two-strand mittens

  • the yarn, dyed

    This is fingering-weight yarn that I bought years ago from Lion Brand yarns. I dyed it with onion skins (alum mordant). The darker ball was mordanted with iron after dyeing.

  • the yarn, plied

    I plied the yarns on my spinning wheel (Kromski Minstrel); I think they are a bit too tightly plied, but we’ll see how it goes.

  • the yarn, skeined

    Here is one skein, washed and ready to be wound for knitting. I still think that I plied it a bit too tightly.

  • the yarn, ready for knitting

    Here we go. I’ll include a pattern when the mittens are finished.

  • Cuffs made

    I have found that if I knit one mitten and then the other, the second is invariably smaller than the first. I think I become more confident as I progress and therefore my knitting becomes more firm. So I knit in parallel, in sections. Can you tell, I knit the right cuff second?!

  • thumbholes done

    Still working in parallel, both mittens are done just past the thumbholes. It rather looks like a mess right now, but all those pins (orange = left, blue = right) are there to mark important spots.

  • ready for the top

    There are just a few rows of decreases, left to do. I did ply the yarns too tightly, so had to do some un-twisting as I knitted.

  • thumbs are next

    Next I pick up the stitches on the waste yarn, plus 5 more, and knit the thumbs. The length of thumbs, like that of the mitten top, is unique to the wearer and easy to adjust.

  • all done

    I will give them a little bath and then see how they fit!

  • voila!

2-Strand Mittens Pattern 

These mittens are sized for an average woman’s hand but can easily be adapted in cuff length, hand length, and thumb length.

I knit the various parts of each mitten in succession (both cuffs first, then both thumb gussets, etc.), using 4 dpns per mitten; working in parallel sections helps to ensure that all of the knitting will have more or less the same tension and that the mittens will be more or less the same size.

Yarn: Lion Brand fingering weight wool, two strands held together throughout; 88g/3.1oz, 329 meters/371yards

Needles: 1 or 2 sets of 4 double-pointed needles (dpn), U.S. no. 2 (2.75mm) or whatever size needle gives correct gauge

Extras: Plastic safety pin markers, 4 or 8; blunt needle; waste yarn of the same thickness, or slightly thicker, than working yarn

Gauge: 24 stitches per 4”/10cm; 40 rounds per 4”/10cm

Finished measurements:

Cuff to thumb section: 2.75”/7cm

Cuff to top of mitten: 7.5”/18cm

Thumb length: 2.75”/7cm

Circumference of palm: 8”/20.5cm

Stitches and abbreviations:

k = knit

p = purl

m1L = make 1 stitch that slants to the left

m1R = make 1 stitch that slants to the right

k2tog = knit 2 stitches together, knitwise (decrease slants to the right)

skp = slip 1 stitch purlwise; knit the next stitch; pass the slipped stitch over the stitch you just knitted (decrease slants to the left)

Left Mitten

Using the long-tail method and working with the tail at the front of the work, cast on 51 stitches. Join, being careful not to twist stitches.

Cuff Section

Round 1:

k1p1 around 50 stitches, ending with 1 stitch left.

Round 2:

Slip the next stitch to the right needle; move the cast-on tail over and between your needles, from the front of the work to the back; move the last stitch of Round 1 onto the left needle; place a ring marker on the right needle; it follows the last stitch you purled in Round 1. Now you start on Round 2: k2tog; rib to end of round. Mark the first stitch of Round 2 with a pin marker. 50 stitches.

Rounds 3-20:

k1p1 rib. If you want the cuff to be longer or shorter, work more or fewer rounds of ribbing.

Body to Thumb Section

Round 1:

Knit. Mark the first stitch of the round you just knitted.

Round 2 (palm decrease):

Knit 27 and then decrease 5 st across palm as follows: skp; *k3, skp*; repeat from * to * 3 more times; k1. 45 stitches remain.

Begin Thumb Gusset Increases:

Rounds 3-5:

k 39; [k1(border - you might want to mark this stitch), m1L, k3, m1R, k1 (border)]; k1.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 6-8:

k 39; [k1 (border), m1L, k5, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 9 - 11:

k 39; [k1 (border), m1L, k7, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 12 - 14:

k 39; [k1 (border), m1L, k9, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 15 - 19:

k 39; [k1 (border), m1L, k11, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 4 rounds even.

You are done with the thumb gusset increases and are ready to put the thumb stitches on waste yarn.

Body after Thumb Section

Round 1:

k 39. Put the next 15 stitches onto waste yarn. Cast on 5 stitches (I use the “backward loop” technique); knit 1. Mark first stitch of round. 45 stitches.

Rounds 2 - 30:

Knit.

Body Decrease Section

Rounds 1-3:

skp, k3 around; 9 stitches decreased, 36 stitches remain.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 4 - 6:

skp, k2 around; 9 stitches decreased, 27 stitches remain.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 7 - 9:

skp, k1 around; 9 stitches decreased, 18 stitches remain.

k 2 rounds even.

