Tag Archives: free patterns

Super Simple Mitts

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super simple fingerless gloves pattern


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The look of these quick and simple fingerless gloves is inspired in part by Tante Ehm’s wonderful Camp Out Fingerless Mitts, with that wide band of garter stitch around the knuckles. But for this I’ve boiled it down to the essence: a glove you can easily whip out in a bunch of colors or that any beginner can make. If you can cast on, knit, purl, and bind off, you’re golden. There are no increases or decreases; no picking up stitches. And for anyone who’s been wanting to try double-point needles, I think a simple mitt like this is a great place to start.

Old pros will think this is the equivalent of posting a recipe for PB&J, and will only care to know that I cast on 32 stitches on US6 DPNs. The ribbing is 2×2; about an inch at the cuff and 2 around the knuckles. The thumbhole is a 1.5-inch stretch that was knit as if flat, starting at the 4.5-inch mark, before the piece is rejoined in the round. Total length is 8″. (For the record: I lightly toast my bread, let it cool slightly so as not to overly melt the peanut butter, and then barely wave jam in the bread’s general direction, for a goopless sandwich. How about you?)

For my fellow beginners out there, I’m spelling it out in full detail below.

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P A T T E R N   |   queue it on Ravelry

These would likely be classed as M/L if sold retail. For a bigger or smaller hand, add or subtract to the cast-on count in any multiple of 4 stitches (needed for the 2×2 ribbing). So 28 or 36 would work equally well. If you want your gloves to be shorter or longer, or the ribbed sections to be different proportions, knock yourself out! You could even rib the entire glove. Just be sure you have enough yarn for whatever alterations you make. [Oct 2012: See also my fully ribbed Marl Mitts version.]

Materials:

  • Approx 100 yards aran-weight wool (pictured is Berroco Blackstone Tweed in Wintry Mix)
  • 4 double-point needles, size US6
  • tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Dimensions:

Approx 7 inches around by 8 inches tall

Abbreviations:

CO = cast on
DPN = double-point needle
K = knit
p = purl
BO = bind off

Directions:

CO 32 stitches on one US6 DPN (see note above for alterations)

Divide stitches onto 3 DPNs as follows: Slide stitches to far end of needle. Slip the first 12 stitches onto another DPN (needle 1), then the next 8 stitches onto another (needle 2), leaving 12 on the original needle (needle 3). Join for working in the round, making sure stitches are not twisted around the needles*
Round 1: Holding your working yarn and tail together for the first 4 stitches and using a 4th DPN to knit, *K2, P2. Repeat from * until the end of the round. (Drop your tail after those first 4 stitches but do not cut it off. You can use it to keep track of which needle is needle 1. Whenever you’re back to the needle with the tail hanging below it, you’ve completed one full round.)
Repeat round 1, forming 2×2 ribbing, until piece measures 1 inch
Switch to stockinette: Knit all stitches, all rounds, until piece measures 4.5 inches, being sure to end with needle 3
Next row: Hold needle 3 in your left hand as if it were a straight needle to begin knitting thumb section back and forth. Slip the first stitch onto your free needle, then purl the rest of the row, ending with needle 1
Next row: Turn the work so that needle 1 is in your left hand, with the right side of the glove facing you. Slip the first stitch onto your free needle, then knit the rest of the row, ending with needle 3
Continue working back and forth in this fashion, slipping the first stitch on every row, until the opening measures 1.5 inches, ending with a purl row.
Rejoin for working in the round; knit two rounds
Resume ribbing, k2/p2, until piece measures 8 inches
BO loosely in rib pattern
Weave in ends

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*If you haven’t done this before, put your yarn and needles down for a minute and form a triangle in front of you with your hands — fingers and thumbs touching. Think of the side of the triangle formed by your two thumbs as needle 2. The fingers of your left hand are needle 1; the fingers of your right hand are needle 3. Now arrange your cast-on stitches into a triangle the same way, a triangle pointing away from you, with all of the stitches running along the inside of the triangle. Your working yarn and tail should be hanging from the tip of needle 3, the top right of the triangle.

super simple fingerless mitts

Knitting in code

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morse code cowl

So there I was on my couch last week, knitting yet another cowl, trying to arrive at the perfect combination of yarn, stitch pattern and dimensions to create a warm and stylish object I would want to have piled around my neck always, when I began chiding myself for how particularly minimalist this one was. A nice tasteful charcoal. Stockinette with ribbed edges. “Can’t you put a little texture in it or something?” Well maybe I could scatter a few purl rows in there — 3 or 4 spaced-out purl rows? “Daring! But how would that affect the way it lays?” I don’t know. What if they weren’t all solid purl rows but maybe every other stitch, something like that? Or random purl stitches here and there? “What if it wasn’t random, but there was actually some irrelevant organizing principle at play?”

And somehow the next thing my brain came up with was … Morse Code. What can I say? (And, hey!, I’m sure I’m far from the first dork genius to ever make this connection.)

