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!

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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Have you read?

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