Texting while you walk your dog, searching the bottom of your bag for keys, catching up on emails in an under-heated café… all these things are better with warm hands and free fingertips. And this comely pair of Slip Stitch Hand Warmers makes these little daily tasks better!

Slip Stitch Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

In traditional Good Wool, the latest addition to our family of yarns, this super simple slip stitch pattern is reminiscent of a classic thermal shirt. And the natural beauty this yarn lends to these hand warmers makes them just as amenable to a walk in the woods as to a morning subway ride.

Slip Stitch Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

You just need one skein of Good Wool to make one or two adult-size pairs, and since this yarn is our most affordable yet, casting on will hardly put a dent in your wallet. And who wouldn’t warm to that?

Slip Stitch Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!

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

Materials

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  • 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Good Wool, 100% undyed Andean highland wool. Each skein is 383 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 157 (200) yards required. We used Heirloom White (left) and Driftwood Gray (right).
  • A set of US 7 (4.5mm) double pointed needles
  • 2 stitch markers

NOTE: One skein is plenty to make two pairs of Small Hand Warmers; just enough to make two pairs of Medium Hand Warmers; or plenty to make one pair of Large.

Gauge

28 stitches and 52 rounds = 4 inches in slip stitch pattern

Sizes

Adult Small (Medium, Large)

Finished Circumference: 7 (8, 9) inches

Finished Height: 10 inches, adjustable

Notes

Slip Stitches

Slip all slipped stitches purlwise.

Lifted Increases

RLI (Right Lifted Increase): Lift right leg of the stitch below the next stitch on the left-hand needle onto the left-hand needle and knit it. [1 stitch increased]

LLI (Left Lifted Increase): Lift the left leg of the stitch 2 rows below the stitch on right-hand needle onto left-hand needle and knit it through the back loop. [1 stitch increased]

For further assistance using these techniques, please visit our Lifted Increases Tutorial.

Make 1 Purlwise

m1p (Make 1 Purlwise): With the left-hand needle, pick up the horizontal strand between last stitch on right-hand needle and first stitch on left-hand needle from back to front, then purl into the front loop of the strand.

For a video demonstration of this technique, visit our Make 1 Purl Tutorial. (We use a right-leaning m1p in this pattern, but because the right and left m1p look the same when worked on the right side of the fabric, you can use either one here.)

Pattern

Cuff

Cast on 50 (56, 64) stitches using Long Tail Cast On and distribute them among three double pointed needles: 17 (19, 21) stitches on Needle 1; 16 (18, 22) stitches on Needle 2; and 17 (19, 21) stitches on Needle 3.

Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.

Round 1: *K1, slip 1 wyib (with yarn in back), repeat from * to end of round.

Round 2: *Slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 5 inches from cast-on edge, or until the desired length to base of hand, ending with Round 1.

Gusset

Set-Up Round: [Slip 1 wyib, p1] 2 times, slip 1 wyib, place marker (pm), p1, *slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, pm, [slip 1 wyib, p1] 3 times.

Round 1: *K1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to 1 stitch before next stitch marker, RLI (see Notes), k1, slip marker (sm), slip 1 wyib, **k1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from ** to next stitch marker, sm, k1, LLI (see Notes), slip 1 wyib, ***k1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from *** to end of round. [2 stitches increased]

Round 2: *Slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next stitch marker, [slip 1 wyib] 2 times, sm, p1, **slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from ** to next stitch marker, sm, [slip 1 wyib] 2 times, p1, ***slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from *** to end of round.

Round 3: *K1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next stitch marker, k2, sm, slip 1 wyib, **k1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from ** to next stitch marker, sm, k2, slip 1 wyib, *k1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to end of round.

Round 4: *Slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next stitch marker, slip 1 wyib, m1p (see Notes), slip 1 wyib, sm, p1, **slip 1 wyib, p1 repeat from ** to next stitch marker, sm, slip 1 wyib, m1p, ***slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from *** to end of round. [2 stitches increased]

Round 5: *K1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to end of round.

Round 6: *Slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Rounds 7 and 8: Repeat Rounds 5 and 6.

Repeat Rounds 1-8 two (2, 3) more times. [62 (68, 80) stitches]

Repeat Rounds 5 and 6 one (2, 2) more time(s).

Repeat Rounds 1 – 4 one time. [66 (72, 84) total stitches: 25 (27, 31) stitches on Needle 1; 16 (18, 22) stitches on Needle 2; 25 (27, 31) stitches on Needle 3]

Repeat Rounds 5 and 6 one time, removing stitch markers on the final round.

Thumb Hole

Set-Up Round: [K1, slip 1 wyib] 4 (4, 5) times, place the previous 8 (8, 10) stitches on a stitch holder or scrap yarn, *k1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 10 (10, 12) stitches, k1, slip remaining 9 (9, 11) stitches onto same stitch holder or scrap yarn. [49 (55, 63) stitches remain]

Palm

Rejoining into the round by working the first stitch to the left of the Thumb Hole…

Round 1: *Slip 1 wyib, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 wyib.

Round 2: *K1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 for a total of 1 inch, ending with Round 1.

Next Round: K1, k2tog, *slip 1 wyib, k1, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, slip 1 wyib, ssk, k1. [2 stitches decreased]

Next Round: [Slip 1 wyib] 2 times, *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, p1, [slip 1 wyib] 2 times.

Next Round: K2tog, *slip 1 wyib, k1, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, slip 1 wyib, ssk. [2 stitches decreased]

Repeat from Round 1 one time. [41 (47, 55) stitches]

Repeat Round 1.

Bind Off

We used a Kitchener Stitch Bind Off to make a nice and stretchy finished edge, but a regular knitwise bind off would work as well!

For Kitchener Stitch Bind Off…

Alternating between two empty double pointed needles and working the stitches off of one needle at a time, slip all the knit stitches onto one empty needle and all the purl stitches onto the other. Hold the two needles parallel, with wrong sides of fabric facing each other and bind off using the Kitchener Stitch. Repeat these steps for the stitches on the remaining double pointed needles.

Cut the yarn.

Thumb

Place the 17 (17, 21) Thumb stitches as evenly as possible onto 3 double pointed needles.

With the right side of fabric facing you and starting with right-most Thumb stitch, join yarn…

Round 1: *Slip 1 wyib, k1, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 wyib.

Now joining to work in the round…

Round 2: *P1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.

NOTE: There will be a small gap between the Palm and the base of the Thumb. When you weave in the ends, use the starting tail of the Thumb to close up that gap.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until Thumb measures 1 inch or to desired length.

Bind off, using Kitchener Stitch, setting up with Step 2 and then Step 1 of our Kitchener Stitch Tutorial; then repeating the remaining steps in the following order: Step 5, Step 6, Step 3, Step 4.

Make a second identical hand warmer, weave in the ends of both, and block as desired!

Slip Stitch Hand Warmers | Purl Soho