shortly before the holidays were upon us, i whipped up a new pair of fingerless mitts for a dear friend, as the ones i made her a few years back were more than likely timeworn. plus, i wanted to make her something : just because. i had picked up this new-to-me type of noro that is soft + subtle and possessed the perfect silvery greys and charcoals that are her signature. and because one additional skein of that same yarn somehow found its way into my shopping basket that day, i made myself a set as well.
they are simple to make (hence the name) and you really do need some. oh yeah, and it's no coincidence they coordinate nicely with an easy peasy cowl. in fact, the combo would make for a supergreat last-minute gift set! happy knitting!
Easy Peasy Fingerless Mitts
pattern uses one skein of noro vintage, however you could use any light worsted weight yarn. using smaller needles than called for by the yarn results in a tighter + warmer gauge. the yarn called for 7s and i used 5s. details on ravelry.
yarn : noro vintage 50g/100m ball (64% wool, 24% silk, 12% angora)
needles : 1 set US 5 (3.75mm) dpns
gauge : 18sts x 32 rows = 4" x 4"
other doo-dads : tapestry needle, scrap yarn in contrasting color
CO 33, dividing over three needles and join to work in the round
round 1 = k2 pl
round 2 = k
repeat rounds 20 times
make way for the thumb
repeat round 1 as written
round 2 as follows : K3, k6 onto scrap yarn, now slip those 6 sts back onto left needle and knit those 6 sts again - this time with your main yarn. now knit to end of round
continue repeating rounds 1 + 2 eight (8) more times
BO knitwise on that 8th time
create the thumb
with one dpn, pick up 6 MC sts above the CC scrap yarn, repeat with another dpn with the 6 sts below, then remove scrap yarn
beginning with bottom dpn RS facing : k6, using another dpn pick up 1 st between the top + bottom dpns, then k3. now using a 3rd dpn k the 3 remaining sts and also pick up 1 st between the top + bottom dpns (14 total sts on your needles)
round 1 - (k2, p1) twice, then k to end of round
round 2 - k
repeat those two rounds 4 times, then do round 1 once more, and then BO knitwise.
now go make another, weave in your ends and you are done!
*see it on RAVELRY
the pattern uses exactly one skein of noro vintage. in fact, i ended up with less than 1 yard when all was said + done. how did i make this magic happen? well, if you must know, i miscalculated on the first pair and my friend has a very special light grey thumb on one of her dark grey mitts. not the look i was going for, but it ended up cute and she has a bit of mine in hers. ende gut alles gut.
enjoy the pattern + use it for good, not for profit.
i think you know what i mean by that.
happy making! xoxo
That is a really cool way to make a thumb - I've never seen that before and look forward to giving it a try! Thanks for sharing the pattern.
Posted by: Jen | 07 January 2010 at 03:20 PM
Wow, those are gorgeous. I love that yarn! Thanks so much for sharing, I'll be linking.
Posted by: Rachel | 07 January 2010 at 04:16 PM
Thank you for this generous free pattern, i'm stashing it in my favorites under "awesome things I want to make soon."
Posted by: mandy | 07 January 2010 at 04:22 PM
I am just about to cast on after some digging!! This is timely as I just finished a pair of toast last night and was going to look for a variation today! You rock!
Posted by: Beth | 07 January 2010 at 04:58 PM
It is 2 degrees, in the middle of the afternoon right now. I think that I need to make the cowl, and these mitts. Thanks for sharing :)
Posted by: Heather | 07 January 2010 at 05:50 PM
thank you jennifer! you know your patterns are some of my most-favorites! i can't wait to give these a try!
Posted by: Goodmankg | 07 January 2010 at 06:51 PM
Thank you for the pattern, and that yarn is gorgeous!
Posted by: AntBee | 07 January 2010 at 07:07 PM
oh, this ribbing is such a great idea for mitts! keeps them from slipping or bunching up - not that i would know anything about that. Thanks so much for sharing.
Posted by: larissa | 07 January 2010 at 10:46 PM
They are quite lovely!
Posted by: Mildawg | 08 January 2010 at 12:42 AM
Gorgeous fingerless gloves. I love Noro, such nice colours. I'm not a knitter, but was lucky enough to swap with a knitter last year and got an awesome pair of fingerless gloves. I wore them all winter. Score!
Posted by: Viv | 08 January 2010 at 02:10 AM