Earl grey mitts

Earl Grey Mitts by Bristol Ivy

Project Overview

The Earl Grey Mitts are a pair of fingerless mittens designed by Bristol Ivy and worked in the round using the knitting craft. These mitts are constructed inside out and then flipped after completion, creating a finished fabric with a polished appearance. The design combines colorwork with structured shaping, making them a stylish accessory for cooler weather.

What Is Being Made

These are fingerless mitts—hand coverings that leave the fingers exposed for dexterity while providing warmth to the wrist and palm area. The mitts are worked circularly from the cuff downward, featuring ribbed edging at the wrist and colorwork striping throughout the hand section. The finished mitts are tailored and form-fitting, designed to hug the hand comfortably.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Circular knitting: The mitts are worked in the round using circular needles or double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming.
• Inside-out construction: The entire project is knitted with the wrong side facing outward, then flipped inside out after completion. This technique requires careful attention to yarn tail placement on the knit side of the fabric to facilitate easier weaving in of ends.
• Two-color colorwork: The design incorporates a Main Color (MC) and Second Color (SC) worked in alternating rounds to create horizontal stripes.
• Decreasing: Strategic decreases shape the mitt to fit the hand properly and reduce stitch count where needed.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

• Knit stitch (k): The fundamental stitch used throughout most of the mitt.
• Purl stitch (p): Used in combination with knit stitches to create the ribbed cuff.
• Ribbing (k2, p2): A 2x2 rib pattern forms the wrist cuff, providing elasticity and a fitted finish. The ribbing is worked over 8 rounds with 40 cast-on stitches.
• K2tog (knit 2 together): A right-leaning decrease used to reduce stitches and shape the mitt. One decrease is worked per round in the wrist shaping section, bringing the stitch count from 40 to 38 stitches.
• Kfb (knit into front and back): An increase stitch that adds one stitch by working into both the front and back loops of the same stitch.

Construction Details

The mitt begins with a cast-on of 40 stitches joined in the round. The cuff is worked in 2x2 ribbing for 8 rounds using the Main Color, establishing a stretchy, finished edge. The wrist section follows, featuring alternating rounds of Main Color and Second Color knit stitches, creating horizontal stripes. After 8 rounds of colorwork, a decrease round reduces the stitch count to 38 stitches, shaping the mitt to fit the hand. Additional colorwork rounds follow to complete the wrist and hand sections.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Earl Grey Mitts are designed to be worked with aran-weight yarn, a medium-weight yarn that knits at a moderate gauge. Two colors of yarn are required: a Main Color and a Second Color for the striped colorwork effect. The project is worked on circular needles or double-pointed needles appropriate for aran-weight yarn, sized to achieve the correct gauge for proper fit and fabric structure.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty. Knitters should be comfortable with circular knitting, basic decreases, two-color stranded or alternating colorwork, and the unique inside-out construction technique. The pattern requires attention to detail, particularly when managing yarn tails during the inside-out knitting process.