I think twist stitches (mock cables) are a fun alternative to cables! Thick, chunky wool exaggerates the size of the twists and makes those mock cables pop out for serious texture and charm. The pattern is called Durum, both in the sense of “hardy” and because the chunky twists are reminiscent of (durum) wheat ears.

Pattern Information

These fingerless mittens are now available in 3 sizes: small, medium and large. While this pattern is designed to be knitted with super chunky yarn, using multiple strands of thinner yarn in different colours will create a beautiful variegated effect. :)

I would suggest this pattern is best suited to an intermediate knitter, although I have included notes on how to join in the round, m1 and left twist and a confident beginner should be able to manage all stitches. Beginners may also wish to note the following information about binding off and casting on, mid-knitting…

Bind Off/Cast On

It may be helpful to remember that when you start binding off stitches, you start the bind off at the 2nd stitch - effectively borrowing a stitch from the end of the row/round, so the last stitch of the bound stitches must be knitted “in pattern”, if there are following stitches, as you are pre-knitting the last stitch before you complete the bind off. For example, in a pattern that directs you to “k1, bo to end” on a row of 4 sts, you would actually: knit the first 3 stitches and pass the 2nd stitch over the 3rd stitch, then knit the 4th stitch and pass the 3rd stitch over - thus finishing with 1 st, a 2 st gap and 1 final st.

When casting on with a thumb/loop cast on, the cast on edge is quite loose no matter how many stitches you create. This can cause some slack at the end of the cast on. The easiest way to remove the slack yarn is to create another stitch in the next row/round, thus making the yarn taut again. This pattern incorporates that method.