Ix Mitts

Windsor Mitts by Rebecca Blair

Project Overview

The Windsor Mitts are a pair of convertible mittens designed by Rebecca Blair featuring innovative flip-back tips that reveal functional half-fingers. This intermediate-level knitting project creates practical, stylish mittens that accommodate modern technology use while maintaining traditional mitten warmth and structure.

What Is Being Made

These are convertible mittens with a unique design element: the mitten tips fold back to expose half-finger sections underneath. This dual-function design makes the mittens compatible with touchscreen devices including cell phones and iPods. When worn in full mitten formation, ribbed flaps hold the folded tips securely in place, ensuring they stay positioned during wear. The finished hand circumference measures 7½ inches above the thumb, with an adjustable length option to customize the fit.

Knitting Techniques

The Windsor Mitts employ circular knitting techniques suitable for in-the-round construction. Knitters have flexibility in their needle choice and can work the pattern using one of three methods:

• Five double-pointed needles for traditional small-circumference knitting
• A single 36-inch or longer circular needle using the Magic Loop method
• Two circular needles worked simultaneously for two-circular knitting

The project incorporates colorwork elements, as indicated by the use of a main color and contrasting color throughout the pattern. The ribbed flaps that secure the folded tips are a structural feature that adds both function and visual interest to the finished mittens.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The mittens are worked primarily in a hand pattern that establishes the gauge of 31 stitches and 34 rounds per 4 inches. Ribbed sections form the flaps that hold the convertible tips in place, providing elasticity and a secure fit. Stitch markers are used throughout construction to track pattern repeats and maintain proper shaping, with three markers required for this project.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The recommended yarn is Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sport 3-Ply, a 100% superwash merino yarn that offers durability, warmth, and natural elasticity ideal for mittens. This yarn is available in 335-yard (306-meter) skeins weighing 150 grams. The pattern calls for one skein each of two colors: Cadet (main color) and Roasted Pumpkin (contrasting color). The sample shown used slightly under 200 yards of each color, making this an efficient project that doesn't require full skeins of each shade.

Needles required are US #2/2.75mm in the knitter's preferred circular format. The superwash wool construction ensures these mittens are easy to care for while maintaining the resilience and warmth necessary for practical, long-wearing mittens suitable for cold-weather use.

Difficulty Level

Rated as an intermediate project, the Windsor Mitts assume knitters have foundational skills in circular knitting and colorwork. The convertible design and ribbed construction elements provide appropriate complexity for advancing knitters while remaining achievable for those with solid basic technique.