Seaford Fingerless Mitts

Seaford Fingerless Mitts by Corrine Walcher

What Is Being Made

The Seaford Fingerless Mitts are a pair of open-hand gloves designed to showcase beautiful hand-dyed yarn. These fingerless gloves feature a distinctive wide, open cable pattern running down the back of the hand, making them an ideal project for displaying variegated or specially dyed yarns like the Malabrigo Rios used in the designer's sample. The finished mitts measure 5 inches unstretched around the cuff and hand, with the ability to stretch up to 8 inches for comfortable wear. Companion pieces—a matching hat and cowl—are available as separate patterns, allowing crafters to create a coordinated set.

Techniques Used

The Seaford Fingerless Mitts are constructed using knitting in the round, a fundamental technique for creating seamless, tubular garments. This method is worked on double-pointed needles or using your preferred circular knitting method, ensuring even tension and a polished finished product. The pattern incorporates cable knitting, a classic technique that creates textured, twisted columns of stitches. Cable work adds visual interest and dimension to the mitts while maintaining structural integrity. The design also employs shaping techniques including increases and decreases to create the proper fit around the cuff and hand area.

Stitches Used

The Seaford Fingerless Mitts utilize a range of fundamental knitting stitches to achieve their distinctive appearance:

• Knit (K) – The basic stitch forming the foundation of the pattern
• Purl (P) – Used in combination with knit stitches to create texture and definition
• Knit two together (K2tog) – A right-leaning decrease used for shaping
• Slip, slip, knit (SSK) – A left-leaning decrease that provides balanced shaping
• Knit into front and back (KFB) – An increase stitch used to add stitches where needed
• Stockinette stitch – The primary stitch pattern, created by alternating knit and purl rows, which serves as the base for the cable design

The pattern also uses place marker (PM) and slip marker (SM) techniques to track pattern repeats and shaping points throughout the project.

Materials

Yarn: The Seaford Fingerless Mitts are designed to be worked in worsted-weight yarn. The sample was knit using Malabrigo Rios, a 100% superwash merino yarn offering 210 yards per 100 grams. The sample shown was worked in the colorway Aguas (855) and required approximately 100 yards of yarn, making this an excellent stash-busting project or a quick gift option. The superwash merino fiber provides softness, breathability, and easy care—ideal for hand-wear that may require frequent washing.

Needles: Crafters should use a set of 5 US size 6 (4.0 mm) double-pointed needles or their preferred method for knitting in the round. The gauge is 18 stitches and 26 rows per 4 inches when worked in blocked stockinette stitch in the round, so needle size may be adjusted to achieve proper gauge with different yarns.

Difficulty Level

The Seaford Fingerless Mitts are rated as an intermediate knitting project. While the basic stitches are fundamental, the combination of cable work, knitting in the round, and shaping techniques requires prior knitting experience and comfort with reading pattern instructions. This project is well-suited for knitters who have completed several basic projects and are ready to expand their skills with textured stitch patterns.