Teddy’s Mittens (free pattern)

Hello m’lovelies.

We have had our first snow of the winter! Well, the first snow that has hung around. And whilst I HATE driving in it, especially when I have 5 chicks spread far and wide, I blooming LOVE the effects, and every outing, whether it’s a school-run or a walk, is an excuse to drag along the camera.

This was the first school-run of this morning’s three 🙂

Anyway, I digress.

Last week, in the midst of course of various other millions of started-and-not-finished projects, I realised that my little Ted was the only one not currently in possession of a pair of gloves. Fortunately, the extremely chilly walk on which I discovered this – at Derwent Reservoir in January – I had brought along my Seaglass Mittens as well as my own gloves, so Ted had those for the day. They were, of course, ridiculously big.

With his beloved Gengar, who goes absolutely blooming everywhere with him ❤

So I had a rummage through my stash and pulled out a ball of Willow & Lark Ramble in Feather Grey, and another of Willow & Lark Plume in Marmalade. It was also my first opportunity to try the rather bonkers SQUARE circular needles, I’d bought (size 4mm).

Don’t they look just blooming GORGEOUS together??

The temperature was plummeting and snow being threatened promised left, right and centre, so it became my handbag knitting, dragged from pillar to post and giving me the excuse to sit and wait from time to time.

(Whimsical aside: one of the reasons I love knitting so much, apart from being thoroughly addicted to yarn of all descriptions, is that it is one of the only ways I am able to force myself to slow down. I’m a massive fan of slow living, but with five sons, autism in the family, a house half-renovated, and several businesses to run, it’s not the easiest. So when I can, I’ll sit and knit, and I find the slow, methodical, rhythmical creation of perfect identical stitches utterly meditative. It’s the very best therapy.)

So, car-knitting. I’m designated driver, so car-knitting only happens when I’m waiting. But thanks to over-running after-school clubs, late buses, and teenagers not answering their phones, I manage to fit in a fair bit whilst stationary.

That one gives you a nice close-up of the cubics, doesn’t it? I’m quite a fan.

I sewed in the last of the ends at around 11pm last night. And somewhere around 2 or 3am the snow arrived.

And Teddy walked to school in his mittens. Delighted. But probably mostly because of the snow.

Me? Mostly because of Teddy ❤

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How to:

(These will fit most kids and dainty adult hands. Teddy is 8 years old).

Cast on 40 stitches Ramble.

K2, P2 rib for about 2 inches, then knit around 4 times.

Begin the thumb increases:

K18, place marker, K1fb, K1fb, place marker, K20

• K around Plume, slipping markers when you get to them
• K to marker, slip it, K1fb, K to 1 stitch before marker, K1fb, slip marker and K to end

Repeat these last two rows until you have 14 stitches between the markers, ending on a Ramble row.

With Plume, K to first marker and place the 14 thumb stitches on scrap yarn, cast on 2, K to end. (You’ll have 40 stitches in all again).

Now alternate rows between Ramble and Plume until you are about an inch from the top of your fingers. (For Ted, this was 19 rows of Plume altogether).

Begin the decreases:

With 20 stitches on each needle for front and back:

• K1, SSK, K to three before end, K2tog, K1. Repeat for the next 20.
• K around all stitches.

When you have 20 stitches left, bind off using the Kitchener stitch.

For the thumb:

Using Ramble, pick up the 14 stitches from the scrap yarn and pick up 2 from the gusset. K around until you reach the top of your thumb. Then k2tog around (8) And again (4), then sew through the live stitches, pull together and sew in ends.

 

 

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