Mount Temple Fingerless Mitts

Mount Temple Fingerless Mitts by Corrine Walcher

Project Overview

Mount Temple Fingerless Mitts are a pair of elegant fingerless gloves designed by Corrine Walcher, inspired by the imposing Mount Temple that overlooks Lake Louise, Alberta. These mitts combine functional warmth with subtle decorative detailing, making them an ideal accessory for those seeking a refined, versatile hand covering. The design is available as a downloadable PDF pattern and is suitable for knitters with intermediate-level skills.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a pair of fingerless mitts—hand coverings that leave the fingers exposed while providing warmth and protection to the wrists, hands, and palm area. The mitts are designed to be worn individually or as part of a coordinated set, as matching hat and scarf patterns are also available from the designer. The finished mitts measure 5 inches unstretched around the cuff and hand, with the ability to stretch up to 8 inches for a comfortable, adjustable fit.

Design Features and Construction Techniques

The Mount Temple Fingerless Mitts showcase a sophisticated design approach that combines both structural and decorative elements. The pattern features a subtle, disappearing mirrored cable that creates visual interest while maintaining an understated elegance. This cable design is complemented by ribbing around the palm, which serves both aesthetic and functional purposes—the ribbed sections provide a snug, cozy fit that keeps the mitts securely in place during wear.

The mitts are constructed using the knit-in-the-round method, which creates seamless, tubular fabric ideal for glove and mitt construction. The pattern includes separate left and right charts (labeled A and B), requiring knitters to carefully follow the correct chart for each hand to ensure proper cable placement and mirroring.

Stitches Used

• Knit (K): The fundamental stitch forming the base fabric and stockinette sections
• Purl (P): Used in ribbed sections to create texture and structure
• Knit two together (K2tog): A right-leaning decrease stitch used for shaping
• Slip, slip, knit (SSK): A left-leaning decrease stitch used for balanced shaping
• Cable stitches: Used to create the signature disappearing mirrored cable detail

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Dragonfly Fibers Traveller yarn, a luxurious 100% Merino wool with a yardage of 280 yards per 4 ounces. The sample mitts shown in the pattern were knit in the colorway Heliotrope. The yarn weight is suitable for both DK and worsted weights, offering flexibility in yarn selection while maintaining gauge.

Needles required include a set of 5 double-pointed needles in US size 5 (3.75 mm), or knitters may use their preferred method for knitting in the round, such as circular needles or the magic loop technique. The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches in blocked stockinette stitch worked in the round, which is essential to achieve the correct finished dimensions.

Skill Level and Suitability

These fingerless mitts are rated as an intermediate-level project, making them suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are comfortable working with cable patterns and shaping techniques. The requirement to follow separate charts for left and right hands adds a layer of attention to detail that intermediate knitters will find manageable and rewarding.