Garter Stitch Mitts
Here’s what the garter stitch I was soothing my frustration with the knitting machine with turned into, little mitts knit from side to side and shaped with short rows. They’re a very simple little knit and a great way to use a small amount of yarn, I haven’t made the second one yet but it’s definitely going to use less than a single (50g) ball.
Notes:
I used Rowan Felted Tweed, a double knitting weight yarn, with 3.75mm needles. I certainly wouldn’t bother swatching for these, your swatch would be almost as big as the mitt, and you should be able to tell whether it’s coming out the right sort of size pretty quickly and if at the end you decide it’s not big enough just throw in some extra rows. For reference though my gauge with the fabric un-stretched is 6 sts and 9 rows to the inch.
I’ve written the pattern up in 2 sizes, the smaller fits me and my wrists are 5 3/4″ and around my knuckles (with fingers together) is 7 1/4, the larger size should fit wrists / hands a couple of inches larger. The best way to size these though is probably to treat the pattern as a guide and fit them to your hands as you go. I’ve left the stitch count for both sizes the same, but you can easily adjust it to get the length and proportion of hand to wrist part that you want.
I wrap and turn my short rows but don’t bother picking up the wraps since they get hidden in the garter stitch. It isn’t totally necessary to even bother with the wrapping but I do think it looks a little neater.
These are knit flat so you can use either straight or circular needles.
Since it’s garter stitch you can just make each mitt the same and then turn one inside out to make the pair. They will technically not be identical, but close enough to make spot the difference tricky.
Abbreviations:
k: knit
w+t: wrap and turn
slm: slip marker
RS: the right side should be facing you.
Is that it? Told you these were simple!
Instructions:
Provisionally cast on 42 sts (I like this method the best but you can use whatever method you like).
Knit 2 rows.
Next row(RS): k24, place marker, w+t.
Next row: k to end.
Next row: k to end, slipping marker.
K 5[7] rows.
Next row (RS): k to marker, slm, w+t.
K 3 rows.
The following rows will create the thumb.
Next row: k to 3 sts before marker, w+t.
Next row: k to 10 sts from end, turn without wrapping.
Next row: k to 6 sts before marker, w+t.
Next row: k to 10 sts from end, turn without wrapping.
Next row: k to 9 sts before marker, w+t.
Next row: k to 10 sts from end, turn without wrapping.
Knit 2 [4] rows working across all stitches from thumb to wrist but ignoring the 10 stitches beyond the thumb.
Next row: k to 9 sts before marker, w+t.
Next row: k to 10 sts from end, turn without wrapping.
Next row: k to 6 sts before marker, w+t.
Next row: k to 10 sts from end, turn without wrapping.
Next row: k to 3 sts before marker, w+t.
Next row: k to 10 sts from end, turn without wrapping.
Next row: k to end.
Next row: k to end, working across all stitches to complete the thumb.
*Next row (RS): k to marker, slm, w+t.
K 7 [9] rows.
Repeat last 8 [10] rows 4 times.
Next row (RS): k to marker, slm, w+t.
K 2 [4] rows.
Unravel provisional cast on and slip held stitches onto second needle. Graft the 2 sets of stitches together, if you’re unsure of how to graft garter stitch or curious about the ins and outs of kitchener stitch Wooly Wormhead has a great tutorial available as a pdf from this page (scroll down).
I’m rather sleepy, and I wrote up this pattern after making the first mitt and before making the second so do let me know if I’ve left out anything.Going to make the second now and then try and decide whether the yarn I used, that felt so, so soft in the ball, really does scratch my super sensitive wrists too much to wear them. If it does at least I’ve got a gift for someone with less sensitive skin. Actually if you’ve used felted tweed I’d love to know whether you thought it at all irritating, might help me figure out if it’s just me or if I’ve made something no one will want to wear.
Edited to fix the fact that I was so sleepy while writing this that I couldn’t count.
Posted: November 25th, 2007 under knitting.
Comments: 13
Comments
Comment from Alli
Time: November 25, 2007, 10:01 pm
I’ve often heard that Rowan Felted Tweed softens up quite a bit after a wash/block. However, as I find it soft enough to wear next to skin straight from the ball perhaps I’m just not that sensitive to wooliness.
