Fairisle Hand Warmers

Fairisle Hand Warmers by Vickie Hartog

Project Overview

The Fairisle Hand Warmers are a pair of knitted gloves designed by Vickie Hartog, featuring the traditional Fair Isle colorwork technique. This intermediate-level knitting project creates fitted hand warmers in a woman's size, combining stockinette stitch with Fair Isle patterning for both visual interest and warmth.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a complete pair of hand warmers—specifically gloves or mittens—with separate instructions for right and left hands. The design includes a fitted cuff at the wrist, a hand section with Fair Isle colorwork, and a thumb gusset for proper thumb placement and fit. The hand warmers are worked in the round using either double-pointed needles or a circular needle.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Fair Isle Colorwork: The primary technique, using two colors per row to create patterned designs following provided graphs (Graph 1a for right hand and Graph 1b for left hand)
• Working in the Round: The entire project is constructed circularly, eliminating the need for seaming
• Thumb Gusset Increases: Strategic increases worked into the pattern to create shaping for the thumb opening, with 25 stitches placed on a holder for later completion
• Decreasing: Purl 2 together decreases worked at the end of the hand section to shape the top
• Thumb Cast-On Method: Used for the initial cast-on in the primary color shown on the pattern graph

Stitches and Abbreviations

• CO: Cast on using thumb cast on method
• K2Tog: Knit 2 together (right-leaning decrease)
• P2Tog: Purl 2 together (decrease on wrong side)
• Sl1: Slip 1 knitwise
• Stockinette Stitch: Primary stitch used throughout, worked in the round as knit every row
• Pattern Repeat: Instructions marked with asterisks (*) indicate sections to be repeated as specified

Pattern Structure

The hand warmer pattern is divided into distinct sections worked sequentially. The cuff begins with rows 1-2 of the Fair Isle pattern, followed by row 3 repeated 19 times to create length. Row 4 introduces the first increases, with subsequent rows 5-22 incorporating thumb gusset increases as charted. After placing the thumb stitches on a holder and casting on new stitches to bridge the gap, rows 24-31 continue the Fair Isle pattern. The project concludes with a purl row featuring decreases and a final knit row worked in pattern.

Yarn and Materials

This pattern calls for DK weight yarn in at least two colors, with the specific colors indicated on the Fair Isle graphs provided in the pattern. The pattern specifies beginning with pink yarn for the cast-on edge. Needles required include either a set of double-pointed needles or a circular needle appropriate for DK weight yarn, allowing for working in the round. A stitch holder is needed to temporarily hold the 25 thumb gusset stitches while completing the hand section.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this pattern assumes knitters are comfortable with basic techniques including casting on, knitting in the round, reading charts, and working increases and decreases. The Fair Isle colorwork technique requires managing two colors simultaneously and following a charted pattern, making it suitable for knitters with some experience beyond beginner level.