Hearts on a String' Mittens in Lion Brand Homespun - 40523

Lion Brand Homespun 'Hearts on a String' Mittens – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

The Lion Brand Homespun 'Hearts on a String' Mittens are a charming his-and-hers mitten set designed with a Valentine's Day theme. This free, downloadable PDF pattern from Lion Brand Yarn produces two coordinating pairs of mittens — one sized for women and one for men — featuring a heartfelt decorative motif worked in two complementary colors. The pattern is rated Easy+, making it an accessible project for knitters who have moved just beyond the beginner stage and are comfortable with basic shaping and two-color work.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a pair of knitted mittens available in two sizes:

• Woman's size: Finished width 3½ inches (9 cm), length 10½ inches (26.5 cm)
• Man's size: Finished width 4½ inches (11.5 cm), length 11¾ inches (30 cm)

Both versions feature a ribbed cuff and a two-color design. The pattern is written for the smaller size, with changes for the larger size noted in parentheses throughout — a standard convention that makes it easy to follow one version at a time. A matching crochet version of this same design is also available separately from Lion Brand.

Materials Required

The mittens are worked in Lion Brand Homespun, a bulky-weight yarn known for its soft, textured feel and subtle color variation. Two colors (A and B) are used for each version:

• Woman's Version: 1 skein Homespun #367 Covered Bridge Red (Color A) and 1 skein Homespun #343 Romanesque (Color B)
• Man's Version: 1 skein Homespun #312 Edwardian (Color A) and 1 skein Homespun #367 Covered Bridge Red (Color B)

The pattern notes that colors of your choice may be substituted, giving knitters flexibility to personalize the project. In addition to yarn, the following Lion Brand notions are required:

• Lion Brand size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles — the primary needles used for the body of the mitten
• Lion Brand size 6 (4 mm) knitting needles — used for the ribbed cuff section
• Lion Brand stitch markers — to mark key points in the pattern such as thumb gusset increases
• Lion Brand stitch holder — to hold thumb stitches while the hand is worked
• Lion Brand large-eyed, blunt needle — for seaming and weaving in ends

Gauge

The required gauge is 16 stitches and 24 rows to 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette stitch on the larger size 8 needles. Checking gauge before beginning is strongly recommended, as mitten sizing depends on accurate stitch and row counts. Adjusting needle size as needed to match gauge is standard practice in knitting.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several fundamental and slightly intermediate knitting techniques:

• Two-needle flat knitting — the mittens are worked flat on straight needles and seamed, rather than worked in the round
• Ribbing — the cuff is worked in a 1x1 rib (alternating knit 1, purl 1) for elasticity and a snug fit at the wrist; the cuff measures 3 inches for the woman's version and 3½ inches for the man's version
• Stockinette stitch — the main body of the mitten is worked in Stockinette (knit on right side, purl on wrong side), creating a smooth fabric surface ideal for displaying the heart motif
• Thumb gusset shaping — increases are worked to create a shaped gusset that provides a comfortable, anatomically correct fit for the thumb
• Two-color stranded or intarsia work — the heart motif is introduced