to sew too tight.

Weave in ends.

Added on July 21, 2006:

Here's an additonal picture, made by Dawn for her daughter. She found the thumb gusset to be a little small so it worked well for smaller hands, but if you have wider thumbs you should definitely add 4 more stitches for the gusset. I have slim hands so the above pattern worked well for me (I think my hands are about the only slim part of me!)