AMANO Kusi Fingerless Mittens Gloves Knitting Pattern

AMANO Kusi Fingerless Mittens

What is Being Made

The AMANO Kusi Fingerless Mittens are a pair of hand coverings designed to keep your hands warm while leaving your fingers exposed for dexterity and touchscreen use. These mittens feature an 8-inch (20.3 cm) length and are crafted in a classic fingerless style, making them ideal for fall and winter wear. The design is suitable for one size and offers an intermediate skill level, making them accessible to knitters with some experience.

Techniques Used

The Kusi Fingerless Mittens are constructed using several key knitting techniques that create a seamless, professional finish:

• Worked in the Round: The mittens are knitted circularly on double pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a continuous fabric from cast-on to bind-off.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The mittens begin at the cuff and progress upward toward the hand opening, allowing for easy adjustments and a natural fit.
• Seamless Shaping: Increases are strategically placed to create a thumb gusset, providing comfortable shaping around the thumb area without visible seams.
• Ribbed Cuff: A knit-one-through-the-back-loop, purl-one ribbing creates an elastic, fitted cuff that hugs the wrist.

Stitches Used

The Kusi Fingerless Mittens employ a focused selection of fundamental and decorative stitches:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch used throughout the mittens, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric with a V-pattern appearance on the right side.
• Ribbing (K1tbl, P1): Knit-one-through-the-back-loop alternated with purl-one creates the fitted cuff ribbing, worked for 12 rounds to establish the wrist opening.
• Wildflower Knot Pattern: A decorative textured stitch worked over 23 stitches that creates dimensional knots across the back of the hand. The knot stitch is a specialty technique worked over 3 stitches—purl 3 together without removing the stitch from the needle, yarn over, then purl the same 3 stitches together again—creating a raised, decorative element with no increase or decrease in stitch count.
• Increases (M1R, M1L): Make-one-right and make-one-left increases are used to shape the thumb gusset, creating shaping that remains invisible within the fabric.

Materials and Tools

The Kusi Fingerless Mittens require minimal materials, making them an economical project:

• Yarn: 1 hank of AMANO PACHA (50 grams) in colorway #1210 Teal Blue. This yarn is available through amanoyarns.com.
• Needles: Double pointed knitting needles in two sizes—size 4 (3.50 mm) for the ribbed cuff and size 5 (3.75 mm) for the main body. The pattern recommends choosing the size 5 needles to obtain the specified gauge.
• Notions: Stitch markers to denote the beginning of rounds and pattern sections, and stitch holders to temporarily secure stitches during thumb gusset shaping.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 21 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches (10.2 cm) in stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit and finished measurements. The mittens are designed in one size with a finished length of 8 inches (20.3 cm), providing a standard adult fit. The pattern emphasizes checking gauge before beginning to ensure the best results.

Design Details

The Kusi Fingerless Mittens feature a thoughtful design that balances functionality with aesthetic appeal. The Wildflower Knot Pattern, repeated across the back of the hand, adds visual interest and texture to an otherwise simple silhouette. The pattern is worked over 8-round repeats, with the knots strategically placed to create a balanced, symmetrical design. The left and right mittens are worked separately, allowing for any necessary adjustments to fit. The mittens are designed by Martha Wissing and were featured in the Fall/Winter 17/18 collection