November is the month we start looking towards the holidays and getting together with family. This month’s mitten is inspired by togetherness, warmth, and traditions.
As the holidays approach, our attention often turns to knitting for others. The November Mittens are designed for the whole family – a unisex and sporty design perfect for the coming winter and holiday gift giving. We hope you find these mittens to be a classic design, meant to last a lifetime.
The mittens are worked in a simple colorwork pattern, perfect for beginners. Based on traditional Norwegian lice stitch sweaters typically knit in natural colored wool contrasted with navy, red, or dark green, this style will appeal to a wide range of wearers.
The mittens are knit with the Appleby Castle as the main color, and the natural Scafell Pike as the contrast color. You will have enough yarn left over to knit a second pair, by reversing the main color and contrast color. Grizedale Forest and Derwentwater are both great alternatives, and are in keeping with the traditional feel of the design. However, the simplicity of the mittens are perfect in a variety of colors, and you may have enough yarn left over from an earlier pair to use as your contrast color. Get creative with your color choices!
SPECIFICATIONS
YARN: The Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering (60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, 10% mohair; 328 yds/100 gm skein): appleby castle (MC), scafell pike (CC), 1 skein each.
GAUGE: 28 sts and 32 rnds = 4” (10 cm) in colorwork pattern on larger needles, after blocking.
NEEDLES:
1 set – US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns.
1 set – US 2 (2.75 mm) dpns.
NOTIONS: Tapestry needle, stitch marker, 2 yds smooth waste yarn of comparable gauge.
SIZE: 11.5” (29 cm) total length, 8.5” (21.5 cm) circumference.
SKILLS: Stranded colorwork from charts.
One of my favorite parts of the November Mitten is the striped cuff. I love the way the color changes create a “jump” when the ribbing is stretched. This element is very common on many Scandinavian mitten designs, and it can really liven up your design in a simple way.
If color work and reading charts are new to you, this mitten is a great place to start. Length may be added or taken away, easily. The width may be adjusted in multiples of 8 stitches (one 4 stitch repeat for the front, and one 4 stitch repeat for the back). Stay tuned later this month for a tutorial on adjusting the size of the mittens for larger (or smaller) hands.
• For a tutorial on working color work from charts, visit the Tips and Tricks page here.
• For a tutorial on picking up stitches from waste yarn to work the mitten thumb, visit the tips and tricks page here.
You can buy the individual pattern via our pattern page here, or on Ravelry here. If you are a subscriber to the full year of patterns, your update notification should be waiting for you in your inbox!
