Valley Yarns Anemone Mitts Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Anemone Mitts

What is Being Made

The Anemone Mitts are fingerless mitts designed by Kirsten Hipsky, featuring a finished size of approximately 8 inches around when lightly stretched. These mitts are designed to stretch and fit most women's hands comfortably. The fingerless construction makes them ideal for maintaining dexterity while keeping hands and wrists warm.

Techniques Used

These mitts are created using seamless construction worked in the round, a technique that eliminates the need for seaming and creates a continuous, tubular fabric. The pattern incorporates a thumb gusset, which is a shaping technique that creates extra room for the thumb while maintaining the overall fit of the mitt. The design includes both color changes and stitch pattern variations to create visual interest throughout the piece.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Anemone Mitts feature a sophisticated combination of stitches that create electrifying visual effects:

• Slipped stitches are used throughout the pattern to create texture and color effects without adding bulk
• Cable stitches (referenced as LC and RC, indicating left cable and right cable) add dimension and visual interest to the design
• Purl and knit stitches form the foundation of the stitch pattern, with purl stitches creating raised lines that contrast with knit stitches
• Ribbing (p2, k2 ribbing) is used for the cuff and thumb edging to create elasticity and a finished appearance
• Decreases (ssk and k2tog) are incorporated into the thumb gusset shaping to maintain stitch count while creating the proper fit

The main stitch pattern repeats over 6 rounds and is worked twice in the primary pattern section, then repeated three additional times to build the length of the mitt. The thumb gusset section uses a modified version of the stitch pattern with strategic decreases to shape the thumb opening.

Materials

The Anemone Mitts are crafted using Valley Yarns Goshen, a luxury blend yarn composed of 48% Peruvian Cotton, 46% Modal, and 6% Silk. This fiber content creates soft, silky mitts with excellent drape and breathability. The pattern requires 1 skein each of two colors: Color A (Mulberry, color 19) and Color B (Bright Pink, color 28). Each skein contains 50 grams and yields 92 yards of yarn.

The mitts are worked on US size 7 (4.50mm) double pointed needles, or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge. Double pointed needles are essential for working seamlessly in the round on smaller circumferences such as these mitts.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is designed to achieve approximately 5 stitches per 1 inch in the stitch pattern when lightly stretched. Maintaining proper gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished size and ensuring the mitts fit properly on most women's hands.

Difficulty Level

These mitts are rated as advanced beginner difficulty, making them suitable for knitters who have mastered basic techniques and are ready to tackle more complex stitch patterns. The combination of color changes, slipped stitches, cables, and shaping through the thumb gusset requires attention to detail and familiarity with reading pattern instructions, but remains accessible to experienced beginners willing to work carefully through the pattern.