As promised, here is the pattern for The Vicar’s Fields Mitts. They’re a small colourwork project – just perfect if you want to try out stranded knitting before starting a Fair-Isle cardigan or pullover. You can also use this project to tweak your techniques – two-handed stranded knitting, anyone? – or if you feel like experimenting with colour. Best of all, these mitts will keep your hands toasty.
Please note that this pattern is not a pattern with seven colourful illustrations, a list of abbreviations and row-by-row instructions. This pattern assumes that you are an intermediate knitter. It will not take you by the hand (no pun intended!). I have proof-read the pattern carefully but if you do find any errors, please let me know.
Pattern for The Vicar’s Fields
Yarn: I used two different 4-ply Shetland yarns equivalent to J&S 2ply Jumper weight or JC Rennie 4ply. For a less rustic look, you can use fingering-weight sock yarn.
Yardage: 2 50g balls (one in each colour). Approximately 150-180 yrds per ball.
Needles: I used 2.25mm circs for my tiny size. You might want to up that to either 2.5mm (small) or 2.75mm (large). Upsizing is at your discretion. You can use either circs (magic loop) or double-pointed needles.
Gauge: 32st over 4″/10cm
A pair is made of two identical, reversible mitts.
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CO 60 stitches in colour A.
Row 1: knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K1, slip 1* Continue until end.
Row 4: Join colour B. Knit 1 in colour B, purl in colour A. This creates your corrugated ribbing. Do this for ten rows in total. Take care that you don’t pull the floats too tightly as you’d want the ribbing to stay slightly elastic. Break off colour B at the end of row 14.
Row 15: Knit using colour A, slipping purled stitches.
Row 16: Purl, increasing evenly to 70 stitches
Row 17: Knit.
Row 18: Join colour B. Follow chart (and repeat it 5 times per rows).
Repeat entire chart four times. Try on the mitt and see if the ribbing falls comfortably on your wrist and if you can just pinch together fabric round the base of your thumb. If you can’t, repeat chart one more time.
Then slip the first 16 stitches onto a stitch holder or spare length of yarn, turn, CO 2 stitches in colour B, turn, knit remaining 54 stitches in pattern.
Resume knitting from chart (you should now be repeating it four times per row). I repeated the entire chart twice, but please adjust according to the length of your own hand.
Break off colour B. Knit one row in colour A.
Next row (row “1″): purl
Row “2″: *K1, slip 1* Continue until end.
Row “3″: Join colour B. Knit 1 in colour B, purl in colour A. This starts your corrugated ribbing for the top section of your hand. Do this for five rows in total.
Row “8″: Knit using colour A, slipping purled stitches.
Row “9″: Cast off in purl.
Thumb:
Slip the 16 stitches from the stitch holder on to either DPNs or a circular needle (I prefer DPNs at this stage, personally). Pick up four stitches (the two you CO’d plus two from either side of the slipped stitches). 20 stitches now on needles.
Row 1: Using colour A, knit.
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K1, slip 1* Continue until end.
Row 4: Join colour B. Knit 1 in colour B, purl in colour A. This starts your corrugated ribbing for the thumb. Do this for five rows in total.
Row 9: Knit using colour A, slipping purled stitches.
Row 10: Cast off in purl.
Weave in ends, and block to smooth out stitches.
