Star Anise Mittens in Berroco Ultra Wool Handpaint & Berroco Ultra Wool - Downloadable PDF

Star Anise Mittens by Amy Christoffers

Project Overview

The Star Anise Mittens are an intermediate-level knitting project designed by Amy Christoffers. These mittens measure approximately 8½ inches around and 9½ inches long after finishing, making them a standard adult mitten size. The design features a charted stranded colorwork pattern that creates visual interest while maintaining the warmth and durability expected from quality mittens.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a pair of seamless mittens worked from the cuff to the top in the round. The mittens feature a classic construction with a thumb gusset and incorporate a decorative star anise-inspired motif through stranded colorwork techniques. The finished mittens are designed to fit comfortably around the hand while providing adequate length for warmth.

Techniques Used

• Bottom-up construction: The mittens are knitted starting from the cuff and worked upward toward the top
• Seamless, worked in the round: Using double-pointed needles, the mittens are constructed in continuous rounds, eliminating the need for seaming
• Stranded colorwork: The pattern incorporates two colors held simultaneously to create the charted design, a traditional technique for adding pattern while maintaining fabric integrity

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Star Anise Mittens are worked using charted pattern instructions that guide stitch placement and color changes. The pattern requires reading a chart to execute the stranded colorwork correctly. The gauge for this project is 22 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in the charted pattern when worked on the larger needles, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

This pattern calls for two Berroco yarns in contrasting colors:

• Berroco Ultra Wool in Thyme (#3316): Used as the main color (MC), one 100-gram ball provides the primary yarn for the mittens
• Berroco Ultra Wool Handpaint in Pink Lemonade (#3304): Used as the contrast color (CC), one 100-gram ball creates the colorwork pattern

Both yarns are Berroco Ultra Wool, classified as aran and worsted weight, providing excellent stitch definition for the stranded colorwork pattern. The pattern requires two sets of double-pointed needles: size 2 (2.75 mm) needles for the ribbed cuff and size 4 (3.5 mm) needles for the body of the mittens. Additional notions include waste yarn for holding thumb stitches and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Skill Level and Construction Details

Rated as an intermediate project, the Star Anise Mittens require competency with working in the round on double-pointed needles and the ability to manage two colors simultaneously in stranded colorwork. The thumb is constructed using the waste yarn method, a technique where stitches are held on scrap yarn during initial knitting and later picked up and worked separately. This method creates a seamless thumb integration and is a hallmark of refined mitten construction.

Knitters should take time to check gauge before beginning, as accurate gauge is critical for achieving the specified finished measurements of 8½ inches around and 9½ inches long.