Gnomitts

Gnomitts Mittens by Katherine Vaughan

What is Being Made

Gnomitts are a pair of knitted mittens designed by Katherine Vaughan featuring a unique construction with finger holes. These mittens offer a hybrid design that combines the warmth and coziness of traditional mittens with the functionality of fingerless mittens, allowing the wearer's fingers to poke through while keeping the hand and wrist area fully covered.

Craft and Techniques

This is a knitting project classified as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with some experience beyond basic skills. The mittens are constructed using in-the-round knitting techniques, which creates seamless, tubular fabric ideal for fitted garments like mittens.

The pattern utilizes double-pointed needles (dpns) for working in the round, offering two construction options: either five double-pointed needles or four double-pointed needles plus one additional pair. This flexibility allows knitters to choose their preferred method for small-circumference circular knitting.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The primary stitch used throughout the Gnomitts is stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic knit fabric with a V-pattern appearance on the right side. Stockinette stitch is achieved by alternating knit stitches on the right side and purl stitches on the wrong side when working in the round, resulting in all knit stitches appearing on the exterior.

The pattern incorporates stitch markers (four total) to help track pattern repeats and construction points, particularly important when working with multiple double-pointed needles where stitches are distributed across several needles.

Materials and Specifications

The Gnomitts pattern requires worsted weight yarn in quantities that vary by size: 125 yards for Child M, 150 yards for Child L/Adult S, 175 yards for Adult M, and 200 yards for Adult L. This yardage is modest, making the project an excellent choice for using yarn from stash or smaller skeins.

Needles required are US 8 / 5mm double-pointed needles. The pattern specifies a gauge of 19 stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, which is essential to verify before beginning to ensure proper fit across the four available sizes.

Additional materials include waste yarn or a stitch holder for temporarily securing stitches, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, and four stitch markers for tracking construction points throughout the knitting process.

Finished Dimensions

The mittens are available in four sizes with finished hand circumferences of 6.75 inches (17 cm) for Child M, 7.5 inches (19 cm) for Child L/Adult S, 8.25 inches (21 cm) for Adult M, and 9 inches (23 cm) for Adult L. These measurements ensure proper fit across a range of hand sizes from children through adults.

Design Inspiration

The Gnomitts pattern was inspired by a vacation to Maine and features a distinctive design element requested by the designer's daughter: finger holes that allow individual fingers to extend through the mitten while maintaining coverage over the hand and wrist. This thoughtful construction combines the warmth benefits of mittens with enhanced finger mobility and dexterity.