March 18, 2022: I have been looking for patterns that can make nice gifts and are fast and easy to make. These mittens fit the bill nicely.

LTCO 39 on US #5. Transfer to US #4 (3.5mm) and join in the round using this method by Assia Brill. The join is seamless for a long tail cast on. Knitting the mittens on US 4 needles.

Cast on with black yarn and purled a row. Then worked a knit and a purl row (a garter ridge) with each color. I broke yarn on each row and wove in the ends. The colored yarns are Aran weight Full o Sheep yarn by Debbie Stroller that I purchased quite a while ago. I have used them to make colorful borders and pompoms on other projects.

Knit 8 rows in the main color (grey) before starting thumb gusset. The cuff (bottom to the beginning of the thumb gusset) is 3” tall.

Knit 28 rows between thumb and top decreases (at my gauge this is 3.5”). Placed markers on the 28th round. I need the mittens to for my 6.5” palm. I could have reduced the length by 2 rows. The top decreases add 3.7cm to the length.

I picked up 2 extra sts for the thumb (17 sts instead of 15). Knit 15 rows for the thumb before increases. The thumb fits well.

Observations and notes for next time: Quick and easy warm mittens. The arched gusset fits the hand beautifully but does distort the fabric a bit. To minimize distortion I will try the back ward loop cast on increases (left leaning and right leaning) for the next one.

A smooth the thumb pick up is essential for these mittens; otherwise, it hurts where the thumb joins the palm. Close that hole gently and don’t pull too hard on the yarn. The thumb join should be gentle and smooth. My right mittens are great but I yanked too tight on the left ones and they hurt a bit.

My mittens are a bit loose. For a better fit try this next time:
Cast on 36 sts. Knit the cuff.
Reduce by 2 more sts when the fingers begin.