These mitts were knitted for my mother-in-law, who has terribly painful arthritic hands and—in particular—thumbs. I wanted a pattern that would fit her snugly and gave support to her hands but would be warm and stylish as well.

I couldn’t find this elusive pattern that was in my mind, so I combined various ideas from several existing free patterns to create this one. In short, I Frankensteined it.

To give the desired hand support, I used super bulky weight yarn and needles that were two sizes smaller than recommended on the yarn label. The result was a thick, dense fabric that really hugs the hand. I also included a fitted thumb gusset and a snugger-than-usual thumb. The only thing to do now is knit a pair for myself. They feel great! And since they knit up in about 4-6 hours, it won’t be long!