It so happens that I have always liked inscriptions and secret messages and such, so the idea stuck. The next day I was learning the code and charting out a message — using a single purl stitch for a dot and 3 in a row for a dash. (“Dots” and “dashes” really being short and long signals.) And every space is a knit stitch: 1 between the dots/dashes of a single letter; 3 between letters; 7 between words. Then I figured if I’m doing something as dorky as knitting Morse Code, I might as well go all the way and make it punny, right? So this cowl says I wool always love you.

As intended, it gives just a very little bit of visual interest. I centered my three “text” rows on each other but then positioned them toward one end of the object for a little asymmetry. If I knew someone who could actually read Morse Code, could they read the cowl? Maybe. But it’s sort of beside the point. Like an inscription, the wearer is the only one who needs to know.

I’m including the pattern, such as it is, but you could obviously make up anything you want for the “inscription.” Just remember that Morse is a lot of characters, what with all the spaces between letters and words — I mean, “love you” is 83 stitches — so you have to keep it short and break the words up such that they fit within your stitch count. And then knit them right to left, bottom to top.

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P A T T E R N

Materials:

  • US11 x 24″ circular needle
  • approx 240 yds solid-colored* chunky/bulky yarn
  • stitch marker

Dimensions:

Approximately 32″ circumference and 17″ high, before blocking

Directions:

CO 96 stitches, place marker, and join for working in the round
Work k2/p2 ribbing for 1-1/2″ or 5 rows
Switch to stockinette stitch (knit all rows) until piece measures 4″
Next row: k6, p3, k1, p1, k1, p1, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p3, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p1, k1, p3, k7, p1, k3, p3, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p3, k3, p1, k1, p1, k1, p3, k1, p1, k7
Resume stockinette until piece measures 6″
Next row: k17, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p1, k1, p3, k3, p3, k1, p1, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1, k1, p3, k1, p1, k3, p3, k1, p1, k18
Resume stockinette until piece measures 8″
Next row: k18, p1, k1, p1, k1, p3, k1, p1, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p3, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p3, k3, p3, k1, p3, k1, p1, k7, p1, k1, p1, k19
Resume stockinette until piece measures 15-1/2″
Switch to k2/p2 ribbing for 1-1/2″ or 5 rows
BO and weave in ends

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*The idea here is that this is subtle texture. Doing the Morse stitches in a contrasting color would be too “on the nose” for me personally, whereas a variegated yarn would muddle the stitch pattern — the Morse bits would wind up just looking like mistakes in your work. Hence my recommendation to do this with a single solid color.

p.s. 01.17: Added to Ravelry

morse code cowl annotated

Knit, Crochet, Embroider and Braid with Aunt Lydia’s Heavy Rug Yarn!

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It’s here! It’s here! American Thread Co’s Star Book No. 173.

Turns out the slippers in this particular pamphlet — see spread two and the top shelf on the cover — are not the same as those that got passed around as “Tootsie Toasters.” These are two-tone, and either crocheted or a combination of knit and crochet. I kind of like them. I definitely like the Diamond Rug.

And don’t pretend you don’t want matching crocheted French Poodle covers for your hairspray, toilet paper and Scotch bottle. Nobody’s buying it.

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My mother, the knitter

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tootsie toasters knitting pattern

So it turns out my endlessly crafty mother was a knitter. For a period of my childhood she was knitting afghans, in particular — multi-colored scalloped rows of yarn. I have no idea how I managed to forget this.

The funny part is how it came up. I picked them up at the airport Christmas morning and brought them back to our loft, where my sister and her family were hanging out. Out of the blue, as we’re getting ready to tackle our little pile of presents, Mom says brightly to me, “I thought about finishing up that latch-hook Santa and wrapping it up for you for Christmas!” She did not yet know that I’ve added knitting to my repertoire, didn’t know this blog existed, and we have never spoken of that half-hooked Santa in all the intervening years. (It’s hilarious that she still has it. They have moved since then!) So I pulled out my iPhone and called up the post where I’d been talking about it, and we laughed, and I finally confessed I’m knitting and gave her the cowl I’d secretly made her.

Their first morning back home, my dad sent me an email with the scanned pattern above: Tootsie Toasters! Complete with my mom’s marginalia. I can’t make any sense of it. (Can you? Decipher for me in the comments if so!) But I’m dying to know what “AUNT LYDIA’S” HEAVY RUG YARN looked like.

(Update: Some of us are taking a swing at this mysterious pattern. See the comments for more.)

(Update Feb ’12: Meg has posted her revisions of this pattern as a free PDF on Ravelry. To see all the Tootsie Toaster-related posts, click here.)

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Here’s Mom in her Christmas cowl. It’s Cirilia Rose‘s cozy Columbia Cowl done in Malabrigo Chunky, in the fabulous and impossible to photograph color called Tuareg; details on Ravelry.

Love you, Mom!

