…Beren said: “…Even now a Silmaril is in my hand.” … And Beren put forth his left hand, slowly opening its fingers; but it was empty. Then he held up his (maimed) right arm; and from that hour he named himself Camlost, the Empty-handed.

-- paraphrased from The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkein

These fingerless mittens are worked in an understated slipped stitch motif, with an eye-of-partridge stitch on the palms which makes them tough and enduring during use. The mittens are ideal for those whose travels take them from city to country, being both elegant and practical. Slipped stitches are also ideal for variegated or speckled yarn for the more adventurous mitten wearer.

Written for three sizes of men’s gloves (small, medium and large), these mittens are also suitable for women and teens. Instructions are included to adjust the size up or down slightly for those people who are between sizes. There are also instructions included to adapt the pattern for those who need an extra-large glove size (11.5”). All sizes are based on the circumference of the palm above the thumb and below the finger joints.

A note on Gauge: for this pattern, row gauge is more important than stitch gauge, as it is difficult to insert rows while the thumb gusset is being worked. I recommend that if meeting row gauge causes your stitch gauge to be tighter or looser than recommended, use the instructions included for adjusting the circumference of the work for between-size fits.

Materials Needed:

• @140 (small), 180 (medium), or 220 (large) yards sport weight yarn
• 3.5mm (US 4) needles, either circular for magic loop or double pointed or size needed for gauge

Optional Materials:

• start of round, thumb, and palm marker(s) (marker placement is not included in the instructions)
• one size smaller needle if a tighter ribbing is preferred

The pattern is both fully charted and fully written except for the instructions for finishing the thumbs, which is written only.