Malabrigo Wellfleet Gloves Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Wellfleet Arm Warmers

What is Being Made

The Malabrigo Wellfleet is a pair of knitted arm warmers designed by Cleo Malone. These accessories feature a serene, textured aesthetic inspired by North country mossy meadows. The arm warmers measure 10 inches in length and 8½ inches around the hand, making them versatile layering pieces. The design includes a thumb opening for practical wear and can be worked identically on either hand.

Techniques Used

This project employs bottom-up construction, beginning at the lower edge and working upward toward the cuff. The arm warmers are worked seamlessly in the round using double-pointed needles, which eliminates the need for seaming and creates a smooth, continuous fabric. The pattern incorporates turnwork, a technique where the knitter temporarily switches from circular knitting to flat knitting worked back and forth in rows. This method allows for the creation of textured stitch patterns that would be difficult to achieve in continuous rounds. After completing the turnwork section, the knitter rejoins to work in rounds once again, then finishes with a ribbed cuff.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Wellfleet features charted stitch patterns that create the distinctive scatter textured appearance. The pattern includes a specialized stitch called 2-Stitch Right Twist (2-StRT), which is worked by knitting 2 stitches together while leaving them on the left-hand needle, then inserting the right needle from the front between the 2 stitches just worked and knitting the first stitch again before slipping both stitches from the needle together. This creates a twisted, textured effect throughout the design. The cuff is finished with alternating purl and knit rounds, then bound off purlwise for a neat edge.

Materials and Tools

The Wellfleet is designed to be worked in Malabrigo Dos Tierras yarn, a blend of merino wool and baby alpaca. One 3½-ounce hank in colorway #416 Indiecita is required, which provides approximately 210 yards of yardage. The project calls for one set of five size 5 (3.75mm) double-pointed needles to achieve the correct gauge of 23 stitches and 40 rounds over the charted pattern. Additional materials include a small amount of contrasting yarn for chart reference and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends. The finished pieces are lightly steamed on a wet terry cloth towel to set measurements without stretching or pressing out the textured sections.

Skill Level and Finishing

Rated as intermediate difficulty, this pattern requires familiarity with working in the round on double-pointed needles, reading charted stitch patterns, and managing the transition between circular and flat knitting. Careful attention to gauge is emphasized as essential for proper fit. The finishing process involves picking up stitches around the thumb opening, working ribbing, binding off, and weaving in ends before final steaming and blocking.