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Wanderlust Mitts: A Knit-Your-Own Adventure
This one-skein recipe for making handknitted mitts works for any size and using whatever yarn you choose.
Do you remember reading those “choose your own adventure” books as a child? As a reader, the choices you make at any point in the story will determine the next step in the plot. It was so much fun to be able to choose the outcome of the book!
Sandi Rosner’s recipe for fingerless mitts makes me think of that; I take some basic measurements of my hand, knit a swatch in my desired yarn, and then I can decide how long to knit the cuff, determine the hand pattern, and so on. Here’s how Sandi describes her pattern for the Wanderlust Mitts:
This isn’t so much a pattern as it is a recipe for making simple fingerless mitts in any size using whatever yarn you please. It relies on a simple set of proportions that govern the shaping of a handcovering. So, unlike most patterns, there is no specific finished size, gauge, or yarn, and there is no recommended needle size. Starting with a swatch, you decide what fabric density and feel you want, and then you follow the worksheet to create your mitts!
These mitts are a beautiful opportunity to showcase a special skein of yarn. Use that skein of handspun you were given by a friend, or that souvenir skein of small-batch yarn you picked up at a fiber festival. Feel free to play with stripes of color in your mitts. Fingerless mitts can be a great stash-buster if you have small amounts of yarn left over from other projects.
I was itching to cast on when Sandi sent us her recipe, so I visited my LYS, My Sister Knits, and asked them to show me what kinds of farm yarn they’re currently excited about. They recommended the following yarns for my mitts, and told me a little about each one.
Get a closer look. Click on any image below to open it in full-screen mode.
Farmer’s Daughter Pishkun line: A blend of Montana and Wyoming Rambouillet, this is a bouncy and lush two-ply yarn with a plump hand that creates soft yet sturdy garments.
Brusca: 100% finewool that’s grown, scoured, milled, and dyed in Portugal.
Peace Fleece: Navajo Rambouillet, blended with a domestic finewool and mohair for strength.
Wooldreamers Mota: A soft and lofty three-ply spun from Spanish Merino and Manchega wool.
I love to seek out these yarns and support their mission. Peace Fleece, for example, “works to ensure fair market prices for Rambouillet wool raised by families in the Navajo Nation, building meaningful and sustainable practices for future production.” Wooldreamers supports small wool producers and native breeds, and Mota was developed as a collaboration with several local ranching families, resulting in one of the smallest carbon footprints on the market.
With so many color choices, it was difficult for me to decide on a yarn to try with Sandi’s recipe. I settled on a skein of Peace Fleece Worsted in vibrant Baltic Blue. And I picked up a skein of Wooldreamers Mota in DK weight because I couldn’t resist the lovely Rosy Gray colorway.
Following the Recipe
The instructions for the mitts starts with a worksheet, which is included in the Wanderlust Mitts pattern (link below). You knit a swatch, take a few measurments, and fill in the blanks. Sandi's simple process has you casting on in no time! I started winding my beautiful new yarn and took a close look at Sandi's green mitts.
Here’s what Sandi used:
Materials
Yarn Wooldreamers La Rinconada (100% organic Spanish Merino wool; 252 yd [230 m]/100 g; worsted weight), #228 Verde over Niebla, 1 skein. (Mitts shown used about 85 yd.)
Needles Size 6 (4 mm) double pointed needles.
Stitch Guide
Cuff Patt (multiple of 2 sts): K1, p1 rib.
Hand Patt (multiple of 4 sts):
Rnd 1: Knit.
Rnd 2: *K3, p1; rep from * to end of rnd.
My mitts in process using Peace Fleece in Baltic Blue.
For my mitts, I’m using Peace Fleece Worsted (75% Navajo Rambouillet and domestic finewool/25% mohair) in Baltic Blue and Size 6 (4 mm) DPNs. I love how the Peace Fleece feels, and my mitts are ending up nice and wooly with kind of a rustic feel that I like my mitts to have—it makes me feel more connected to the sheep that grew the wool!
I followed Sandi’s Cuff Pattern, which is a K1, p1 rib. For the Hand Pattern, I chose stockinette stitch.
Do you remember reading those “choose your own adventure” books as a child? As a reader, the choices you make at any point in the story will determine the next step in the plot. It was so much fun to be able to choose the outcome of the book!
