A New Free Pattern! Hooray!
No, I am not going to tell you to knit these for everyone in your family for the holidays. If you are like me you do not need any more self-imposed deadlines, especially not at the beginning of November! However, I have really, really enjoyed knitting these Easy Germantown Handwarmers over the last few of evenings, and they do knit up quickly. You can decide to do with that information what you will.
This easy knitting project ticks all the right boxes.
- It is knit flat, back and forth.
- You only have to know how knit and purl.
- It is quick as heck.
- You can learn a fun, new technique!
The hand warmers are simply two 7″ x 8″ rectangles, knit in worsted weight. They are knit in a stitch pattern that is perfect for a beginning knitter because it makes you think about how your knits and purls are formed, and what they do to the resulting fabric. I have taught a lot of people how to knit over the years, and the most important lesson is learning to “see” your knitting. When first learning to knit, I was so upset by the look of garter stitch because it didn’t look like the smooth fabric I was used to (which was, of course, stockinette stitch. I just didn’t know it at the time). This pattern stitch is worked almost like stockinette stitch (knitting on the right side, purling on the wrong side) except that on every other wrong side row you knit instead of purl, creating the ridge you see on the right side of the fabric. A simple effect, and very educational!
The thumb hole for the handwarmers is created by folding the work in half and either seaming it closed and leaving an opening for the thumb, or you can opt to use my favorite seaming cheat: the Sew-As-You-Go Bind Off. This knitting – or sewing? – technique allows you to bind off and seam up your work at the same time! It does create a raised seam on the right side of the work, which is a design element to me, but may not be exactly what you would like. If you prefer to not have the bind-off ridge show, simply work one more row of pattern and then bind-off the work with right sides together. This will put the seam to the inside of the work.
Specifications
YARN
Kelbourne Woolens Germantown: natural 105, 1 skein.
GAUGE
18 sts and 26 rows = 4” (10 cm) in Welt Stripe Pattern, after blocking.
NEEDLES
1 set US 7 (4.5 mm) DPNs.
Check your gauge and adjust needle size(s) accordingly if necessary.
NOTIONS
Stitch marker, tapestry needle.
SIZE
7” (18 cm) circumference, 8” (20.5 cm) length.
SKILLS
3-Needle bind off or sew-as-you-go bind off.
How fast do you think you could whip up a pair of these? There’s only one way to find out! Download the free pattern for the Easy Germantown Handwarmers, grab a skein of our classic worsted wool yarn, Germantown, and get started!
Hello, Why does the pattern call for a set of US 7 double point needles if not working in the round? Also, I am curious why the pictures show cable needles if these are knitted in the round? I have just tried and ripped out 3 times on double pointed needles because sl1 wyif doesn’t really work on double pointed needles (failure to join lol). Should this just be worked on regular old needles?
Thanks.
Hi Sue! You can work back and forth on DPNs in the same way you would work back and forth on a circular or straight needles – one DPN is in your left hand (with the stitches) and the other is in your right hand. You should have no trouble doing a sl1 wyif with a DPN; it is done in the same manner as any other type of needle. That said, if you prefer straights or circulars, you can use either of those as well!
I hope this helps! – Kate