Thistle Mitts are knitted in the round using a two-colour stranded technique in natural shades of pure wool, creating a cosy, bouncy texture and a bold geometric design.
The stitch patterns are inspired by an historic engraving of a thistle stalk viewed under a microscope by the pioneering botanist Nehemiah Grew. In the late 1600s he was one of the first people to record and study the deceptively simple, rhythmic and organised beauty of plant cells. The Thistle pattern is designed to reflect those qualities and evoke the almost crystalline structures that he saw.
I have incorporated long cuffs that help to avoid draughty gaps up the sleeves. The finger and thumb ribs are also long so that you can adapt to the changing weather and not need to take them off to use your fingers in the cold. The thumb integrates into the pattern.

I hope that you find it a relaxing and satisfying knit.

Suggested Yarn
I used West Yorkshire Spinners Fleece Jacob DK. Any DK would work for this pattern, but natural wool suits stranded knitting very well due to its fuzzy quality and tendency for the fibres to mesh into the fabric.

Approximate yardage for both sizes, smaller first
Main Colour: 100-115m ( 109-126 yards) Contrast Colour: 68-74m (74-81 yards)