Simple Sleeves Add Warmth on Cold Days

Many years ago I knit a little swatch in the round for a project, that just happened to be the right size to fit my daughter as an arm warmer. It didn’t have a thumb hole or anything, but she put it on and asked for another so she could wear them as a set.

The Saturday Sleeves from Elizabeth Smith Knits are the same idea but longer and for grownups. They’re fingerless gloves without a thumb hole, sleeves you can slip over a lighter sweater or long-sleeved shirt, or add over your gloves and below your coat to make sure no wind or snow gets through.

The pattern uses a skein of worsted weight yarn — perfect for that special ball in your stash — and you can grab the free pattern on her website.

[Photo: Elizabeth Smith Knits.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for Mittens? Check these out on Etsy.

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It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born.

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]

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