Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

These Cuffed Hand Warmers tickle my fancy with their trompe l’oeil cuffs. As if the sleeves of a beautiful, cozy sweater were hanging down past your wrists, the effect is a refined kind of slouchy.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

I love also the textural play of two yarns who, once strangers to each other, come together here in a beautiful friendship! A similar icy blue color may have been their conversation starter, but as the two yarns got chatting, they realized that what makes each different is also what makes each so special.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

For the outer cuff I used Purl Soho’s own gorgeous Super Soft Merino. As soft as a bunny rabbit’s tail and as cozy as a featherbed, Super Soft Merino is bewitchingly lovable. And in the color Desert Sky it takes on a level of elegance that perfectly segues into Alchemy’s Kozmos.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Kozmos is a complex brew of silk, mohair, wool and cotton. Lovingly hand dyed by the color mavericks of Alchemy, each skein tells a multi-layered story. And when a touch of enigmatic Kozmos pokes out from under the friendly comfort of Super Soft Merino things definitely get interesting!

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

If you’d like to play matchmaker with these two beauties, get started right here! -Whitney

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoCuffedHandWarmers, and #PurlSohoSuperSoftMerino. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

  • 1 skein of the Main Yarn: Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool. Each skein is 87 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 87 yards required. This color is Desert Sky.
  • 1 skein of the Contrast Yarn: Alchemy’s Kozmos, 30% silk, 26% mohair, 15% wool, and 31% cotton. This color is Pale Blue Eyes.
  • A set of US 11 (8 mm) double pointed needles
  • A set of US 10½ (6.5 mm) double pointed needles
  • A set of US 4 (3.5 mm) double pointed needles
  • Cotton thread to match the Main Yarn. A good choice for Super Soft Merino’s Desert Sky, would be Gutermann’s Cotton Thread #7670.

Gauge

23 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch with Contast Yarn and smallest needles

12 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch with Main Yarn and largest needles

Size

Hand Warmer: 7 inches around the palm, measured above the thumb, and 8⅓ inches around the palm, measured below the thumb

Cuff: 7¾ inches long

Pattern

Knit the Hand Warmer

With the Contrast Yarn and the US 4 double pointed needles, cast on 48 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place a marker (optional) and join for working in the round being careful to not twist the stitches.

Round 1: Knit.

Round 2: Purl.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 2¾ inches from the cast on edge, ending with Round 2.

Next Round: K19, loosely bind off 10 stitches, k18. (38 stitches)

Next Round: P18, purl into the front and back (pfb), now pfb into the first stitch on the other side of the thumb hole, purl to the end of the round. (40 stitches)

Next Round: Knit.

Next Round: Purl.

Repeat the last two rounds until piece measures 4¾ inches from the cast on edge, ending with a purl round.

Bind off loosely in knit.

Weave in the ends.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Knit the Cuff

With the Main Yarn and the US #11 double pointed needles, cast on 28 stitches.

Place a marker (optional) and join for working in the round being careful to not twist the stitches.

Round 1: *K2, p2, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat last round until piece measures 2 3/4 inches from the cast on edge.

Changing to the US #10 1/2 double pointed needles, repeat Round 1 one time.

With a removable stitch marker, safety pin or piece of scrap yarn, mark a stitch from the round right below the needles.

Continue to work in the 2 x 2 rib pattern until piece measures 7 3/4 inches from the cast on edge.

Bind off loosely in pattern (use the US #11 needle to bind off, if you like).

The cast on edge of the cuff is the top (palm-side) and the bind off edge is the bottom (wrist-side).

Weave in the ends.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Sew the Hand Warmer to the Cuff

Thread a piece of scrap yarn onto a tapestry needle and weave it through the round where the marked stitch is located.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Tuck the cast on edge of the hand warmer into the top of the cuff.

Roll up the bottom edge of the cuff…

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

…until you reveal the round marked by the scrap yarn.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Pull the bottom edge of the hand warmer up over the fold so it meets the scrap yarn round.

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

With the cotton thread and a sewing needle, sew the cast on edge of the hand warmer to the scrap yarn round of the cuff.

As you’re attaching the two pieces, don’t sew all the way through the Main Yarn of the cuff. Instead, push your needle through the middle of the yarn, across the knit stitches, like this:

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

And through the purl bumps, like this:

Cuffed Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Once you’ve finished sewing the hand warmer to the cuff, remove the scrap yarn, turn your Cuffed Hand Warmer right side out and make another!