Free Knitting Pattern # 2: Little Hearts Mitts

It's been ages since I had picked up any knitting, and I had a big bag of lovely yarn staring at me from my knitting basket on top of the piano.  I just wasn't inspired.  It was just too hot in December to think about knitting.

When the cold weather hit at last, I remembered that I had really wanted to knit myself a pair of fingerless mitts.  My hands get so cold when I am out doing the chores, but mittens - and even gloves - are clumsy or get splashed with water and then make my hands even colder.  Sometimes I remember to wear something with pockets, but unfortunately my warmest clothes don't have pockets (it's hard to actually find good, practical warm clothes in Florida!).

When I had first started to knit about five years ago, I had tried out a cabled fingerless glove pattern - I only had enough yarn for one, because I had used some left-over yarn from another project, and I wasn't good at eye-balling it yet.  The one glove was heavenly - I would transfer it from hand to hand to share the warmth - and like all wool, it was warm even if it was wet.  I kept thinking I would buy more yarn and knit the next one, but then that one got lost, and I never got around to another pair.

Until now....

I thought this would be a nice February knit.  Knitting on it made me think of strawberries, raspberries and chocolate!  I love the way the color rounds make little hearts.  I hope you enjoy it also -

- Little Hearts Mitts -

Gauge:  6sts/inch

Needles:  6" double-pointed needles size 3.50 mm (US 4)

Yarn:  2 skeins Quince & Co "Chickadee" in bark color (Main color, or MC)

1 skein Drops Alpaca #3770 Fuscia (Contrasting Color 1 or CC#1)

1 skein Drops Alpaca #3720 Pink Violet (Contrasting Color 2 or CC#2)

1 skein Drops Alpaca #3112 Dusty Pink (Contrasting Color 3 or CC#3)

Also have on hand 5 stitch markers or loops of scrap yarn

Note:  I haven't tried it, but if you need a larger/ smaller size, you could probably add or subtract the number of stitches on N2 and N4.  You would have to change the decrease rows to decrease in the middle of whatever number of stitches you chose.

Also, I used a marker to mark the end of each round, rather than a beginning-of-round marker.  With all the markers on N1, I found it got too crowded.  You might not need an ending marker - it's only purpose was to alert me that I had finished the round - but it was certainly helpful when I was reading aloud to the children and knitting at the same time!

Size:  I made these to fit my wrists.  These are my measurements that I made the pattern around:  10.5 inches/27 cm near the elbow, 6.5 inches/ 16.5 cm at the wrist, 8 inches/20.5cm from bottom of cuff to wristbone.  My palm is 8 inches/20cm around.  The cuff is close-fitting (I made several early, floppier versions, and I think this version is just right).  The garter stitch borders keep the cuff from curling annoyingly.

- Make two -

To begin:  Cast on 52 sts with the long-tail cast on, and distribute over 4 needles as follows:

N1:  10 sts

N2:  16 sts

N3:  10 sts

N4:  16 sts

Using the tail to mark the beginning of the round, start the six rounds of garter stitch for the bottom border:

R1:  K (knit all sts)

R2:  P (purl all sts)

R3:  K

R4:  P

R5:  K

R6:  P

R7:  Decorative Yarn Over (YO) border:  *YO, K2tog* until end of round.

R8:  K

R9: - Marker placement -

N1: K4, place marker (M), K2, place M, K4

N2:  K all sts

N3:  K4, place M, K2, place M, K4

N4:  K until 1 st remains, place M to mark end of round (slip this marker on all rounds)

R10: (Yarn Over row - this stays the same for the entire mitt)

N1 and N3:  K4, sl M, YO K2 tog, sl M, K4

N2 and 4:  K all sts

R11:  - Decrease round #1 -

N1 and N3:  K all sts and slip all markers

N2 and N4:  K7, K2tog, K7 (15 sts each on N2 and N4 - 50 sts total)

R12:  Colorwork Round #1 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #1* , repeating from * to * until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R13:  YO row

R14-15:  K all sts

R16:  YO Row

R17:  Decrease Round #2 -

N1 and N3:  K all sts and slip all markers

N2 and N4:  K7, K2tog, K6 (14 sts on N2 and N4, 48 sts total on all needles)

R18:  Colorwork Round #2 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #2* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R19:  YO row

R20-21:  K all sts

R22:  YO row

R23:  Decrease Round #3 -

N1 and N3:  K all sts and slip all markers

N2 and N4:  K6, K2tog, K6 (13 sts on N2 and N4, 46 sts total on all needles)

