Pattern description from Weekend Knitting: “I have been a fingerless glove and mitten devotee ever since I bought my first pair while traveling in the Shetland Islands. Sometimes I wear them on their own; sometimes I wear them on top of gloves. Either way, they allow the fingers lots of dexterity - and look really nice.

I typed much of my first book, Knitting in America, wearing fingerless mitts. At the time, my husband was in graduate school, and he and I were living in a renovated barn we heated with wood. Because the barn was only minimally insulated, wearing the mitts was more necessity than fashion. The mitts shown here are different from any others I’ve seen; because they are worked sideways, the garter ridges simulate ribs. Short rows are used to make the hand wider than the cuff. The thumb opening is worked like a large buttonhole - stitches are bound off on one row, then an equal number is cast on over the gap on the following row. Instead of a seam, the last row of knitting is worked together with the stitches picked up from the cast-on row using a three needle bind-off. They make a perfect last-minute gift since they take only a few hours to complete. I made a pair for my husband one night and had them wrapped and ready to give to him in the morning. The instructions conveniently cover three gauges of yarn (4, 5, and 6 stitches to the inch) and three adult sizes.“

Finished Measurements: About 6 (6.5, 7)“ hand circumference, measured around the base of the fingers. To fit woman’s small/medium (woman’s medium.large, man’s small/medium) hand.

Yarn:

• 4 stitches per inch: GGH Via Mala (100% Merino wool; 77 yards / 50 grams): 1 ball. Shown in book in #24 blue.
• 5 stitches per inch: Horstia Tweed (55% Merino wool, 27% acrylic, 18% viscose; 109 yards / 50 grams): 1 ball. Shown in book in #9 green.
• 6 stitches per inch: GGH Merino Soft (100% Merino wool; 186 yards / 50 grams): 1 (2, 2) balls (used double throughout). Shown in book in #70 rust.

Needles:

• One set straight needles in size necessary to obtain desired gauge.

• Change needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

• Optional but helpful: A single needle several sizes smaller for picking up stitches along the cast-on edge.

Notions: Yarn needle

Gauge: The following instructions are for gauges of 4, 5, and 6 stitches per inch in garter stitch.