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Ultimate Mittens
Soft as a cloud and warm as a fireside, our Ultimate Mittens, knit in our sumptuous new cashmere Nigh Aran yarn, are designed with universal appeal. Knit these perfect mittens as a truly special gift for anyone on your list… Or keep them for yourself to face the season’s frosty air and falling snow.
Knit entirely in stockinette stitch, this streamlined design allows Nigh Aran’s extraordinary softness and generous halo to take center stage. Lifted increases create the thumb gusset; coordinating decreases shape the top (the ideal balance between rounded and tapered); and you finish with a simple thumb. Knit the second mitten just the same and done!
Toasty warm and utterly irresistible, Nigh Aran is the cashmere yarn every knitter dreams of, spun from the finest 100% Mongolian cashmere. Its buoyant multi-ply structure and generous aran weight strike the perfect balance: thick enough for the coziest mittens, yet still light enough to float across your needles. Pre-washed multiple times at the mill for exceptional softness, each stitch is a moment of pure delight, and once blocked, the yarn blooms into a lush fog of cashmere halo.
Nigh Aran offers a timeless palette for timeless mittens, from the deep, intriguing richness of Yew Green to the delicate shimmer of Pink Pearl. So inspiring for gifts, each color invites you to knit something special, sure to be cherished for years to come.
Choose from 5 sizes, 13 gorgeous colors, and either a classic mitten or fingerless hand warmer style. However you knit your Ultimate Mittens, you’ll savor every stitch of sumptuous Nigh Aran cashmere!
Pattern based on the Essential Mittens designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton, and updated and written for Nigh Aran by Purl Soho designer, Gaby Bush.
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- 1 (2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) of Purl Soho’s Nigh Aran, 100% cashmere. Each skein of this worsted/aran weight yarn is 100 yards/ 55 grams; approximately 80 (110, 130, 145, 165) total yards required. We used the colors Pink Pearl and Yew Green.
- A set of US 6 (4 mm) double pointed needles OR US 6, 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
- Stitch markers, including one unique
- Scrap yarn
NOTE: If you prefer hand warmers to mittens, the pattern includes instructions for them, too. The Hand Warmer version requires 1 (1, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) or approximately 75 (100, 120, 135, 155) total yards.
GAUGE
18 stitches and 28 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZES
Kid (Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult X-Large)
- Finished Circumference At Wrist: 5¼ (5¾, 6¼, 7, 7½) inches
- Finished Circumference At Palm: 6¼ (7, 7½, 8, 8½) inches
- Finished Length From Cuff To Tip: 8½ (10, 10¾, 11½, 12¼) inches with rolled edge, instructions to modify
Samples: The Pink Pearl mittens are the Kid size and the Yew Green mittens are the Adult Medium size.
NOTES
DOUBLE POINTED NEEDLES OR MAGIC LOOP
This pattern includes instructions for working on either double pointed needles or long circular needles, using the Magic Loop method. We have tutorials for both techniques, so just pick the approach you prefer!
To help decide, visit our How To Knit With Double Pointed Needles Tutorial and our Magic Loop Tutorial.
RLI + LLI (RIGHT + LEFT LIFTED INCREASES)
RLI (Right Lifted Increase): Lift right leg of stitch below next stitch on left needle onto left needle and knit it. [1 stitch increased]
LLI (Left Lifted Increase): Lift left leg of stitch 2 rows below stitch on right needle onto left needle and knit it through the back loop. [1 stitch increased]
For extra help, please visit our Lifted Increase Tutorial.
PATTERN
WRIST
Cast on 24 (26, 28, 32, 34) stitches, dividing the stitches among 4 double pointed needles or arranging them on circular needles for Magic Loop (see Notes). We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a unique stitch marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Knit every round until piece measures 1½ (1¾, 2¼, 2¾, 3) inches from cast-on edge, with edge unrolled (edge will roll approximately ½ inch), or to desired Wrist length.
GUSSET
Round 1: K1, RLI (see Notes), knit to end of round, LLI (see Notes). [2 stitches increased]
Rounds 2-4: Knit to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1-4 four (5, 5, 5, 5) more times. [34 (38, 40, 44, 46) stitches]
THUMB HOLE
Set-Up Round 1: K4 (4, 4, 5, 5) stitches, place just-knit stitches onto stitch holder or scrap yarn, knit to last 3 (3, 3, 4, 4) stitches and place remaining stitches onto same stitch holder or scrap yarn, use backwards loop to cast 1 stitch onto right needle. [28 (32, 34, 36, 38) stitches remain]
PALM
Resume working in the round and continue in stockinette stitch, knitting each round, until Palm measures 3 (3½, 3¾, 3¾, 4) inches from Thumb Hole, or until piece measures 1 (1¼, 1¼, 1½, 1¾) inch(es) from desired total length.
NOTE: To make a Hand Warmer instead of a Mitten, knit every round until Palm measures 2¼ (2½, 3, 3¼, 3¾) inches from Thumb Hole, or to desired Palm length, then bind off all stitches loosely knitwise and continue on to the Thumb!
