The Gardener Did It Mitts

The Gardener Did It Mitts by Elizabeth Ravenwood

Project Overview

The Gardener Did It Mitts is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed by Elizabeth Ravenwood for women's medium-sized hands. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a pair of elegant fingerless mitts that showcase decorative stitch techniques and optional embellishments, making them a sophisticated accessory project for knitters with some experience.

What is Being Made

These mitts are fingerless hand coverings sized for women's medium hands. The finished garments feature decorative patterning that can be customized based on the knitter's preference for embellishment style, offering flexibility in the final aesthetic of the project.

Yarn and Materials

Yarn Requirements: The pattern calls for 215 yards (197 meters) of fingering weight yarn, which is a fine yarn weight ideal for creating delicate, fitted knitwear. This yardage is sufficient for completing both mitts in the women's medium size.

Needles: The primary working needles are size 1 US (2.25mm) double-pointed needles, which should be selected to achieve the specified gauge. Additionally, size 2 US (2.75mm) double-pointed needles are required exclusively for the cast-on process. The pattern notes that knitters have the flexibility to work these mitts using alternative needle techniques, including two circular needles or the Magic Loop method, if preferred over traditional double-pointed needles.

Additional Materials: A stitch holder or a piece of string long enough to hold 20 stitches is necessary for the pattern. A size 1.50mm/8 steel crochet hook is required only if the knitter chooses to incorporate Nupps as their decorative embellishment option.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 8 stitches per inch (or 2.5cm) in unblocked stockinette stitch worked in the round. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the intended finished size of women's medium.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

Construction Method: These mitts are knitted in the round, which creates seamless, tubular fabric ideal for fitted hand garments. The pattern utilizes double-pointed needles as the primary method, though the designer explicitly acknowledges that knitters may substitute two circular needles or employ the Magic Loop technique for working small circumferences in the round.

Stitch Techniques: The pattern incorporates stockinette stitch as the foundational fabric. The abbreviations and glossary indicate the use of specialized stitches, including a CROSS stitch defined as K2TOGTBL (knit 2 together through the back loop) worked without removing stitches from the needle before knitting the first stitch on the left needle. This creates a decorative crossed stitch effect.

Decorative Embellishment Options

A distinctive feature of The Gardener Did It Mitts is the knitter's choice of three different decorative techniques to personalize their finished project. The pattern requires the incorporation of one of the following embellishment methods:

• Beads: Knitters may choose to incorporate anywhere from zero to 500 or more beads into the mitt design, allowing for customization from minimal to heavily embellished versions.
• Nupps: This traditional knitting embellishment involves creating small, decorative bumps on the fabric surface using a crochet hook (the size 1.50mm/8 steel crochet hook specified in the materials list).
• Lace: Alternatively, knitters may work lace stitches to create an openwork decorative pattern throughout the mitts.

This flexibility allows each knitter to choose the embellishment style that best suits their skill level, aesthetic preference, and available materials.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate difficulty, The Gardener Did It Mitts is suitable for knitters who have mastered basic knitting techniques and are ready to tackle projects involving working in the round, specialized stitches, and optional advanced embellishment techniques. The pattern assumes familiarity with fundamental knitting skills while introducing more complex stitch work and customization options.