Giving is Receiving

Giving is Receiving Mittens by Uma Padu

What is Being Made

Giving is Receiving is a pair of knitted mittens designed by Uma Padu as a downloadable PDF pattern. This beginner-friendly project creates cozy mittens with a finished length of 9.5 inches and a circumference of approximately 7 inches, making them suitable for average adult hands.

Craft and Technique Overview

This is a knitting project worked primarily in the round using the magic loop method, a popular technique for creating seamless circular knits on smaller circumferences. The magic loop technique allows knitters to work with a single long circular needle, making it ideal for mittens and other small projects where traditional double-pointed needles or smaller circular needles might not be necessary. The pattern is classified as beginner difficulty, making it an excellent introduction to mittens and in-the-round knitting for newer crafters.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The mittens feature a combination of fundamental knitting stitches arranged in a repeating pattern:

• Knit stitch (K) and purl stitch (P) form the foundation of the design
• Cable stitches create visual interest and texture, specifically C6B (cable 6 back) and C6F (cable 6 front) worked across 12 stitches
• The cable pattern repeats at regular intervals throughout the mitten body on rounds 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49
• A thumb gusset is created using the scrap yarn method, a common technique where stitches are held on waste yarn and later picked up to knit the thumb opening

Materials and Tools Required

The pattern calls for specific materials to achieve the intended drape and warmth:

• Yarn: One hank of Aslan Trends Guanco in color 158 Cocoa (3.5 oz/100g, approximately 145 yards/133 meters). This yarn is a blend of 60% Alpaca and 40% Merino Wool, providing a luxurious, soft feel with excellent insulation properties
• Yarn weight: Chunky weight yarn, which creates a quick-knitting project and produces dense, warm mittens
• Needles: A pair of US 9/5.5mm needles for the magic loop method
• Gauge: 12-16 stitches over 4 inches on US 10-10.75, though the pattern is worked on US 9 needles
• Additional supplies: Scrap yarn for the thumb placeholder during construction

Pattern Construction Details

The mittens are constructed by casting on 39 stitches using the magic loop method, with 20 stitches on the left needle and 19 on the right. The pattern alternates between two main rounds that establish a knit and purl texture. The cable motif appears as a focal design element, worked every seven rounds to create vertical lines of texture running up the back of the mitten. After 45 rounds of the main pattern, the thumb opening is created using the scrap yarn technique, allowing the knitter to pick up those stitches later and knit the thumb separately. The pattern continues for an additional 17 rounds after the thumb placement, with one final cable repeat on round 56 before finishing.