Today, when I wake up in the morning, there is a rim of condensation on the window, and the air coming through it has a bite. I shiver a little, but I can feel a smile pulling at my lips. Finally, fall is coming. The knits that have sat in baskets through the long, muggy summer will be brought out today, and knitting can once again feel like a necessity, a laying in of warmth against the coming cold. For now, though, I pull on a light pair of fingerless mitts and head out for a walk in the luminously colourful forest.

Respite mitts are the perfect pair of fingerless mitts for those first few days of fall (or the first few days of spring!). They are knit in the round from the cuff up, and knit up quickly in your favourite DK weight yarn. The stitch pattern is perfect for those gorgeous variegated skeins that none of us can resist. Or choose a solid or tonal yarn to make the stitch pattern pop.

Suggested Yarns: Tanis Fiber Arts Amber Label (75% Merino/15% cashmere/10 % silk, 260 yd/238 m per 3.5 oz/115 g), sample shown in Super Canyon; or other DK weight yarn.

Yardage: 185 yd/170 m.

Gauge: 36 sts and 32 rows = 4”/10 cm in texture pattern on larger needles, blocked, unstretched; 40 sts and 32 rows = 4”/10 cm in Twisted Rib, blocked, unstretched; 26 sts = 4”/10 cm in stockinette stitch on larger needles, blocked.

Suggested Needles:
US size 4/3.5 mm DPNs or preferred needles for working small circumference in the round, or size needed to get gauge;
US size 2/3.0 mm DPNs or preferred needles for working small circumference in the round.

Size: One size, to fit a palm circumference of 7-8”/18-20.5 cm. The pattern is very stretchy and will fit a wide variety of hands. Suggestions for modifications for smaller hands are included in the pattern.

Notions: 5 stitch markers, waste yarn or stitch holder to put stitches on hold.