We all want to stay warm, but sometimes our fingers have phone numbers to dial, buttons to fasten… knitting to do! If you’re managing the delicate balance between warmth and, well, life, our Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers answer the brief.

Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

To whip up a pair, all you have to do is knit a tube, pausing in the middle to work flat for just long enough to create the thumb hole. At the end you pick up stitches to finish around the thumbhole… and voila!

Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

In stripes or color blocks, this super-simple construction makes these hand warmers a wonderful canvas for color play, and the medium is our beautiful new Quartz yarn! A mix of merino wool and suri alpaca, each of Quartz’s twenty colors glows with the mystery and beauty of an unearthed gem. It is also Fair Trade Certified and meets both the rigorous Responsible Wool and Alpaca Standards, which makes it twice as nice!

Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Whether you prefer crisp little stripes or fields of color, pick your two favorite shades of Quartz and set your fingers free! 

Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

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

Materials

Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho

Purl Soho’s Quartz, 65% merino wool, 35% suri alpaca. Each skein is 420 yards/ 100 grams.

  • Striped Version
    • Main Color (MC): 1 skein; approximately 114 (130) yards required. We used Ash Gray.
    • Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein; approximately 100 (122) yards required. We used Hydrangea Blossom.
  • Colorblock Version
    • Main Color (MC): 1 skein; approximately 130 (151) yards required. We used Blue Jeans.
    • Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein; approximately 80 (93) yards required. We used Aquamarine Blue.

NOTE: This is enough yarn to make 3 pairs of hand warmers in either size or style (for the Large size of the Colorblock version, just reverse the colors for the last pair), and one skein is enough to make a solid pair!

You will also need…

GAUGE

32 stitches and 40 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, on larger needles

SIZES

Adult Small (Adult Large)

Finished Circumference: 6½ (7½) inches, comfortably stretching up to 8 (9) inches

Finished Length: 12 inches

SAMPLES: We knit both of our samples in the Adult Small size.

NOTES

CHANGING COLORS: Striped Version

For tips on knitting stripes in the round, visit our Stripes in the Round tutorial, and when working flat for the Thumb Hole, be sure to carry the new yarn up the selvage in back of the old yarn.

TURN AND SLIDE: Striped Version

For the Thumb Hole section of this pattern, to “Turn” or “Slide” the work…

“Turning the work” means to do what you would normally do when knitting rows with circular needles. That is to say, transfer the needle from your left hand into your right and the needle from your right hand into your left, and flip the work around so the opposite side is facing you.

“Sliding the work” means to keep the same side of the work facing you, pushing all the stitches to the right end of the circular needles. Without turning the work, start the new row as you normally would.

You will know that you’re doing this right if the yarn you need to complete the next row is magically there waiting for you!

PATTERN

CUFF

With Main Color (MC) and smaller double pointed needles, cast on 52 (60) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches and place marker (pm) for end of round.

Round 1: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Round 1 five more times.

WRIST

Change to larger double pointed needles.

STRIPED VERSION

Round 1: With MC, knit to end of round.

Round 2: With Contrast Color (CC), knit to end of round.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 8½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.

Remove marker.

COLORBLOCK VERSION

Continuing with MC, knit until piece measures 8 inches from cast-on edge.

Cut MC.

Join Contrast Color (CC) and knit until piece measures 8½ inches from cast-on edge.

Remove marker.

THUMB HOLE

NOTE: For the Thumb Hole, you will work back and forth in rows as you would a flat piece of knitting.

STRIPED VERSION

Row 1 (wrong side): Turn work (see Notes) and with MC, purl to end of row.

Row 2 (wrong side): Slide work (see Notes) and with CC, purl to end of row.

Row 3 (right side): Turn work and with MC, knit to end of row.

Row 4 (right side): Slide work and with CC, knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1–4 three more times. Do not turn work.

COLORBLOCK VERSION

Row 1 (wrong side): Continuing with CC, purl to end of row, turn work.

Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row, turn work.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 seven more times. Do not turn work after final row.

HAND

NOTE: For the Hand section you will work in the round again with the right side of the hand warmer facing you.

STRIPED VERSION

Round 1 (right side): With MC, knit to end of round, pm.

Round 2: With Contrast Color (CC), knit to end of round.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 1½ inches from end of Thumb Hole.

Cut CC.

With MC, repeat Round 1 one more time.

Change to smaller double pointed needles.

Next Round: With MC, *k1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat the last round 3 more times.

Use a larger double pointed needle to bind off in pattern.

COLORBLOCK VERSION

Round 1 (right side): Continuing with CC, knit to end of round, pm.

Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 1½ inches from end of Thumb Hole.

Change to smaller double pointed needles.

Next Round: Still with CC, *k1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat the last round 3 more times.

Use a larger double pointed needle to bind off in pattern.

FINISHING THUMB HOLE

STRIPED VERSION

With MC and smaller double pointed needles, pick up 32 stitches around Thumb Hole.

COLORBLOCK VERSION

With CC and with smaller double pointed needles, pick up 32 stitches around Thumb Hole.

BOTH VERSIONS

Round 1: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Round 1 one more time.

With a larger double pointed needle, bind off in pattern.

Weave in all the ends and then make another!

Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho
Striped + Colorblock Hand Warmers | Purl Soho