Add a little bling and a surprising amount of warmth to your day with these beaded wristers. They beautifully cover the pulse point on your wrists, which warms up the blood circulating through your hands and fingers. They’ve been used for years in cold climates like Lithuania and Greenland as an added layer of warmth. They fit perfectly underneath a sweater or mittens and keep the cold from creeping in.

As a knitting project, they’ve become one of my favourite things to make. The knitting is relaxing, interesting (because of the beads), and portable. All the beads are pre-strung onto the yarn using a humble dental floss threader. (That ingenious idea comes from Donna Druchunas, who also has some beautiful wrister patterns available.)

These quick little wristers make perfect gifts and really add a little something special to each outfit, whether long- or short-sleeved.

They’re really useful in air conditioned offices, they don’t get in the way when you’re typing or knitting, and they’re pretty enough to wear anywhere. I keep a pair in my purse for just in case.

To knit a pair, you’ll need only about 20-30 grams of fingering-weight yarn (great stashbuster!) and 20-40 grams of size 8/0 glass seed beads. Make sure you get high-quality Czech or Japanese beads; they’re more uniform, look better, and are easier to string onto the yarn.

I designed these wristers as a gift for my mother-in-law, Liz. She is always looking out for us, and in return, she gets lots of knitting. I wanted to make something feminine and understated for her, something that she could wear anywhere, with anything, when her hands got cold.