Sandi Rosner’s recipe for fingerless mitts makes me think of that; I take some basic measurements of my hand, knit a swatch in my desired yarn, and then I can decide how long to knit the cuff, determine the hand pattern, and so on. Here’s how Sandi describes her pattern for the Wanderlust Mitts:
This isn’t so much a pattern as it is a recipe for making simple fingerless mitts in any size using whatever yarn you please. It relies on a simple set of proportions that govern the shaping of a handcovering. So, unlike most patterns, there is no specific finished size, gauge, or yarn, and there is no recommended needle size. Starting with a swatch, you decide what fabric density and feel you want, and then you follow the worksheet to create your mitts!
These mitts are a beautiful opportunity to showcase a special skein of yarn. Use that skein of handspun you were given by a friend, or that souvenir skein of small-batch yarn you picked up at a fiber festival. Feel free to play with stripes of color in your mitts. Fingerless mitts can be a great stash-buster if you have small amounts of yarn left over from other projects.
I was itching to cast on when Sandi sent us her recipe, so I visited my LYS, My Sister Knits, and asked them to show me what kinds of farm yarn they’re currently excited about. They recommended the following yarns for my mitts, and told me a little about each one.
Get a closer look. Click on any image below to open it in full-screen mode.
Farmer’s Daughter Pishkun line: A blend of Montana and Wyoming Rambouillet, this is a bouncy and lush two-ply yarn with a plump hand that creates soft yet sturdy garments.
Brusca: 100% finewool that’s grown, scoured, milled, and dyed in Portugal.
Peace Fleece: Navajo Rambouillet, blended with a domestic finewool and mohair for strength.
Wooldreamers Mota: A soft and lofty three-ply spun from Spanish Merino and Manchega wool.
I love to seek out these yarns and support their mission. Peace Fleece, for example, “works to ensure fair market prices for Rambouillet wool raised by families in the Navajo Nation, building meaningful and sustainable practices for future production.” Wooldreamers supports small wool producers and native breeds, and Mota was developed as a collaboration with several local ranching families, resulting in one of the smallest carbon footprints on the market.
With so many color choices, it was difficult for me to decide on a yarn to try with Sandi’s recipe. I settled on a skein of Peace Fleece Worsted in vibrant Baltic Blue. And I picked up a skein of Wooldreamers Mota in DK weight because I couldn’t resist the lovely Rosy Gray colorway.
Following the Recipe
The instructions for the mitts starts with a worksheet, which is included in the Wanderlust Mitts pattern (link below). You knit a swatch, take a few measurments, and fill in the blanks. Sandi's simple process has you casting on in no time! I started winding my beautiful new yarn and took a close look at Sandi's green mitts.
Here’s what Sandi used:
Materials
Yarn Wooldreamers La Rinconada (100% organic Spanish Merino wool; 252 yd [230 m]/100 g; worsted weight), #228 Verde over Niebla, 1 skein. (Mitts shown used about 85 yd.)
Needles Size 6 (4 mm) double pointed needles.
Stitch Guide
Cuff Patt (multiple of 2 sts): K1, p1 rib.
Hand Patt (multiple of 4 sts):
Rnd 1: Knit.
Rnd 2: *K3, p1; rep from * to end of rnd.
My mitts in process using Peace Fleece in Baltic Blue.
For my mitts, I’m using Peace Fleece Worsted (75% Navajo Rambouillet and domestic finewool/25% mohair) in Baltic Blue and Size 6 (4 mm) DPNs. I love how the Peace Fleece feels, and my mitts are ending up nice and wooly with kind of a rustic feel that I like my mitts to have—it makes me feel more connected to the sheep that grew the wool!
I followed Sandi’s Cuff Pattern, which is a K1, p1 rib. For the Hand Pattern, I chose stockinette stitch.[PAYWALL]
Here are the measurements I used for the worksheet:
A Stitches per inch: 4
B Rows per inch: 6
C Hand Circumference: 7" (17.75 cm)
D Hand Length: 3 (7.5 cm)
I was able to plug these numbers into the worksheet and then follow the instructions.
The Wanderlust Mitts can be adapted for complex cables, colorwork, or the simplest of stitches. The basic stitch motifs Sandi used here allow the yarn to shine and the knitter to relax with an easy-to-remember pattern.
Subscribers can find the Wanderlust Mitts Recipe in the Farm & Fiber Knits Library.
Made these mitts? We’d love to see your version! Share your photos via our email address.
Sandi Rosner (she/her) learned to knit in the late 1970s from the instructions in the back of a magazine. She now works as a freelance designer, technical editor, writer, and teacher. When Sandi isn’t knitting, she usually has her nose in a book. Find more of Sandi’s work at her Substack, A Good Yarn.
