This pattern was commissioned to celebrate the Scottish Mental Health Arts Week Festival 2022 (4-24 May), which in 2022 has the theme of ‘Gather’.

To knit’ literally means ‘to bring together’, and as a writer, knitting historian and knitwear designer I am fascinated by the ways knitting not only builds communities, but is an accessible and widely practiced art form that has a two-hundred-year history of being used therapeutically in the treatment of mental illness. My knitwear design is informed by my experience of being mentally unwell – which included being sectioned in a Japanese psychiatric hospital – and reflects both the knitting heritage of Scotland where I now live, but also the material culture of Japan.

Shibori is a traditional Japanese resist dyeing technique where the fabric is folded before being dipped in indigo dye. The folded or bunched areas retain their original colour, whilst areas exposed to the indigo dye take on that hue. In essence, shibori is a techqniue where the physical history of the fabric forms an intrinsic part of the finished product, adding to its beauty and unique character.

To me, shibori is a prescient analogy for the process by which lived experiences shape our lives. What happens to us has a bearing on who we are and will become. Our history is part of who we are, and when that history is traumatic or difficult it is important to acknowledge that; not to lessen or magnify its importance, but to understand the person fully and appreciate the developing texture of our lives.

Because shibori works by contrasting the dyed and undyed parts of the fabric, I have sought to recreate that contrast in my design for the Gather Mitts. By using lace or open-work knitting, the body becomes part of the design, and every person who makes a pair of Gather Mitts is free to choose a colour that they thinks works best with their skin tone. The pattern then becomes unique to them, intrinsic to themselves.

I have designed this pattern for laceweight woollen yarn so that the resulting gloves are light but warm: ideal for wearing in May in Scotland when the weather can still be cold. The mitts are knitted in the round; traditional lace-knitting from Shetland is knitted in the round rather than as flat pieces which are sewn together.

The central lace pattern in the middle of each mitten is a pattern known as ‘feather lace’. There are many different feather-type lace patterns in both Shetland and Japanese knitting, but this one is a simple pattern repeat that makes an elegant feather shape across the back of the mitts. The rest of the mitts are knitted in stocking stitch, making them a straightforward and comparatively quick lace-weight knit.

Materials
Yarn: Laceweight.

Samples are shown in Jamieson & Smith L21 laceweight (50% Shetland wool/50% lambswool)

Needles: 2.25 and 2.5mm DPNs, or your preferred needles for knitting small circumferences in the round.

Tapestry needle

Waste yarn in contrasting colour.

Tension: 30 sts and 44 rounds to 10cm over stocking stitch using 2.5mm needles.

Sizes: Adult (S), M, (L). Size shown: adult M.