TOP
Set-Up Round: [Knit 2 together (k2tog), k9 (11, 12, 13, 14), slip slip knit (ssk), k1, place marker] 2 times, omitting final marker. [2 stitch markers, including end-of-round one; 24 (28, 30, 32, 34) stitches remain]
Round 1: Knit to end of round.
Round 2: [K2tog, knit to 3 stitches before next marker, ssk, k1, slip marker (sm)] 2 times. [4 stitches decreased]
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 one (2, 2, 3, 3) more time(s), then repeat Round 2 two times. [8 (8, 10, 8, 10) stitches remain]
ADULT MEDIUM + ADULT X-LARGE SIZES ONLY
Next Round: [K2, slip 2, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over, removing marker] 2 times. [6 stitches remain]
ALL SIZES
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail. Thread tail onto a tapestry needle and draw through remaining stitches twice. Pull tight and bring needle to inside of Mitten. Weave in end to secure.
THUMB
Place 7 (7, 7, 9, 9) Thumb stitches onto 2 double pointed needles or long circulars.
With right side facing you and beginning with right-most Thumb stitch, join new strand of yarn.
Set-Up Round: K7 (7, 7, 9, 9), pick up and knit 0 (1, 1, 1, 1) stitch(es) stitch left of cast-on stitch, pick up and knit 2 (1, 2, 1, 2) stitch(es) from the cast-on (either into the cast-on stitch or on either side of it), then pick up and knit 0 (1, 1, 1, 1) stitch(es) into stitch right of cast-on stitch. [9 (10, 11, 12, 13) stitches]
Place unique marker and join for working in the round.
Continue in stockinette stitch until Thumb measures 1¾ (1¾, 2, 2¼, 2½) inches, or to desired Thumb length.
NOTE: For a Hand Warmer version, knit every round until Thumb measures 1¼ (1¼, 1½, 1¾, 2) inches or desired length, then bind off all stitches loosely knitwise and continue on to Finishing!
Next Round: [K2tog, k1 (1, 2, 2, 2)] 2 times, k2tog, k1 (2, 1, 2, 3). [6 (7, 8, 9, 10) stitches remain]
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail. Thread tail onto a tapestry needle and draw through remaining stitches twice. Pull tight and bring needle to inside of Thumb. Weave in end to secure.
FINISHING
Weave in the ends, being sure to close up the small gaps between the Palm and Thumb.
Make a second Mitten or Hand Warmer and block both as desired.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Learn About Nigh Aran + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Cast on for this project with Nigh Aran, made with the most exquisite, amazingly soft 100% Mongolian cashmere you can imagine! This generous aran-weight yarn has a buoyant multi-ply structure and knits into a beautiful, even fabric with a lush halo that floats above the fabric’s surface, a distinctive characteristic of fine cashmere yarns. Knitting with Nigh Aran is a very special pleasure… Try it!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of free Nigh Aran knitting patterns and cast on!
More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of worsted/aran-weight yarn (What does worsted-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to worsted-weight yarn will answer your questions and more.)
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial and our Yarn Substitution article for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop cashmere yarn (What makes cashmere so special? Learn all about this amazing fiber in our guide to cashmere yarn!)
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free knitting patterns) and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Hi Purl Soho! Excited to knit these mittens. I have a clarifying question about the Thumb Hole instructions.
In the set-up round, it instructs to knit 4 or 5 stitches, then place those just-knit stitches on hold. However, there’s no mention of what to do regarding the working yarn (and I’d imagine I wouldn’t want the stitch my working yarn is coming from on hold).
With that in mind, if I’m knitting the Adult Small size, should I knit 5 stitches, put the previous 4 on hold, and then continue on, with the 5th stitch counting as my progress towards the third stitch before the end of the round?
Thanks so much!
Hi Molly,
Thank you for writing in and a great question! Once you place those stitches onto your holder, you will leave your working yarn on the last stitch(now on the holder) and then continue knitting down the line of unworked stitches. Your working yarn should be close enough to the next unworked stitch to allow you to continue knitting with the same strand you used for the on hold stitches.
So to confirm, you will knit 4 stitches for the adult small, and then move those 4 just knit stitches to a holder and then continue knitting to the last 3 stitches. I hope this helps answer your question but please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
I am starting the Thumb section and have knitted 7 stitches with my new joined yarn. I am having trouble understanding the rest of the Set up round instructions where it says to pick up and knit 1 stitches left of cast on stitch. What is the “cast-on” stitch it is referring to, and where exactly am I supposed to pick up and knit the stitch?
Hi Caroline,
Thank you for reaching out. The cast on stitch referenced here is the additional stitch you backwards loop casted on in the THUMB HOLE section of the pattern. So you will want to identify that 1 stitch, pick it up with your needle and knit it to add to your stitch count. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
I have a question about the LL1 in the gusset. The instructions say to knit to the end of the round and then LL1. But, we should actually do the LL1 just before the last stitch of that round, no? Or do we do it on the first stitch of the next round? Hope that question makes sense.
Hi Cat,
Thanks for reaching out! You will want to lift the leg of the last stitch worked in the round as your increase. That will help make sure the additional stitch is made prior to the next round. I hope this helps clarify!
All the best,
Gavriella