Cozy and practical hand-knit mittens are the best way to warm up those chilly fingers. And with everyone in need of a reliable pair of mittens, there’s no better time to start knitting! Thread the needle with the waste yarn and thread it through the thumb gusset sts (the ones between the BOR and the marker). Tie the ends of the waste yarn together. You can now remove the second marker. Waste yarn has been threaded through the live sts, the marker has been removed, and they are now on hold. They are such a joyous interpretation of the brief – which was to find an inspiration source and then to work within your limitations to use the Skystone Armwarmers design as a framework for putting together a palette and celebrating your inspiration source in knitting. I love how Sarah has contextualised her approach to the brief in her notes on Ravelry:

For maximum experimental (knit) and (sound) joy, I recommend listening to Minimalist music while knitting on a Sequence Knitting project. Tip for working with Double Pointed Needles (DPNs): when I use double pointed needles I don’t like to use a beginning of round (BOR) marker. Instead, I distribute my stitches with 1/2 on the first needle, 1/4 on the second needle, and 1/4 on the third needle. This way I know the BOR is at the start of the ‘full’ needle.

Anyone who’s ever slipped their hands into a pair of warm mittens on a snowy day understands the charm of cozy hand-knit mittens! Whether crunching through freshly fallen snow, hiking in the woods, or cheering at a crisp fall football game, mittens are the perfect accessory to keep your fingers snug and warm. Chunky: work rounds 1-3 a total of 3 (3, 4, 4, 5) times, 9 (9, 11, 11, 13) sts between BOR and marker. A few of the best beginner patterns in this list include The World’s Simplest Mittens(#1), Bernat Family Mittens(#6), and Teeny-Tiny Knit Mitts(#19).

Both these musicians – Yoshi Wada and Ellen Fullman– built new kinds of instruments for realising their amazing minimalist works… In her wonderful essay on choosing colours Felix talks about finding yarn that is within budget, represents the inspiration colours, is available, and looks harmonious. She also talks about compromise. I have a budget of zero for this project so I’m interpreting this as doing the best I can with what I’ve got, it’s a good opportunity to use up some of the scraps that I seem to be unable to throw away. I followed the colour choosing method from the video, but only from what I had in stash, tweed single ply. Worsted: work rounds 1-3 a total of 4 (4, 5, 5, 6) times, 11 (11, 13, 13, 15) sts between BOR and marker. To me, Stella Sutherland’s poem – Da Allover– perfectly encapsulates how the hands work together to produce stranded colourwork. In her deft weave of words, she describes the harmonious way in which stitches come together in Fair Isle fabric; and how the hands and knitting needles work in concert to make that happen. Stella likens knitting Fair Isle to “writin a rhyme”, but her “joy o’creation” could just as easily apply to sewing a pair of trousers; playing the guitar; doing a painting. The commonality is the hands working together to produce something gorgeous, celebratory and life-affirming: in this case, an Allover jumper.You’ll knit these mittens using either double pointed needles (DPNs) or a long circular needle and the Magic Loop technique. Stitches have been cast on, and the first round worked. Look at that colorwork! This pattern is inspired by Freja, the Nordic goddess of love and fertility. As such, there are beautiful heart motifs throughout, including smaller hearts on the flip side too. GET THE PATTERN

Work in 1×1 rib (k1, p1) until piece measures 2.5 (2.5, 3, 4, 4)” from cast-on. Switch to larger needles. and Ellen Fullman building The Long String Instrument, in which extended lengths of piano wire resonate for hugely extended amounts of time. Is this another way of hearing the fingers and wires working “in relation”? Why, you ask? Warm winter mittens are the type of knitting patterns that get passed down from generation to generation. A good pair of nicely knit mitts will last you for years, and they’ll hold sentimental value that a store can’t provide. By making your own mittens, you can customize them any way you want. Make them more masculine for your brother, or add a pom pom for your little sister. The possibilities are endless when it comes to mitten patterns. Keep your hands and fingers feeling nice and toasty during the bitter winter months by working up one of these winter knit patterns today. My favourite pair of mismatched mitts was made by Sarah, during the Skystone Armwarmers KAL organised and run by my friend Jen Arnall-Culliford. This was part of a series of KALs designed to launch and celebrate each pattern included in Boost Your Knitting by AC Techniques. This book is a smorgasboard of enabling patterns, each of which speaks to different knitting skills. I was thrilled to be involved, and Skystone Armwarmers was the design I offered as a template for exploring colours and palettes. The KAL on Ravelry when my pattern launched was a thing of joy. I think about it often, because it was such a good example of an enabling and encouraging KAL in which much knitting got done. I think Jen is a superlative teacher and cheerleader and the success of that KAL comes down to her, and the special space she carved out on Ravelry. All of which to give context for why I love these mismatched mitts so much: Most of the mitten patterns below are available in a variety of sizes. Since you’re going to take the time to knit your mittens, it’s a good idea to measure the hand size rather than simply choosing the size that sounds best. It’s no fun to end up with a pair of mittens that doesn’t fit correctly! You’ll find that most of the patterns include measurements for each size. Make a gauge swatch.

5. Felted One-Finger Mittens

Within the list below, you’ll find mitten patterns for a variety of skill levels. If you’re newer to knitting, you’ll want to look for a pattern that only requires basic stitches. Starting with a smaller, child-size pair of mittens may also be less intimidating than an adult size. Do you see a pattern forming? We are increasing two stitches every third row and you should start to see a triangle forming. Notice how the increases I am using make the thumb gusset distinct by ‘leaning away’ from the mitten? That is because of the paired increases I am using. Put thumb stitches on hold

Besides those of course, throughout the years we’ve shared the following collections: 33 Baby Blankets, 50 Baby Booties, 30 Chunky Blankets and Afghans, 27 Cushion Covers, 20 Tea Cosies, 35 Items for Premature Babies, 6 Patterns for Breast Hats, 60+ Scarf Patterns, 24 Mug Coasters, 27 Washcloths (and some dishcloths too!), 23 Baby Hats and 45+ Baby Cardigans. Next we will put the thumb stitches on hold. For this you will need a darning needle (preferable a dull one) and a small piece of waste yarn. While it is sometimes preferable to put stitches on a stitch holder (a tool like a giant safety pin), for a mitten waste yarn is better because it’s flexible.Fingering: work rounds 1-3 a total of 6 (6, 7, 7, 8) times, 15 (15, 17, 17, 19) sts between BOR and marker. DK: work rounds 1-3 a total of 5 (5, 6, 6, 7) times, 13 (13, 15, 15, 17) sts between BOR and marker. Break yarn, leaving a 6” tail, then use a blunt needle to thread the yarn tail through remaining live sts. Pull tight to close top of mitten. Thumb Continue knitting every round until the piece measures 1.75 (3, 3.75, 4, 4.5)” from end of thumb gusset. These fingerless mitts are perfect for cool fall days, and you can decorate them any way you like. Bonus: they’re the perfect project for first-time knitters. MAKE IT 2. Insulate! Mittens