Leighton house handwarmers

Leighton House Handwarmers by Ella Austin

What is Being Made

The Leighton House Handwarmers are a pair of fitted mittens designed to be knit in the round using lace weight yarn. These handwarmers are engineered to fit snugly on most hand sizes in a single size, making them an accessible project for knitters seeking a versatile accessory. The thin fabric created by the lace weight yarn produces a delicate, refined finished garment suitable for layering or wearing as standalone hand coverings.

Knitting Techniques and Methods

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several foundational techniques to create its finished structure. The handwarmers are knit in the round using circular or double-pointed needles, which creates seamless construction. The pattern incorporates stranded colourwork, a technique where multiple yarn colours are carried across the fabric to create patterned designs. The hand pattern section features colour work, while the cuff and trim sections use contrasting colour applications. The project requires competency in chart reading to follow the stranded colourwork design accurately.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Leighton House Handwarmers are constructed primarily using stocking stitch, which is the foundation stitch measured for gauge. The pattern incorporates several increase techniques to shape the mittens:

• M1R (Make One Right leaning)—an invisible increase created by picking up the strand between two stitches from back to front and knitting into it through the front of the loop, producing a right-leaning directional increase
• M1L (Make One Left leaning)—a directional increase made by picking up the strand between two stitches from front to back and knitting into it through the back of the loop, creating a left-leaning increase
• Kfb (Knit into front and back)—a straightforward increase technique that creates an extra stitch by working into both the front and back loops of a single stitch

These increases allow the mittens to expand gradually from the cuff to the hand area, ensuring proper fit and shaping.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Leighton House Handwarmers are knit using Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace yarn, a lace weight yarn that creates a fine, delicate fabric. The yarn is worked in three colours: 14g of main colour for the background, 4g of contrast colour 1 for the cuff and trims, and 10g of contrast colour 2 for the hand pattern. This colour distribution creates visual interest while maintaining structural integrity in the high-wear hand area.

For size Small, the pattern calls for 2mm double-pointed needles (dpns), which are appropriately sized for lace weight yarn and create the correct fabric density. Additional notions include three stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points, scrap yarn for holding stitches during construction, and a yarn needle for weaving in ends after completion.

Gauge and Fit

Correct gauge is essential for achieving proper fit in these handwarmers. The pattern specifies a gauge of 45 stitches and 50 rows measured over 10cm in blocked stranded stocking stitch. Blocking the gauge swatch ensures accurate measurement, as the stranded colourwork and lace weight yarn may behave differently before and after blocking. Achieving this gauge guarantees that the mittens will fit snugly as designed.

Skill Level and Requirements

Rated as an intermediate project, the Leighton House Handwarmers require knitters to be comfortable with the following skills: chart reading for following stranded colourwork patterns, knitting in the round using dpns or circular needles, executing stranded colourwork techniques, and performing simple increases. Knitters should have foundational knowledge of basic stitches and be ready to advance their skills with directional shaping techniques.