This pattern is free for a limited time! The clues will be available free in my Mighty Networks community for two months from December 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025.

With the Fair Isle Mitten MKALendar you’ll create a pair of colorwork mittens, fingerless mitts, or convertible flip-top mittens in 25 days while waiting for the holidays.

The mystery knit-along is released in 25 daily clues: 24 days of colorwork charts for the advent and mitten top and thumbs on Christmas Day. For a non-matching pair, work clues 1–12 of the MKAL on the left mitten and clues 13–24 on the right. For a matching pair, work either clues 1–12 or 13–24 on both mittens.

Each day’s clue is presented as a stranded colorwork chart. All charts can be worked with just two colors but you can use as many as you wish! Your color choices determine whether your advent will be filled with classic or modern interpretations of traditional Fair Isle motifs. Regardless of how many colors you pick, all colorwork rounds are knit with just two colors and short floats.

The mittens are worked from the cuff up in stranded colorwork using all sorts of fingering-weight yarn leftovers, scraps, half-a skeins, unicorn tails, or advent calendar minis. The pattern comes in three styles and four sizes designed to fit from kids to large adults.

Download the MKAL info sheet and cast on today! The pre-release information package comes with a list of materials, a detailed schedule, tips for planning your color palette, and instructions for casting on the cuffs. Join my Mighty Networks community to access the daily colorwork clues starting December 1, 2024.

The pattern is written with both metric and US terminology. Only charted instructions are given for the daily colorwork patterns.

Share your project on Instagram with the hashtags #fairislemittenmkalendar and #talviknits.

SIZING

• XS [S, M, L]
• 50 [60, 70, 80] sts

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

• Hand circumference: approx. 15 [18, 21, 24] cm / 5¾ [7, 8, 9¼]″
• Fingerless mitts length: approx. 21.5 [22, 22.5, 23] cm / 8½ [8¾, 8¾, 9]″
• Mittens and flip-top mittens length: approx. 27 [28, 29, 30] cm / 10¾ [11, 11¼, 11¾]″

Choose a size that comes closest to your (or your recipient’s) hand circumference with a small amount of positive ease.

MATERIALS

Yarn

Fingering-weight yarn in as many colors as you want (at least 2)

• For fingerless mitts: approx. 190 [240, 280, 330] m / 210 [260, 310, 360] yd in total
• For mittens: approx. 230 [280, 340, 390] m / 250 [310, 370, 430] yd in total
• For flip-top mittens: approx. 260 [320, 390, 460] m / 280 [350, 420, 500] yd in total

Needles

• Two sets of 2.5 mm / US #1½ double-pointed or circular needle(s) or size needed to obtain gauge

Notions

• Colorwork yarn guide (optional)
• Fingering-weight waste yarn for peasant thumb
• Darning needle

TECHNIQUES USED

This pattern uses the following techniques: working small circumferences in the round, stranded colorwork, decreases, twisted ribbing, grafting, and whip stitch.

Instructions for the colorwork patterns are provided only as charts.

REFERENCES

• Color Dominance in Stranded Colorwork: https://bit.ly/ysoldacolordominance
• How to Knit Colorwork Inside Out: https://bit.ly/colorwork-inside-out
• How to Catch Floats on the Next Round: https://bit.ly/catchingfloats
• Lori’s Twisty Bind-off: https://youtu.be/rWS77BKk5NQ
• Comparison of 20 Stretchy Bind-off Methods: https://bit.ly/20stretchybindoffs
• Kitchener Stitch: https://bit.ly/kitchener-stitch-in-pattern
• Finchley Graft: https://bit.ly/finchleygraft
• Afterthought Thumb: https://youtu.be/FC6cFvOSkwo
• Finishing Your Knit with a Folded Hem: https://www.mscleaver.com/chronicles/2016/5/30/foldedhem
• Whip Stitch: https://youtu.be/L3OZ6aSCdnI

MKAL SCHEDULE

This pattern is free for a limited time! The clues will be available free in my Mighty Networks community for two months from December 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025.

Links to clues will be added below as they’re released.

Getting Ready

• November 12: MKAL Info
• November 19: Sizing & Measurements
• November 21: Materials & Abbreviations
• November 26: Choosing and Using Colors
• November 28: Casting on

Left Hand

• December 1: Day 1 chart
• December 2: Day 2 chart
• December 3: Day 3 chart
• December 4: Day 4 chart
• December 5: Day 5 chart
• December 6: Day 6 chart
• December 7: Day 7 chart
• December 8: Mark Thumb Placement, Day 8 chart
• December 9: Day 9 chart
• December 10: Day 10 chart, Top Ribbing (fingerless & flip-top versions)
• December 11: Day 11 chart
• December 12: Day 12 chart

Right Hand

• December 13: Day 13 chart
• December 14: Day 14 chart
• December 15: Day 15 chart
• December 16: Day 16 chart
• December 17: Day 17 chart
• December 18: Day 18 chart
• December 19: Day 19 chart
• December 20: Mark Thumb Placement, Day 20 chart
• December 21: Day 21 chart
• December 22: Day 22 chart, Top Ribbing (fingerless & flip-top versions)
• December 23: Day 23 chart
• December 24: Day 24 chart

Both Hands

• December 25: Top Decreases, Thumb, Finishing

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A big thank you to my test knitters: aimeeRN, akrenn, Annaelina, annebowman, ArtOfWillowBug, bellaanne7, boisegarden, brownbear, cz-lynn, Envista, fragilejoske, Fryle, Funkyknotts12, il21, jwallace, Kiki1306, KnittinTheBlues, lizcf59, maja-blue, Miukkuli, Nicohelmi, ryhowell, sipuri, TessaMaeStudio, tiinav, Vampirhuhn, and Zwulli.

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