Valley Yarns Floral Brocade Mittens Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Floral Brocade Mittens

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Floral Brocade Mittens are a pair of knitted hand coverings designed to fit a hand circumference of 8 inches with an overall length of 10 1/4 inches. These mittens feature a decorative floral brocade pattern created through stranded colorwork techniques. The pattern includes separate instructions for left and right mittens, with the thumb opening positioned accordingly on each side.

Techniques Used

These mittens are constructed using several advanced knitting techniques that create both structure and visual interest:

• Seamless, in-the-round construction: The mittens are worked in the round using double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming. Stitches are distributed equally across four needles, with the fifth needle used for knitting.
• Stranded colorwork: The floral brocade pattern is created by carrying two colors of yarn simultaneously and switching between them according to a chart. This technique produces the decorative pattern visible on the finished mittens.
• Provisional cast-on: A temporary cast-on method using contrasting waste yarn allows the knitter to later pick up stitches for the hem joining, creating a finished edge without a visible seam.
• Picot turning ridge: A decorative hem is created by working a turning ridge using yarn overs and decreases, then folding the hem in half and joining it to the main fabric.
• Thumb decreases: Strategic decreases worked in the main color create the thumb opening while maintaining the integrity of the colorwork pattern.

Stitches Used

The pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches combined to achieve the finished design:

• Knit stitch (k): The primary stitch forming the base fabric and colorwork pattern.
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in the picot turning ridge and thumb shaping.
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease used in the picot turning ridge and thumb shaping. This stitch is worked by slipping two stitches individually as if to knit, then inserting the left needle tip through both stitches and knitting them together.
• Yarn over (yo): An eyelet stitch creating the decorative holes in the picot turning ridge.

Materials

The Valley Yarns Floral Brocade Mittens pattern specifies the following materials:

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington, a blend of 75% Merino Wool and 25% Nylon, available in 50-gram skeins with 218 yards per skein. The main color (MC) is B118 Chocolate, requiring 1 skein. The contrast color (CC1) is 4164 Light Blue, also requiring 1 skein.
• Needles: Size 1 (2.50mm) double-pointed needles in a set of five, plus one additional size 1 (2.50mm) or smaller double-pointed needle for picking up provisional cast-on stitches.
• Notions: Stitch markers, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and a couple of yards of contrasting color fingering weight waste yarn for the provisional cast-on.
• Gauge: 9 stitches and 9 rows equal 1 inch when working the colorwork pattern on the specified needles.

Pattern Notes

The pattern is designed by Cheryl Burke and includes important construction details. The colorwork charts are read from right to left on all rows since the mittens are worked in the round. The hem is created by casting on 72 stitches across four needles, working stockinette stitch, creating a picot turning ridge, then folding and joining the hem to the main fabric. Thumb decreases are worked symmetrically on needles 1 and 3 while maintaining the colorwork pattern on needle 2, continuing until only 8 stitches remain. These final stitches are secured by threading yarn through them, pulling tight, and weaving in all ends. The finished mittens are blocked to the specified measurements to ensure proper fit and appearance.