Pent-Up Cabled Mitts in Cascade 220 Superwash Aran Splatter - A304 - Downloadable PDF

Pent-Up Cabled Mitts in Cascade 220 Superwash Aran Splatter – Pattern Summary

Designed by Shannon Dunbabin and published by Cascade Yarns®, the Pent-Up Cabled Mitts are a pair of knitted fingerless mittens featuring a bold, eye-catching cable panel worked in the round. This is a free downloadable PDF pattern rated at an Easy to Intermediate skill level, making it an excellent project for adventurous beginners who are ready to try their first cables, as well as for experienced knitters looking for a satisfying quick knit.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a pair of cabled fingerless mitts — sometimes called handwarmers — designed to cover the hand and wrist while leaving the fingers free for dexterity. The pattern is sized for two fits: Women's S/M (8" circumference x 8" long) and Women's L/Men's M (9" circumference x 8" long), making it a versatile accessory suitable for a range of wearers. The mitts are worked in the round from the cuff upward, with a thumb gusset shaping to ensure a comfortable, fitted feel.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round on double-pointed needles (DPNs), which creates a seamless, tube-shaped fabric ideal for mittens and gloves
• Cable knitting, the defining technique of this pattern — stitches are temporarily held on a cable needle and then worked out of order to create the signature twisted, rope-like cable texture
• Thumb gusset construction, using increases to build a shaped opening for the thumb before the stitches are placed on hold
• KFB increases (knit into the front and back of a stitch), a simple and tidy increase method used to shape the thumb gusset
• Casting on and binding off to begin and finish the mitts cleanly
• Stitch marker placement to track pattern repeats and gusset sections throughout the rounds

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch — the smooth, classic knit stitch worked in the round, forming the background fabric of the mitts and used as the gauge reference (16 sts x 24 rnds = 4")
• Purl stitch — used to frame and define the cable panel against the surrounding fabric
• C8B (Cable 8 Back) — slip 4 stitches to the cable needle and hold in back, knit the next 4 stitches, then knit the 4 stitches from the cable needle; this creates a cable that twists to the right
• C8F (Cable 8 Front) — slip 4 stitches to the cable needle and hold in front, knit the next 4 stitches, then knit the 4 stitches from the cable needle; this creates a cable that twists to the left

The combination of C8B and C8F cables gives the mitts their distinctive "pent-up" visual energy — the alternating twist directions create a dynamic, dimensional cable that stands out beautifully against the variegated colorway of the yarn.

Materials

• Yarn: Cascade Yarns® 220 Superwash® Aran Splatter — 100% Superwash Merino Wool, 100 g (3.5 oz) / 150 yards (137.5 m) per skein. 1 skein is required in color #16 (Spring Bouquet). The Superwash treatment means the finished mitts are machine washable, and the Merino fiber provides exceptional softness, warmth, and stitch definition. The Splatter colorway adds spontaneous bursts of color that give each pair a unique, painterly appearance.
• Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm) double-pointed knitting needles
• Notions: Cable needle, yarn needle, and 3