Comment from Julie
Time: November 26, 2007, 3:41 am
I’m working with some scratchy yarn myself, and I’m dying to know how to soften it up- I’ve heard that washing it with a lot of hair conditioner helps a lot, but I haven’t tried it yet myself.
Comment from Mariella
Time: November 26, 2007, 11:08 am
Hey Ysolda!
Thanks for this pattern, this will be the next project for my friends; they just learned knitting and the wrap and turn so they can make this also!
Greetings, mariella
Comment from Sophia
Time: November 26, 2007, 7:40 pm
Thank you so much for this - its the last-minute gift i’ve been looking for! Just last night my bf asked for fingerless gloves to walk the dogs in and I though “arrrgh! How am I going to fir that into the Christmas knitting???” thank you thank you thank you. PS - I love Pink Whiskers the bunny too!
Comment from Ilona
Time: November 28, 2007, 9:01 pm
Hi, There is a pattern very similiar to this in a book called, ‘Weekend Knits’. I don’t know if you have seen the book but maybe you should check it out just to make sure they aren’t the same.
Thanks for the wonderful patterns and pictures.
Comment from Ivorette
Time: December 4, 2007, 12:27 am
Very clever! I do like how the mitts fit. My only comment would be about the instructions during the thumb: you have an instruction that reads “Knit 2 [4] rows working across all stitches from thumb to wrist but ignoring the 10 stitches beyond the thumb.” You might want to remind people to wrap the stitch at the marker … because I was going on autopilot and I forgot to, leaving an annoying little hole that I had to tink and fix.
Other than that, the pattern is superb.
Comment from Katy
Time: December 11, 2007, 2:06 pm
Can someone point me in the right direction for a tutorial on wrap and turn? It’s a new one on me, but then I’m a very basic knitter. These gloves look amazing and would be excellent last minute Christmas gifts.
Thanks for sharing the pattern, just hope I can work out how to do it…
Comment from Patricia
Time: December 11, 2007, 6:50 pm
Love these mitts! Is wrap and turn as basic
as it sounds? Just wrap wool once and turn
mitt? Thank you.
Comment from Zylo
Time: December 19, 2007, 3:07 am
Alright, I’m on the third row. I can wrap, but what do you do after that? Do you just knit until the end of the row or maybe knit the new stitches until you reach where you started? I saw a tutorial that mentioned purling the rest of the stitches. I’m confused.
Comment from Kay
Time: December 20, 2007, 12:20 pm
what do you mean by wrap and turn?
Comment from beth
Time: December 21, 2007, 3:50 am
Thank you so much for this pattern; I just finished one and it was a lovely introduction to short rows/w&t.
To those who are asking what a w&t is, it is *not* a simple wrapping of the yarn around the needle before turning. Instead, you yarn over, slip the next stitch, yarn back over the other way, slip the same stitch *back* to its original needle, and then turn, pulling the yarn over yet again to get it in on the right side for knitting. You are wrapping a stitch, not the needle. I found a few tutorials by searching on Google.
On the shaping: I knit these out of recycled sari yarn (which is beautiful despite giving me blisters) and found them to be just slightly loose in the fingers and awfully tight around my forearms. I noticed my garter stitch was a lot less stretchy than I expected it to be, so it could be a symptom of my yarn. Has anybody else had this problem, or are my forearms unusually chubby? :)
My plans for a pair that will fit me a bit better include: adding some short rows coming in from the wrist end, now that I know this technique, and shortening the short rows coming in from the finger end. I might also omit one of the short rows coming in from the finger end altogether.
I would love to hear anybody’s comments about my sizing issues/choice of yarn/modifications. Thanks again for the pattern; I recently discovered your website and designs and am a big fan.
Comment from Nessie
Time: December 30, 2007, 12:42 am
thanks so much for posting this pattern! I made a pair last week and have been loving them since.
Happy New year!
Comment from Corry
Time: February 3, 2008, 4:55 pm
Hoi “breimonster” we hebben elkaar vrijdag ontmoet in de IJsselhal. (Ik was daar voor SnB Utrecht) Ik heb je site gekregen voor de polswarmers. Jammer dat het niet in het breipatroon nederlands beschreven staat. Misschien kan ik dat ook ergens vinden. Als dat zo is wil je me dat dan a.u.b. mailen. Bedankt alvast, groet Corry
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