Men's Knucklers Mittens Knitting Pattern

Men's Knucklers in Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Hand Dyes

What Is Being Made

The Men's Knucklers are a pair of fingerless mittens designed for men, created as part of the Traveler's Series collection. These knit accessories feature a classic mitten silhouette with an open palm design and thumb holes, making them practical for activities requiring hand mobility while maintaining warmth. The finished knucklers measure 9 inches in circumference and 7½ inches in length, providing a comfortable fit for adult hands.

Knitting Techniques

This beginner-level knitting project employs several fundamental techniques suitable for knitters new to mittens and small circumference knitting. The pattern uses circular knitting in the round, a technique that creates seamless tubular fabric ideal for mittens and gloves. The knucklers are worked on double pointed needles, which allow stitches to be distributed across three needles while a fourth needle performs the knitting.

The construction begins with a cast-on of 32 stitches distributed across three needles (10 stitches on needle 1, 10 stitches on needle 2, and 12 stitches on needle 3), joined carefully to avoid twisted stitches at the beginning of the round. A thumb hole is created by transitioning from circular knitting to flat knitting for three rows, then returning to circular knitting. This technique creates an opening for the thumb while maintaining the overall mitten structure. The pattern concludes with a bind-off worked in pattern to create a finished, secure edge.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (k): The fundamental stitch that creates the smooth stockinette fabric in the body of the mittens
• Purl stitch (p): Used in combination with knit stitches to create ribbed texture at the cuff and hem
• Ribbed pattern (*K 2, P 2*): A two-by-two knit-purl combination worked in rounds to create elastic, fitted ribbing that appears at the cuff (rounds 1–12) and at the hem (rounds 35–37)
• Stockinette stitch: Created by knitting all rounds, this smooth fabric forms the main body of the mittens in rounds 13–22 and rounds 30–34

Materials and Tools

The Men's Knucklers are designed to be knit with Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes yarn, a worsted weight yarn available in 100-gram hanks with 100 yards of yardage per hank. Only one hank is required to complete both knucklers. The yarn shown in the pattern photo is Chocolate #2016, demonstrating the hand-dyed color options available from Blue Sky Alpacas.

The pattern calls for Size 9 (5.5 mm) double pointed needles, or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge. A stitch marker is also required to mark the beginning of each round and help track pattern repeats. The gauge for this project is 14 stitches and 20 rounds equals 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is essential to achieve the correct finished measurements.

Pattern Summary

Designed by Karen J. Rolstad, the Men's Knucklers follow a straightforward construction sequence. After casting on and joining in the round, knitters work 12 rounds of two-by-two ribbing to create a fitted cuff. The next 10 rounds are worked in stockinette stitch to form the main body. The thumb hole is then created by working three rows flat (alternating knit and purl rows on the right and wrong sides), which breaks the circular construction temporarily. After rejoining in the round, knitters complete 5 more rounds of stockinette stitch before finishing with 3 rounds of ribbing and binding off in pattern. The entire process is repeated to create the second knuckler, and loose ends are woven in and the mittens are blocked to finished measurements.