It’s winter, and you have to be careful: You might catch a cold! So be sure to eat well, get lots of sleep, drink plenty of fluids—and wear your Vitamin Z!

This over-sized mitten combines a bulky yarn with a lighter-weight yarn in Fair Isle, to create a wearing experience almost as warm as thrummed mittens. But because you don’t have to work with all those separate thrums, it knits up faster.

Use a basic wool for the lighter-weight yarn. For the bulky yarn, use something soft—something with angora or alpaca—for the right squish for the project, along with maximum defense against the cold!

This pattern assumes that you know how to do Fair Isle and use double-pointed needles. It is helpful, although not necessary, to have made at least one pair of mittens with a gusset as well.