R24: Colorwork Round #3 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #3* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R25:  YO row

R26-27:  K all sts

R28:  YO row

R29:  K all sts

R30:  Colorwork Round #4 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #1* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R31: YO row

R32-33: K all sts

R34: YO row

R35: Decrease Round #4 - 

N1 and N3:  K all sts and slip all markers

N2 and N4:  K5, K2tog, K6 (12 sts on N2 and N4, 44 sts total on all needles)

R36:  Colorwork Round #5 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #2* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R37:  YO row

R38-39:  K all sts

R40:  YO row

R41:  K all sts

R42:  Colorwork Round # 6 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #3* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R43:  YO row

R44-45:  K all sts

R46:  YO row

R47:  Decrease Round #5 -

N1 and N3:  K all sts and slip all markers

N2 and N4:  K5, K2tog, K5 (11 sts on N2 and N4, 42 sts total on all needles)

R48: Colorwork Round #7 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #1* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R49:  YO row

R50-51:  K all sts

R52:  YO row

R53:  K all sts

R54:  Colorwork Round #8 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #2* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R55:  YO row

R56-57:  K all sts

R58:  YO row

R59:  Decrease Round # 6 (last decrease) -

N1 and N3:  K all sts and slip all markers

N2 and N4:  K4, K2tog, K5 (10 sts on N2 and N4, 40 sts total on all needles)

R60: Colorwork Round #9 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #3* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R61:  YO row

R62-63:  K all sts

R64:  YO row


R65:  K all sts

R66:  Colorwork Round #10 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #1* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R67:  YO row

R68-69:  K all sts

R70:  YO row

R71:  K all sts

R72:  Colorwork Round # 11 -  *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #2* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R73:  YO row

R74-75:  K all sts

R76:  YO row

R77:  K all sts

R78:  Colorwork Round #12 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #3* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R79:  YO row

R80-81:  K all sts

R82:  YO row

R83:  K all sts

R84:  Colorwork Round # 13 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #1* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R85:  YO row

R86-87:  K all sts

R88:  YO row

R89:  K all sts

R90:  Colorwork Round #14 -  *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #2* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R91:  YO row

R92-93:  K all sts

R94: YO row

R95:  K all sts

R96:  Colorwork Round #15 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #3* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R97:  YO row

R98:  Cast-off for thumb -

N1:  Cast off all sts, removing both markers as you go.  Set N1 aside for now.  You'll need it again in a minute.

N2, N3 and N4:  K all sts

R99:  Shape thumb hole:  Cast on 4 sts onto the needle that had been N1, place marker, cast on 2, place second marker, cast on 4 more sts.  Now move on to N2, N3 and N4 - knitting all sts, of course.

R100:  YO row - skip the YO on N1 for this round (I found it too tricky with the newly cast-on sts, however, if you are adept enough, YO here if you'd like.  It does not stand out at all to skip this one, I should add.)

R101:  K all sts

R102:  Colorwork Round #16 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #1* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R103:  YO row

R104-105:  K all sts

R106:  YO row

R107:  K all sts

R108:  Colorwork Round #17 - *K1 in MC, K1 in CC #2* until end of round.  Switch back to MC again for the next round.

R109:  YO row

R110-111:  K all sts

R112:  YO row

R113:  K - remove all except the end-of-round marker.

R114:  Decorative YO border:  *YO, K2tog* until end.

R15:  P all sts

R16:  K all sts

R17:  P all sts

R18:  K all sts

R19:  P all sts

R120:  Cast off with stretchy cast off:  *K2 together through the back of the loop, slip st back on to left needle* and repeat from * to *, until all sts are cast off.

Thumb:  Begining on inside of palm, pick up 18 sts along thumb-hole on 3 needles, 6 sts per needle.

K 3 rounds

1st decrease on R4:  K1, K2tg, K until 3 sts remain on N3, K2tog through the back of the loops (a left-leaning decrease that I prefer to SSK, though you could SSK here, if you prefer), K1.

K 2 rounds

2nd decrease on R7:  K1, K2tg, K until 3 sts remain on N3, K2tog through the back of the loops (a left-leaning decrease that I prefer to SSK, though you could SSK here, if you prefer), K1.

Begin 5 rounds of garter sts, starting with Purling.

R8:  P

R9:  K

R10:  P

R11: K

R12:  P

R13:  Cast off all sts with the stretchy cast-off above.  Weave in ends (there are a lot of them!)


Please write to me with any questions!