Ainur Berkimbay For Purl Soho: Herringbone Mittens in Knitting Yarn Fine

From the endlessly creative Ainur Berkimbay, the Herringbone Mittens are an optical marvel, with delicate vertical stripes on the palm side and a bold herringbone pattern on the back. Now in our classic merino wool Knitting Yarn Fine, these striking mittens are soft, squishy, and resilient, with a palette of beautiful heathered colors to choose from.

Knitting these mittens is easier than you might think, a totally achievable challenge even if you only have one or two stranded colorwork projects under your belt. You work each mitten from the bottom up, following along with helpful charts that clearly guide you through the construction and shaping. The colorwork itself is satisfyingly rhythmic and visually intuitive, in classic Ainur fashion… You’ll be amazed that you made something so beautiful!

Striking the perfect balance between softness and sturdiness, Knitting Yarn Fine is a go-to yarn for pretty much everything, but it’s especially lovely for colorwork. Its pleasant toothiness helps lock stitches in place and its cushy spin helps fill in spaces between color changes. We knit the Herringbone Mittens at the dense end of this yarn’s fingering- to sport-weight gauge range, for a plush fabric that will keep your fingers toasty warm.

Pick from 16 richly heathered colors that draw their inspiration from the natural world, including the feather-soft neutrals we used—Sandpiper Brown, Acorn Brown, and Thunder Cloud—each paired with Heirloom White.

Knitting Yarn Fine comes in big, ready-to-knit 100-gram balls, and one ball of each color is plenty to knit a pair of Herringbone Mittens… You could even make two pairs of most sizes. Cast on for a wonderful challenge whose reward is a feeling of accomplishment, as well as a showstopping pair of mittens!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Pattern designed and written by Ainur Berkimbay for Purl Soho. Ainur sees the unique constraints of knitting as opportunities rather than limitations. Using her remarkable ingenuity and love of geometry, she designs beautiful and unexpected pieces for knitters who share her enthusiasm for shape, texture, and adventure. See more from Ainur on her website!

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

• Purl Soho’s Knitting Yarn Fine, 100% merino wool yarn. Each ball of this fingering-weight yarn is 328 yards/ 100 grams.
  • Main Color (MC): 1 ball; approximately 65 (95, 110, 130 145, 155, 185) total yards required. We used the colors Sandpiper Brown, Acorn Brown, and Thunder Cloud.
  • Contrast Color (CC): 1 ball; approximately 55 (85, 100, 115, 130, 145, 165) total yards required. We used Heirloom White.
• A set of US 3 (3.25 mm) double pointed needles OR US 3, 32-inch circular knitting needles for Magic Loop
• Stitch markers, including one unique
• Smooth scrap yarn

GAUGE

32 stitches and 33 rounds = 4 inches in Pin Stripe Pattern (see Notes)

SIZES

Child Small (Child Medium, Child Large, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult X-Large)

• Finished Circumference At Palm: 5½ (6½, 7, 7½, 8, 8½ 9) inches, with no ease
• Finished Length From Cuff To Tip: 7¼ (8½, 9¼, 10½, 10¾, 10¾, 12¼) inches

NOTE: If your palm measures between two sizes, choose the larger size.

SAMPLES: The Thunder Cloud sample is a Child Small size, and the Acorn Brown and Sandpiper Brown samples are a Child Large size.

NOTES

CONSTRUCTION

You will make these stranded colorwork mittens in the round from the cuff up, working the Pin Stripe Pattern for the palm (and later, the Thumb) and following along with Charts for the chevron pattern for the back of the hand. To make the Thumb Hole, you work stitches with scrap yarn, then later remove scrap yarn and pick up live stitches to work the Thumb in the round.

PIN STRIPE PATTERN (FOR GAUGE SWATCH)

Worked over a multiple of 2 plus 1 stitches.

Every Round: With MC, k1, *with CC, k1; with MC, k1, repeat from * to end of round.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

COLOR DOMINANCE

For best results, float CC under MC throughout. If you knit with one color in each hand, hold CC in your left hand and MC in your right hand.

TRAPPING FLOATS

NOTE: For help with this technique, please visit our Trapping Floats Tutorial.

While shaping tips of mittens, trap CC strand at wrong side of work as indicated on charts. This will prevent overly long floats that might catch on fingers.

