These fingerless mitts were inspired when a friend’s search for a matching pattern to go with her newly knit Ishbel Beret was unsuccessful. After helping to turn over the last stone on the Internet, I decided there was nothing left to do but write up a pattern for her.

The mitts come in two forms – Ishbel and Elena – the Scottish and Slovakian forms of my two new cousins’ names and a nod to our shared heritage. Just like the sisters they are named after, both designs feature the same traditional vine lace pattern, but with a slight visual difference – one stands up straight while the other meanders along the wrist. Each flows into the parallel lines of a razorshell lace panel over the back of the hand. A decorative lace border across the knuckles creates a delicate cast-off edge.

Three sizes are available for these mitts: petite/small (6/6.5 inches), medium/large (7/7.5 inches) and extra-large (8/8.5 inches). Measure around the widest point of your hand at your knuckle to find your size. This mitt has negative ease, which means it should have a fitted appearance, stretching around your hand with the cuff snug against your wrist.

While this pattern is designed to be knit with fingering weight (4-ply) yarn, you can easily substitute a light fingering (3-ply) weight. I would recommend going down to a size 1.5 US needle if you do. Please be aware that this will also shrink the size of your mitt - if you are on the larger end of the scale in your size bracket you might need to go up a size.

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