Dartmoor Snowflake Mitts

Dartmoor Snowflake Mitts by Bekki Hill

Project Overview

The Dartmoor Snowflake Mitts are fingerless mitts designed by Bekki Hill, offering a charming seasonal accessory perfect for keeping hands warm while maintaining finger mobility. These intermediate-level knitted mitts feature a sophisticated snowflake pattern worked in contrasting colors, making them an ideal project for knitters looking to develop colorwork and shaping skills.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a pair of fingerless mitts with finished measurements of 18.5cm (7.5") hand circumference and 23.5cm (9.5") in length. The mitts are designed to be worn on the hands, providing warmth to the wrists and back of the hand while leaving the fingers free for dexterity. The fingerless construction makes these mitts practical for everyday wear, particularly during cooler months when some hand coverage is desired without full finger enclosure.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques that build upon fundamental skills. Colorwork is central to the design, with the snowflake motif worked using two contrasting colors throughout the pattern. Corrugated ribbing is used at the wrist, a technique that combines knit and purl stitches in alternating colors to create a textured, elastic cuff that sits neatly on the wrist. The pattern also incorporates yarn overs in both right and left variations, which create decorative eyelet holes and lace elements within the snowflake design. Two-needle cast-on and circular needle knitting in the round are employed throughout, allowing for seamless construction and even tension distribution.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

• Knit (K) – The fundamental stitch forming the base fabric
• Purl (P) – Used in combination with knit stitches, particularly in the corrugated ribbing at the wrist
• Knit two together (k2tog) – A right-leaning decrease used for shaping and creating pattern details
• Yarn over right (yoR) – Created by lifting yarn over the top of the right needle then taking it back under, producing an eyelet on the following round when knitted into the front
• Yarn over left (yoL) – Created by passing yarn under the right needle then over the top, producing an eyelet on the following round when knitted into the back

These stitch variations work together to create the snowflake pattern while maintaining the structural integrity of the mitts.

Materials and Gauge

The Dartmoor Snowflake Mitts are worked using Cascade 220 Fingering yarn, a 100% wool fingering weight (4-ply) that provides excellent stitch definition and elasticity. The pattern requires one 50g ball each of two colors: Christmas red (Colour A) and White (Colour B), providing sufficient yardage for both mitts with minimal waste.

Two needle sizes are used in this pattern: 2.5mm needles for the wrist ribbing, which creates a tighter, more elastic cuff, and 3.5mm needles for the main body and pattern work. The pattern is worked on circular needles or double-pointed needles (DPNs), allowing for seamless knitting in the round. The tension is established at 30 stitches and 32 rows over 10cm x 10cm (4" x 4") when measured on 3.5mm needles over the pattern, ensuring proper fit and drape of the finished mitts.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this pattern assumes knitters have solid foundational skills including casting on, working in the round, and basic increases and decreases. The introduction of two-color work and yarn overs adds complexity, making this an excellent project for knitters ready to expand their technical repertoire beyond basic stockinette stitch projects.