Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred Mittens by Alicia Plummer

What Is Being Made

Thoroughbred is a pair of knitted mittens designed by Alicia Plummer for Swan's Island. These are seamless, constructed mittens worked in the round from the bottom up, featuring a built-in thumb gusset and a highly textured stitch pattern throughout. The mittens are available in three sizes: 6.5 inches, 8 inches, and 9 inches in circumference, making them suitable for a range of hand sizes.

Knitting Techniques

The construction method for Thoroughbred mittens employs several fundamental knitting techniques suited to intermediate-level crafters. The mittens are worked in the round using double-pointed needles, which creates a seamless fabric and eliminates the need for seaming. The pattern begins with a long-tail cast-on, a classic method that provides an elastic edge ideal for the wrist opening of mittens.

A key design feature is the built-in thumb gusset, which is increased gradually as you work upward from the wrist. This shaping technique allows the thumb to fit comfortably without the need for picking up stitches later, streamlining the construction process. The designer incorporates stitch markers to track pattern repeats and structural points throughout the work, and includes a technique of knitting stitches through the back loop in certain rounds to create textural variation.

Stitches Used

The stitch pattern in Thoroughbred combines basic and textured stitches to create visual interest:

• Knit stitch (k) – the fundamental stitch used throughout much of the mittens
• Purl stitch (p) – used in the ribbed cuff and as part of the textured pattern
• Ribbing (k1, p1) – worked at the wrist opening to create an elastic, fitted edge that hugs the wrist
• Knit front and back (kfb) – an increase technique used to shape the mittens and create the thumb gusset
• Stockinette stitch – the primary fabric structure, created by knitting on right-side rounds and purling on wrong-side rounds (or knitting all rounds when working in the round)

The pattern includes a charted stitch pattern that creates the highly textured design element; this chart-based pattern should be followed carefully during the main body of the mittens to achieve the intended visual effect.

Materials and Gauge

Thoroughbred mittens are designed to be worked with Swan's Island Eco-Wash DK weight yarn. The yardage requirement varies by size: the smallest size requires 1 skein, while the two larger sizes each require 2 skeins of Swan's Island Eco-Wash DK.

Two sizes of double-pointed needles (DPNs) are required for this project. The smaller needles – US size 3 (3.25mm) – are used for the ribbed cuff at the wrist, which is worked over approximately 0.5 inches. The larger needles – US size 5 (3.75mm) – are used for the main body of the mittens, where the textured stitch pattern is worked.

The gauge for this pattern is 24 stitches and 32 rows per 4-inch (10 cm) square in Stockinette Stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit, particularly in mittens where circumference directly affects wearability. The designer recommends using solid, heathered, or lightly variegated yarn to best showcase the textured stitch pattern; heavily variegated yarns may obscure the stitch definition.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty. Crafters should be comfortable with knitting in the round using double-pointed needles, reading stitch charts, working increases, and managing multiple stitch markers. The seamless construction and thumb gusset shaping require attention to pattern instructions, but the techniques themselves are well-established in knitting practice.