Rachel Brown Tower Bridge Mitts Gloves Knitting Pattern

Rachel Brown Tower Bridge Mitts

What is Being Made

The Rachel Brown Tower Bridge Mitts are a pair of fingerless mitts inspired by the Victorian architecture of London's Tower Bridge. These mitts feature a twisted stitch lace pattern that creates delicate gothic windows and spires reminiscent of the iconic bridge's design. The mitts are designed as a versatile layering piece suitable for transition seasons in autumn and spring, as well as for additional warmth during winter months.

Project Overview

Tower Bridge Mitts are available in three sizes—small, medium, and large—with sizing achieved by adjusting needle size rather than stitch count. The mitts work well in solid or variegated yarn colorways, though the designer notes that strongly contrasting colors may obscure the delicate lace pattern details. The pattern includes a single chart that applies to the entire mitt design.

Techniques Used

These mitts are worked seamlessly in the round, eliminating the need for seaming. The construction employs lace knitting techniques to create the signature gothic window and spire motifs. The pattern utilizes twisted stitches combined with yarn overs to form the openwork lace design. A ribbed cuff at the arm provides structure and ensures the mitts fit comfortably over the hand and wrist.

Stitches and Skills Required

The pattern requires fundamental knitting skills including basic knitting and purling. Beyond these foundational techniques, knitters must be comfortable executing twisted stitches and yarn overs, which are essential to the lace pattern. The pattern uses the following abbreviations:

• ktbl – knit through the back loop
• LT – left twist: knit second stitch on left needle through back loop from wrong side of work, leave on left needle, then knit first stitch

Knitters will also need to be comfortable reading a lace chart and working in the round using either double-pointed needles or circular needles.

Materials and Yarn

The Tower Bridge Mitts pattern accommodates fingering, sport, or DK weight yarn. The pattern provides specific yardage requirements based on size and yarn weight. For the small size in fingering weight, 146 yards is required; medium and large sizes in fingering weight require 146 yards and 292 yards respectively.

The pattern includes two specific yarn recommendations: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk in the colorway "Peacock" (146 yards per 50 grams), or an Indie Dyer 100% Superwash Fingering Merino in the colorway "Dad's Den" (185 yards per 169 meters per 50 grams). Yarn weight selection affects the final gauge and mitt dimensions.

Needles and Notions

Needle size varies by desired finished size. For the small size, US 0/2 mm needles are recommended; medium size uses US 1.5/2.5 mm needles; and large size uses US 2/2.75 mm needles. Knitters may choose between double-pointed needles (dpns) or circular needles according to personal preference for working in the round.

Additional notions required include stitch markers to track pattern repeats, a stitch holder or scrap yarn for holding stitches, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge and Fit

Gauge varies significantly based on yarn weight and needle size. With fingering weight yarn, the small size achieves 12 stitches per inch unstretched; medium size achieves 9 stitches per inch; and large size achieves 8.5 stitches per inch. With sport weight yarn, gauges are 8.5, 7.5, and 7 stitches per inch respectively for small, medium, and large sizes.

The lace pattern is highly elastic and stretchy. The designer emphasizes that the primary gauge concern is the ribbing at the arm, which must fit comfortably over the hand and wrist. The ribbing circumference ranges from approximately 4 to 8 inches depending on yarn weight and needle size, and will stretch an additional 4 inches if needed, providing flexibility in fit.

Pattern Information

Tower Bridge Mitts is a downloadable PDF pattern designed by Rachel C. Brown and published by Porpoise Designs. The pattern is copyr