Alisha Mitts

Alisha Mitts by Erin Birnel

What is Being Made

The Alisha Mitts are a pair of knitted fingerless mittens designed by Erin Birnel. These mitts are crafted to fit a variety of hand sizes and feature decorative cable stitch details with button embellishments. The pattern includes eight 5/8-inch buttons as functional and aesthetic elements, making these mitts suitable for both practical everyday wear and stylish accessory purposes.

Craft and Techniques

This is a knitting project classified at an intermediate difficulty level. The pattern employs cable knitting techniques, which require the use of a cable needle to create twisted, rope-like textures throughout the design. The mitts are constructed using the magic loop or double-pointed needle (dpn) method, allowing for seamless circular knitting on smaller circumferences. Designers and crafters can customize the fit by adjusting needle sizes—going down one size will create tighter ribbing if preferred.

Stitches Used

The Alisha Mitts pattern incorporates several essential knitting stitches:

• Stockinette stitch – the primary stitch used throughout, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric
• Ribbing – used for structure and elasticity, particularly at the cuff and openings
• Cable stitches – specifically a 2/1 front cross (2/1 FC) and a 1/2 back cross (1/2 BC), which create the decorative twisted patterns characteristic of cable knit design

The cable abbreviations indicate that stitches are slipped to a cable needle and held either in front or back before being knitted or purled in sequence, producing the signature dimensional texture of cable work.

Materials Required

The Alisha Mitts pattern calls for 110 to 125 yards of worsted weight yarn, making this an efficient project that uses minimal yardage. The pattern samples showcase three specific yarn options: Cascade 220 Superwash in Tangerine (#9444), Spud & Chloe Sweater in Lake (#7504), and Cascade 220 in Blue Topaz (#8906). According to the designer's notes, the Cascade 220 Superwash version produces the most fitted mitts, followed by the standard Cascade 220, with the Spud & Chloe Sweater offering a slightly looser fit.

Additional materials include Size 7 needles (long enough to accommodate magic loop or double-pointed needle techniques), a cable needle for executing the cable stitches, stitch markers to track pattern repeats, scrap yarn for securing stitches, and eight 5/8-inch buttons for finishing details.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern is worked at a gauge of 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch using Size 7 needles. The designer notes that these mitts will accommodate a variety of hand sizes depending on the chosen yarn and needle adjustments, providing flexibility for different wearers.