Kaibab Trail Mitts

Kaibab Trail Mitts by Lynn Zimmerman

Project Overview

The Kaibab Trail Mitts are a pair of fingerless mitts designed by Lynn Zimmerman. This intermediate-level knitting project creates wrist-length hand coverings that provide warmth while leaving fingers free for dexterity. The mitts are sized to fit various arm circumferences, making them a versatile accessory for outdoor activities or everyday wear.

What Is Being Made

These are fingerless mitts—hand coverings that extend from the wrist partway up the forearm while leaving the fingers completely exposed. The design accommodates three different sizes based on forearm measurement: 9.5 inches, 10.5 inches, and 11.5 inches around the top of the forearm. This sizing flexibility ensures a proper fit for different hand and arm dimensions.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Kaibab Trail Mitts employ several fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques. The project is worked in the round using double-pointed needles, which requires managing stitches across multiple needles and maintaining consistent tension. The pattern incorporates increases and decreases to shape the mitts, including M1 (make one) increases for adding stitches and K2tog (knit two together) and SSK (slip slip knit) decreases for shaping. The use of stitch markers helps track pattern repeats and the beginning of round, with the pattern specifying both matching markers and distinctly different markers to denote different round positions.

Stitches and Stitch Abbreviations

The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations and techniques:

• K — Knit stitch, the fundamental forward stitch
• P — Purl stitch, the reverse of the knit
• SL1 — Slip one stitch from left to right needle as if to purl with yarn held in back
• K2tog — Knit two stitches together to decrease by one stitch
• P2tog — Purl two stitches together to decrease by one stitch
• SSK — Slip slip knit, a left-leaning decrease created by slipping two stitches knitwise and knitting them together
• SSP — Slip slip purl, a left-leaning purl decrease created by slipping two stitches knitwise, returning them to the left needle, and purling them together through the back loop
• M1 — Make one increase, created by inserting the left needle tip from front to back into the bar between two stitches and knitting through the back loop
• SLM — Slip marker, moving the stitch marker from one needle to the next without working it

Materials Required

The Kaibab Trail Mitts call for specific materials to achieve the intended drape and fit. The yarn specified is Hand Maiden Casbah Silk in a fine fingering weight, requiring 225 to 250 yards for the completed mitts (the full skein contains 341 yards). The silk content provides a smooth, lustrous finish and elegant drape characteristic of silk yarn blends.

Needles required are US 1 (2.25 mm) and US 2 (2.75 mm) double-pointed needles. The pattern uses two different needle sizes, likely for ribbing or cuff work on the smaller needles and main pattern work on the larger needles, a common technique for achieving proper gauge and fit. Additional notions include four stitch markers—two matching markers and two distinctly different markers to denote the beginning of round and middle of round positions.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 28 stitches over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Achieving this gauge is essential for proper fit, as the mitts are sized based on forearm circumference. Knitters should measure their forearm at the top to select the appropriate size before beginning the project.