Two Pairs of Mitts: Arta's Pattern

Size: Smaller and Larger

Hardware:
1 set size 1 DPNs or whatever circular knitting system you like (the pattern is written as if you are using DPNs)

Software:
2 oz fingering weight yarn*

Gauge:
12 sts/in in k2p2 rib (more like 7 sts/in in stockinette)

Abbreviations:

• K - knit
• P - purl
• RS - Right Side
• WS - Wrong Side
• St - stitch
• RT - Right Twist: k the 2nd st on the lefthand needle, k the 1st, slip both sts off.
• RTp - Right Twist: k the 2nd st on the lefthand needle, p the 1st, slip both sts off.
• LTp - Left Twist: p the 2nd st on the lefthand needle, k the 1st, slip both sts off.

Confession: I find the RTp and LTp difficult enough that I treat them like a teeny cable rather than a twist stitch. Your Mileage May Vary.

Smaller size: Cast on 56 stitches, and divide them among four needles as follows: 12, 16, 12, 16.

Larger size: Cast on 60 stitches, and divide them among four needles as follows: 16, 16, 16, 12.

(You can make these mitts larger or smaller by adding or subtracting 4 stitches at a time. Just make sure you divide your stitches over the four needles in multiples of four *per needle*.)

Join, being careful not to twist, and mark the beginning of the round in whatever way you wish. (I just always look for where the tail of yarn is, myself.)

Row 1-30: *k1, p2, k1* Repeat between * across the row for a 2x2 ribbing. (Make this shorter or longer if you wish.)

Row 31: *RTp, LTp* Repeat between * across the row. See why you need to divide the sts like that?

Row 32: K the k sts, p the p sts.

Row 33: *p1, RT, p1* Repeat between * across the row.

Row 34: K the k sts, p the p sts.

Row 35: *LTp, RTp* Repeat between * across the row.

Row 36-46: K the k sts, p the p sts.

Rows 47-51: Repeat rows 31-35.

Divide for thumb slit:
Row 52 (WS): turn the mitt and work BACK, as if you’re knitting the piece flat. K the k sts, p the p sts.

Rows 53-62: K the first st, then k the k sts, p the p sts to the last st, k the last st, turn the work.

Rows 63-67: Repeat rows 31-35, but always k the first and last sts. Otherwise, the thumb slit will curl.

Rows 68-83: Repeat rows 52-67.
Rejoin your work, and continue in k the k, p the p (2 x 2 ribbing essentially) for another 10 rows or until it looks right on your hand. (Yeah, try it on.)

Weave in ends. No blocking necessary.

Needless to say, make 2.

*Notes on the yarn:

The yarn I used, like Kath’s, is fingering, spun from a Romney fleece “in the grease” and without regard for the locks’ color variations. Consequently, the finished mitts have wide stripes of differing off-whites. It is chain-plied, also called Navajo-plied; in Valmouth, this style is called “lazy plying.” The yarn is slightly fuzzy but still has good stitch definition, and while I was able to keep it fairly consistent, it has slightly thinner spots and slightly thicker spots, and several outright slubs. (This yarn was an experiment, so I just plowed on despite the occasional slub.)