Party hat

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regular guy beanie adapted for cascade yarns magnum pattern

We went to a holiday party with a group of friends last night, wherein there was the sort of gift exchange where everyone brings something anyone (age/gender) might like, and divvying them up is a game. The limit was 20 bucks and I, naturally, wanted to knit something. I thought a simple Regular Guy Beanie would fit the criteria, so I made it in a nice pale blue, but it was just too austere to put in the gift pile. So I remade it in that Cascade Magnum Mediterranean formerly seen on my dinner plate, and it was the big hit of the night!

To make the pattern work with the super bulky yarn, I pretty much just cut everything in half, including the decrease rows, and used a bigger needle for the ribbing than the body of the hat. The stitch count is now such that it easily divides onto three DPNs when the time comes, and the steps are then even simpler than simple.

To fit a bigger head, add any multiple of 3 stitches, so they still divide evenly onto the DPNs for the decrease rounds.

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P A T T E R N

Materials:

  • 1/2 skein Cascade Yarns Magnum
  • #13 x 24″ circular needle (or DPNs)
  • #11 x 24″ circular needle (or DPNs)
  • #11 DPNs
  • stitch marker

Directions:

On #13 x 24″ circular, CO 42 sts, place marker
Work in K2, P2 rib for 7 rounds or until about 2″
Next round, knit all sts using #11 x 24″ circular (so all sts are transferred onto smaller needle)
Knit in stockinette stitch until hat measures 4-1/2 to 5″
Divide stitches evenly onto 3 #11 DPNs (14 sts each)
Needle 1: K12, K2tog
Repeat with remaining needles, remaining rounds: K2tog the last 2 stitches on every needle, until 12 sts remain
Thread tail through final 12 stitches, cinch together, then weave the tail into the interior of the hat
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Fast, easy and warm: Jumbo Stitch Cowls collection

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cascade yarns magnum mediterranean
Photo © Karen Templer


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There’s a lot to love about super bulky yarns. I ran into Cascade Yarns’ Magnum when I went to knit the Big Lace Scarf from the aforementioned Hoverson book. The huge hanks hanging on the shop wall were to die for, but then when they’re wound! I died. So delicious I had to buy 6 or 7 colors. Out of curiosity, I went looking to see what others had used Magnum for and found myself at the blog of some lovely French lady who’d made a very simple garter stitch cowl in the round, out of the Mediterranean, the electric blue pictured above. So I made that one. And then I made more. And more, changing the stitch pattern each time.

Trudging around the city, I like a really thick scarf or cowl that I can bury the lower half of my face in and not feel the cold wind at all, and that’s these in a nutshell. I call this Kindergarten Knitting — the big needles and giant yarn remind me of those oversized pencils and wide-ruled paper. But these patterns are of use to more than just beginners and those with cold necks. They knit up amazingly quickly, making them great for last-minute gifts. (For the full set, see my Ravelry page.)

jumbo stitch cowls collection free knitting patterns


P A T T E R N S

These are so simple they hardly qualify as patterns, and you can adapt them however you like. Like a larger circumference? Increase the cast-on count by 150% or 200%. Like a narrower or deeper cowl? Knit fewer or more rows accordingly. Want something drapier? Use a finer yarn and increase the cast-on count to compensate. All that really matters is the stitch multiple for the repeat, which is noted for each below.

You could use anywhere from a size 15 needle up, depending how jumbo you want your stitches to be. Gauge isn’t terribly important here. These three were all done on 15s, but I’ve done others as big as 19s.

Materials:

  • #15 (or larger) x 26″ circular needle
  • 1 skein Cascade Yarns Magnum or any super bulky option (approx 200 yards needed)
  • stitch marker

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ombre garter stitch detail

Jumbo Ombré Garter Cowl
(any number of stitches you like is fine, to obtain the circumference you desire)

Great for solids or stripes. For this one, I used the leftovers of all the skeins I’d used for other cowls, dropping one color and picking up a new one at random spots, for a gradual, casual transition. For clean stripes, you’d want to divide your color changes evenly among the ridges and always start a new color at the beginning of a purl row.

CO 46 stitches
place marker and join for knitting in the round

Row 1: Knit all stitches, slip marker
Row 2: Purl all stitches, slip marker
Repeat until cowl measures approximately 10 inches (about 20 ridges, or to your liking), ending with a knit row.
BO

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seed stitch knitting detail

Jumbo Seed Stitch Cowl
(seed stitch requires an odd number of stitches)

For seed stitch in the round, you simply alternate knit and purl stitches, starting with an odd number of stitches, so that by the second round you’re knitting into each purl stitch and purling into each knit stitch. That way you get staggered knits and purls rather than ribbing, wherein the knits and purls line up.

CO 45 stitches
place marker and join for knitting in the round

Row 1: *K1, P1; repeat to end of row; remove marker
Continue working around and around, alternating knit and purl stitches, until cowl measures approximately 10 inches (or to your liking)
BO

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basketweave knitting stitch detail

Jumbo Basketweave Cowl
(this pattern requires a multiple of six stitches for the K2/P4 repeat)

UPDATE Jan 2018: Please see the corrected version here.

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Please favorite this pattern on Ravelry, if you’re so inclined.

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