Project Notebook: Kid’s Fingerless Mitts

During a recent really cold snap, my daughter was complaining about how cold her hands get when she washes her hands. She’s five, so just turning on the warm water is out of the question.

I suggested I could knit her some mitts that she could wear in the house when her hands are cold (like I do most of the time in winter) and she was agreeable. I asked her what color she wanted and she found some gray yarn sitting out, left over from a recently finished project I hope to tell you more about soon, and said she wanted me to use that.

I whipped up a prototype that same evening and it seemed to fit, so I made the second after bedtime and they were ready to go the next day.

She first said she didn’t want to wear them to school because she couldn’t fit her hands in her pockets when she wore them, but she’s since realized she can wear them over her gloves for even more warmth, and I knit another version in red and orange which she likes a lot better. (Here’s the project on Ravelry, too.)

This is a really great, simple pattern for mitts for a little one that includes instructions on how to resize to fit different hands. I can attest that they’re really quick and easy since I knit four of them in a span of a few evenings. They’re also pretty darn cute and I’m thinking hard about a grownup version.

What’s on or off your needles recently? I’d love to hear about it!

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Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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