A chill is in the air, and our October Mitten is here!
The October Mittens are inspired by the dried twig and bud floral decorations that adorn homes in the autumn and winter. The mittens are dense and warm but not too thick. As such, they are perfectly suited for brisk morning walks to school and work before the weather turns frigid and blustery. The color, Buttermere, was chosen for its brightness, which looks great against the ruddy color of falling leaves. This sweet pattern would also be very lovely in a lighter, dusky hue such as Castlerigg or Yew Tree.
The October Mitten begins with a knit/purl lattice stitch pattern at the cuff that grows into a flowering cable. The floral pattern of the mitten is created by 1 x 1 cable crosses that flow into one another and grow into the delicate branches, extending from the basket-patterned cuff. Mini-bobbles form the buds that gather at the tip of each branch. Unlike those in the September Mitten, these bobbles are “mini”, and produce a smaller, more compact end result.
The thumb has a detail of a single branch extending up the thumb, finished with a cluster of mini-bobbles. The basket pattern on the cuff seamlessly aligns with the thumb gusset for a cohesive appearance.
The mini-bobble came about as I was swatching for the mitten. The traditional bobble was too big for the delicate pattern and looked clumsy. This mini-bobble uses only 3 stitches and is completed in fewer rows than a typical bobble. It has a nice, round, rosebud appearance that doesn’t overshadow the cable cross branches.
SPECIFICATIONS
YARN: The Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering: buttermere, 1 skein.
GAUGE: Flower Cable Chart (32 sts) = 3.75” (9.5 cm) on larger needles, after blocking.
42 rnds = 4” (10 cm) in charted pattern on larger needles, after blocking.
32 sts + 40 rnds = 4” (10 cm) in basket weave on smaller needles, after blocking.
NEEDLES: 1 - set US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns. 1 - set US 2 (2.75 mm) dpns.
NOTIONS: Stitch marker, tapestry needle, stitch holder or waste yarn.
SIZE: 10” (25.5 cm) total length, 8” (20.25 cm) circumference.
SKILLS: Bobbles, working cables from charts.
The branches are formed by working single cable-crosses on a bed of purl stitches. For that technique, we have a new tutorial to show a quick and safe way to process them without a cable needle, which we will feature on the blog and via our Tips and Tricks page on Monday.
In the mean time, there are two other useful tutorials relating to this pattern you might enjoy:
• For a tutorial on working cable patterns from charts, visit the tips and tricks page here.
• For a tutorial on swatching and measuring gauge in a cable pattern, visit the tips and tricks page here.
You can buy the individual pattern via our pattern page here, or on Ravelry here. If you are a subscriber to the full year of patterns, your update notification should be waiting for you in your inbox!
