Kitten Mittens

Kitten Mitten
I will not hesitate to admit it: this started out as a joke. I wanted to make a cute little kitten, but someone scoffed and said I should make it “at least useful.” Well, here you go! They’re mittens, shaped like kittens, ready to smile at you while you play in the February snow.

Although they have a distinctive look, these mittens aren’t a pain to knit up. If the snow gives you a long weekend, you’ll be ready to rock these at the bus stop on Monday. If your intuition says there’s a good chance of a snow day tomorrow, you could probably whip these up for a little one in an evening of work.



Supplies:
Note: If not making the size modeled, see “Sizing” for a better idea of what will work best.
1 set of 4 Double pointed needles (US 5).
1 skein Patons Classic Wool Merino (CC, shown in red.)- This yarn is worked with two strands held together, so if you are not comfortable working from both ends of the skein, just buy two.
1 skein mystery yarn (MC, shown in yellow)
Suggested replacement: Knipicks Kettle dyed gold (doubled), Caron One Pound (doubled), Cascade 220, or whatever is deemed appropriate. I would suggest a linen, acrylic, or smooth wool, as the Patons can be scratchy and the MC should conteract that by being very smooth and soft. DON’T use a bamboo or cotton yarn.

Measurements:
A: At the base of the fingers: 3 inches (measure at the base of the pinkie finger)
B: Length of fingers: 4.5 inches (from tip of middle finger to where the thumb joins the palm.
C: Length of hand: 7 inches (from tip of middle finger to wrist)

Sizing:
These mittens can be easily sized to larger or smaller hands. Simply follow the bracketed instructions, while keeping the following advice in mind:
Adult male (larger): When working the ears, simply repeat rows 5 and 6 until one side of the ear measures A-1 divided by 2.
Child (Smaller): Use size 3 needles and pay close attention to the measurements. Measure twice, knit once ☺

Ears: Make 2
F8 CO 4 stitches onto 2 needles
1: Kfb 4 times
2: K
3: *K1 Kfb Kfb K1* rep * to *.
4: K
5: *K1 Kfb, K to last two sts on needle, Kfb K1* rep * to*
6: K
You should have 16 sts (8 on each needle)[(A – 1) * 0.5]

Body:
Make 2nd ear; place ears on 2 needles and K 1 round to join them together.
K 7 rounds
Decrease:
Ssk, knit 14, ssk, K 14
Next round: K13, K2tog. K13, K2tog
K 3 rounds

Stripes:
Switch to CC, K 2 rounds.
Switch to MC, K 3 rounds
Work 3 rounds CC
Work 3 rounds MC
Repeat this pattern until work measures 4.5 inches [B]. Here's a visual aide, for your enjoyment:


Thumb join:
First time around, Left hand:using waste yarn, Knit 5 sts. Sleep these 5 sts back onto the left needle and continue working stripe pattern in working yarn.
Second time around, Right hand: Work until the last 5 sts on needle. K these in waste yarn, slip back onto left needle, k them again in working yarn.

Continue stripe pattern until work measures a total of 6 inches, or until it seems time to switch to the cuff [C- 1]. Feel free to place the mitten on your hand to make this judgment.
Work cuff in k1 p1 ribbing in CC for 2 inches. Bind off loosely.

Thumb:
Carefully pull the waste yarn out, picking up the stitches that become live, plus two on either side. There should be 14 stitches: 5, 5, and 4. Work these sts in the stripe pattern, starting wherever you left off in the main part of the mitten. Work for the length of thumb (I use the thumb measurement + 1 inch, but I like a tight thumb. It’s really based on personal preference.) To finish, k2tog around. Break yarn, weaving the tail though the remaining 7 live sts.

Finishing:
Weave in all ends, if you haven’t been doing that as you go. There will be a small hole between the ears: this is easily fixed by using an end to sew it shut, or a small amount of MC. Embroider a cute kitty face in CC… or in whatever color you want.


A bit of PR: All I ask of you, if you should choose to use one of my patterns, is that you please tell me after you post it up somewhere (blog, forum, anything), and please send me a picture if you make one! I can be reached on ravelry as Alyoops or via email at lynough@gmail.com.
This pattern is copyright 2009 Alyssa Lynough. Please do not copy or market without permission from the author.