Rowan Honey Hat, Mittens and Gloves Knitting Pattern

Rowan Honey Hat, Mittens and Gloves

What is Being Made

The Rowan Honey collection features three coordinated knitted accessories designed by Lisa Richardson: a hat, mittens, and gloves. These pieces are intended to be made as a complete set or individually, with the hat measuring 50 cm (19¾ in) around the head and the mittens and gloves measuring 19 cm (7½ in) around the hand. The designs showcase elegant stitch work and are available in multiple colorways, including Potash 099 and College Red 097.

Techniques Used

These accessories are crafted using several advanced knitting techniques that create visual interest and structure:

• Seamless construction: All three pieces are worked in the round using double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish.
• Bottom-up construction: The pieces are built from the cast-on edge upward, allowing for easy adjustments to length and fit.
• Lace elements: Decorative lace stitches are incorporated into the design, particularly visible in the fancy rib pattern that features yarn-forward increases and slip-stitch decreases.
• Cable and textured stitches: The fancy rib pattern creates a sophisticated textured surface that combines knit and purl stitches with strategic increases and decreases.

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a range of fundamental and decorative knitting stitches:

• Fancy rib: A four-round repeat pattern combining knit through back loop (K1 tbl), purl (P1), stockinette stitch variations, yarn-forward increases (yfwd), and slip-stitch decreases. This stitch creates an elegant, textured foundation for the mittens.
• Stockinette stitch (st st): Smooth knit rounds form the main body of the mittens and gloves after the fancy rib cuff.
• Increases: Make one (M1) increases are used strategically to shape the thumb gusset, creating gradual expansion at regular intervals.
• Decreases: Knit two together (K2tog) decreases are used extensively in crown shaping for the hat, creating a neat, tapered finish.
• Slip-stitch decreases: Incorporated into the fancy rib pattern for a refined appearance.

Materials

The Rowan Honey accessories are knitted using Rowan Pure Cashmere yarn, a luxurious natural fiber that provides softness, warmth, and elegant drape. The yarn requirements are modest: one 50-gram ball is needed for the hat alone, one 50-gram ball for the mittens, and one 50-gram ball for the gloves. If making the hat and mittens together, or any two-piece combination, two 50-gram balls are required. The pattern is worked on double-pointed 3¾mm (US 5) needles, a set of four needles that facilitate seamless, in-the-round construction. The recommended tension is 22 stitches and 30 rounds to 10 cm measured over stockinette stitch using the specified needle size, ensuring consistent sizing and fabric quality across all three pieces.