Round 10:

skp around; 9 stitches decreased, 9 stitches remain.

Cut yarn, leaving about 10”; thread yarn on needle; run through remaining 9 stitches without removing dpns: then run the thread through the 9 stitches again, removing dpns. Pull tight and finish off on inside of mitten.

Thumb

Starting at the outside of the mitten, after the last of the waste yarn stitches, pick up 1 st in the gap (see photo); pick up the 5 stitches you cast on (backward loop), pick up 1 stitch in the gap; place the 15 stitches on the waste yarn back onto dpns (and then cut and remove waste yarn); distribute over 3 dpns. 22 st.

Round 1:

twist and k 1; k 5; twist and k 1; k 15. Mark first stitch of round.

Round 2:

skp, k 3, k2tog; k 15. 20 stitches remain.

Round 3:

skp, k 1, k2tog; k 15. 18 stitches remain.

Rounds 4 - 18

Knit.

Thumb Decreases

Round 1:

(skp, k1) around. 12 stitches remain.

Round 2:

skp around. 6 stitches remain.

Cut yarn, leaving about 10”; thread yarn on needle; run through remaining 6 stitches without removing dpns: then run the thread through the 6 stitches again, removing dpns. Pull tight and finish off on inside of mitten.

Right Mitten

Using the long-tail method and working with the tail at the front of the work, cast on 51 stitches. Join, being careful not to twist stitches.

Cuff Section

Round 1:

k1p1 around 50 stitches, ending with 1 stitch left.

Round 2:

Slip the next stitch to the right needle; move the cast-on tail over and between your needles, from the front of the work to the back; move the last stitch of Round 1 onto the left needle; place a ring marker on the right needle; it follows the last stitch you purled in Round 1. Now you start on Round 2: k2tog; rib to end of round. Mark the first stitch of Round 2 with a pin marker. 50 stitches.

Rounds 3-20:

k1p1 rib. If you want the cuff to be longer or shorter, work more or fewer rounds of ribbing.

Body to Thumb Section

Round 1:

Knit. Mark the first stitch of the round you just knitted.

Round 2 (palm decrease):

Knit, decreasing 5 st across palm as follows: k 1, k2 tog, *k 3, k 2 tog*, repeat from * to * 3 more times; k to end of round. 45 stitches remain.

Begin Thumb Gusset Increases:

Rounds 3-5:

k1; [k1(border), m1L, k3, m1R, k1 (border - you might want to mark this stitch)]; k 39 stitches to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 6-8:

k1; [k1 (border), m1L, k5, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 9 - 11:

k1; [k1 (border), m1L, k7, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 12 - 14:

k1; [k1 (border), m1L, k9, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 15 - 19:

k1; [k1 (border), m1L, k11, m1R, k1 (border)]; k to end of round.

k 4 rounds even.

You are done with the thumb gusset increases and are ready to put the thumb stitches on waste yarn.

Body after Thumb Section

Round 1:

k1. Put the next 15 stitches onto waste yarn. Cast on 5 stitches (I use the “backward loop” technique); knit around. Mark first stitch of round. 45 stitches.

Rounds 2 - 30:

Knit.

Body Decrease Section

Rounds 1-3:

k3, k2tog around; 9 stitches decreased, 36 stitches remain.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 4 - 6:

k2, k2tog around; 9 stitches decreased, 27 stitches remain.

k 2 rounds even.

Rounds 7 - 9:

k 1, k2tog around; 9 stitches decreased, 18 stitches remain.

k 2 rounds even.

Round 10:

k2tog around; 9 stitches decreased, 9 stitches remain.

Cut yarn, leaving about 10”; thread yarn on needle; run through remaining 9 stitches without removing dpns: then run the thread through the 9 stitches again, removing dpns. Pull tight and finish off on inside of mitten.

Thumb

Place the 15 stitches on the waste yarn back onto dpns (and then cut and remove waste yarn); pick up 1 st in the gap (see photo); pick up the 5 stitches you cast on (backward loop), pick up 1 stitch in the gap; distribute over 3 dpns. 22 st.

Round 1:

k 15; twist and k 1; k 5; twist and k 1. Mark first stitch of round.

Round 2:

k 15, skp, k 3, k2tog. 20 stitches remain.

Round 3:

k 15, skp, k 1, k2tog. 18 stitches remain.

Rounds 4 - 18:

Knit.

Thumb Decreases

Round 1:

(k1, k2tog) around. 12 stitches remain.

Round 2:

k2tog around. 6 stitches remain.

Cut yarn, leaving about 10”; thread yarn on needle; run through remaining 6 stitches without removing dpns: then run the thread through the 6 stitches again, removing dpns. Pull tight and finish off on inside of mitten.