Honey and roses

Honey and Roses Knitted Gloves and Mittens

Project Overview

Honey and Roses is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed by Olga Beckmann for creating a coordinated pair of gloves and mittens. This downloadable PDF pattern is suitable for most adult and teen hands, offering a finished width of 3 ¾ inches (9.5 cm) and length of 6 ¾ inches (17 cm) after wet-blocking.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates two complementary hand-warming accessories: a pair of fitted gloves and matching mittens. Both projects are designed to fit most adult and teenage hands comfortably and are completed after wet-blocking to achieve the specified finished dimensions.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The Honey and Roses pattern employs stranded colorwork as its primary decorative technique, a method that involves carrying multiple yarn colors across rows or rounds to create intricate color patterns. This technique requires careful tension management to ensure even fabric and proper stitch definition.

• Stranded colorwork construction – The pattern uses this traditional technique to incorporate the honey and floral rose motifs throughout the design
• Circular knitting – Worked on double-pointed needles (DPNs) in the round, which is the standard method for creating seamless gloves and mittens
• Ribbing – Used for the cuff sections to provide elasticity and a secure fit at the wrist
• Decreases – Shaping techniques are employed to taper the glove and mitten fingers appropriately

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for fingering weight or 4-ply yarn with a fiber content of 100% wool. The yardage requirement is approximately 383 yards (350 meters) per 100 grams. The pattern was designed and tested using Teksrena knitting yarn.

Color requirements: The main color is red, requiring one-third of a skein. Contrast colors include pink, yellow, white, and green (with the option to use three different shades of green for additional depth), each requiring approximately one-quarter skein.

Needles and Notions

This project requires double-pointed needles (DPNs) in US size 1 ½ to 2.5 mm, which are the appropriate needle size for working with fingering-weight yarn at the specified gauge. Needle size may be adjusted as needed to achieve correct gauge.

Additional notions include:

• Row counter for tracking progress through pattern repeats
• Stitch marker for marking the beginning of rounds
• Tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends and seaming (if needed)
• Safety pin for holding stitches temporarily during construction

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 36 stitches and 38 rounds over 4 inches (10 cm) in stranded colorwork when worked on US 1 ½ to 2.5 mm needles. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit, as the gloves and mittens are sized to fit most adult and teen hands. Knitters should swatch and adjust needle size if necessary to match this gauge before beginning the project.

Skill Level

Classified as intermediate difficulty, this pattern is suitable for knitters with experience in basic techniques who are ready to tackle stranded colorwork. Familiarity with circular knitting on DPNs and comfort managing multiple yarn colors simultaneously is recommended for successful completion.