SLIP, SLIP, SLIP, KNIT (SSSK)

Slip next three stitches purlwise. Insert left needle into front of three slipped stitches and knit them together. [2 stitches decreased]

CHARTS

Throughout this pattern you will follow along with charts that indicate colors and stitches. Download the PDF for the size Mittens you are making and keep your set of charts handy!

Download Child Small Charts

Download Child Medium Charts

Download Child Large Charts

Download Adult Small Charts

Download Adult Medium Charts

Download Adult Large Charts

Download Adult X-Large Charts

PATTERN

CAST ON

With Main Color (MC), cast on 43 (51, 55, 59, 63, 67, 71) stitches, distributing them among 3 double pointed needles or arranging on long circular needles for Magic Loop. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place a unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Set-Up Round: P21 (25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35), place marker, purl to end of round.

HAND

RIGHT MITTEN

Round 1: Work in Pin Stripe Pattern (see Special Instructions) to next marker, slip marker (sm), work Row 1 of Right Hand Chart (see Special Instructions) for your size to end of round.

Continue in Pin Stripe Pattern and Right Hand Chart, as established, repeating Rows 1-10 of Chart until piece measures 3 (3½, 4½, 4½, 4¾, 4¾, 6) inches.

LEFT MITTEN

Work as for Right Mitten but following along with Left Hand Chart.

MAKE THUMB HOLE

RIGHT MITTEN

Next Round: With MC, k1; with scrap yarn, k8 (9, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13), slip scrap yarn stitches back to left needle; *with CC, k1, with MC, k1, repeat from * to next marker, sm, work next row of Right Hand Chart for your size to end of round.

LEFT MITTEN

Next Round: Work in established Pin Stripe Pattern to 9 (10, 12,12, 13, 13, 14) stitches before next marker; with scrap yarn, k8 (9, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13), slip scrap yarn stitches back to left needle; continue in established Pin Stripe Pattern to marker, sm, work next row of Left Hand Chart for your size to end of round.

CONTINUE HAND

RIGHT MITTEN

Continue in Pin Stripe Pattern and Right Hand Chart, as established, until you have worked 10-row repeat of Right Hand Chart a total of 5 (6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8) times.

LEFT MITTEN

Work as for Right Mitten but following along with Left Hand Chart.

SHAPE TOP

RIGHT MITTEN

Next Round: Work Round 51 (61, 61, 71, 71, 71, 81) of Pin Stripe Hand Top Chart for your size, sm, work Round 51 (61, 61, 71, 71, 71, 81) of Right Hand Chart to end of round.

Work to end of Pin Stripe Hand Top and Right Hand Charts, as established, removing markers on final round. [10 (10, 10, 14 14, 14, 14) stitches remain]

Cut CC.

Place Pin Stripe stitches on one needle and Right Hand stitches on another needle. [5 (5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 7) stitches on each needle]

Use MC and Kitchener Stitch to graft stitches together.

LEFT MITTEN

Work as for Right Mitten but following along with Left Hand Chart.

THUMBS

PICK UP + WORK THUMB EVEN

Remove scrap yarn from Thumb Hole, catching each stitch on a needle as you release it. Use one needle for stitches below scrap yarn and another needle for stitches above scrap yarn. [16 (18, 22, 22, 24, 24, 26) total stitches: 8 (9, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13) stitches on each needle]

Redistribute stitches as evenly as possible on 3 double pointed needles, or 2 needles for Magic Loop. Join yarns at either side of Thumb Hole.

Round 1: [Work 8 (9, 11, 11, 12, 12, 13) stitches in established Pin Stripe Pattern, pick up and knit 1 stitch in gap at side of Thumb Hole] 2 times. [18 (20, 24, 24, 26, 26 28) stitches]

Place marker and join for working in the round.

Continue in established Pin Stripe Pattern until Thumb measures 1 (1½, 2, 2, 2, 2¼, 2¼) inch(es).

SHAPE TOP

NOTE: If making Child Small and Adult Medium sizes, be sure to work Right Thumb Top Chart for Right Mitten and Left Thumb Top Chart for Left Mitten. All other sizes use the same chart for both Mittens.

Work Thumb Top Chart to end, removing marker on final round. [6 (8, 8, 8, 6, 8, 8) stitches remain]

Put first 3 (4, 4, 4, 3, 4, 4) stitches on one needle and remaining 3 (4, 4, 4, 3, 4, 4) stitches on another needle.

Use MC and Kitchener Stitch to graft stitches together.

Repeat for other Mitten’s Thumb.

FINISHING

Weave in all ends, closing holes at base of Thumbs. Block as desired.

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