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Long before I knew how to use double-pointed needles, I knitted little rectangles to fit around my hand and sewed them into fingerless mitts. It stuck with me as a particularly tactile and timeless way to make an item of clothing – to use the materials at hand and mold them to your form for protection from the elements, as a roaming adventurer might do while seeking to accomplish an important task. Worsted weight fiber provides coziness for the hands, while a loose fit allows greater movement of the hand. With options for adding contrasting colors, notions, or decorative stitching, these mitts can easily be customized to suit your own style.

The base pattern is written for three sizes, but simple adjustments can be made for different sizing. Due to the construction method, the fit is a bit looser than that of many other fingerless mitts; if you prefer a tighter fit, it is recommended that you go a size down or omit rows based on the suggestions given in the “Sizes” section on Page 2.

Each glove starts by being worked flat in a rectangle with sections of Garter stitch and vertical slipped stitch columns. The rectangle is then turned on its side and wrapped horizontally around the hand. Stitches are picked up at the top and worked in the round to create the cuff around the fingers. Then the open portion along the side is stitched up until the thumb hole. The pattern concludes with ideas for using color or notions to personalize each pair of mitts.

YARN: Approx 105 (120, 135) yds / 96 (110, 123) m of worsted-weight wool for a pair of mitts. Samples shown in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter (100% Wool; 140 yds/128 m, 1.76oz/50g per skein), in colorways Fauna, Plume, and Woodsmoke

GAUGE:
18 stitches/35 rows = 4 inches/10 centimeters in Garter stitch (using larger needles)

NEEDLES:
4.5mm/US 7 size flat or circular needles, or whatever size attains gauge.
4.0mm/US 6 size DPNs, or one size down from gauge needles

SIZES: 1 (2, 3) A note about fit: The mitts are designed with a rather loose fit around the wrists, forearm, and palm. This means there is little difference between the stretched and unstretched width at the bottom of the mitts. Listed measurements below were taken after blocking.

1: height 6.25in/15.9cm; finger cuff width (unstretched) 3.25in/8.3cm; finger cuff width (stretched) 3.5in/8.9cm; forearm width 3.75in/9.5cm
2: height 6.75in/17.1cm; finger cuff width (unstretched) 3.5in/8.9cm; finger cuff width (stretched) 3.75in/9.5cm; forearm width 4.25in/10.8cm
3: height 7.25in/18.4cm; finger cuff width (unstretched) 3.75in/9.5cm; finger cuff width (stretched) 4in/10.2cm; forearm width 4.5in/11.4cm

NOTIONS: Darning needle; buttons (optional)

The pattern gives suggestions for customizing the size of the mitts.