Susannah Ribbed Wrist Warmers in West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab - DBP0201 - Downloadable PDF

Susannah Ribbed Wrist Warmers by Dame Zandra Rhodes – Pattern Summary

The Susannah Ribbed Wrist Warmers are a beautifully crafted knitting pattern designed by the iconic Dame Zandra Rhodes, released as part of the Zandra Rhodes – Make A Statement collection in collaboration with West Yorkshire Spinners. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it a rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore more structured, textured work. As Dame Zandra Rhodes herself enthused, this collection represents an exciting variety of achievable, wearable pieces — and the Susannah Wrist Warmers are no exception.

What Is Being Made

The Susannah Ribbed Wrist Warmers are a pair of fingerless mitts — a practical and stylish accessory that covers the wrist and lower hand while leaving the fingers free. Wrist warmers of this style are ideal for everyday wear, offering warmth without sacrificing dexterity. Their ribbed construction gives them a classic, elegant structure that sits beautifully against the wrist, and the design reflects Dame Zandra Rhodes' signature sense of bold yet refined style.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written for West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab DK yarn, a versatile DK weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition — particularly well suited to ribbed textures. The PDF also references the West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 Ply as an alternative yarn used across the broader Make A Statement collection, giving knitters some flexibility in their material choices.

The ColourLab DK range is offered in a curated palette of shades associated with the Zandra Rhodes collaboration, including:

• Zandra's Sunset (shade 1033)
• Botanical Forest (shade 1029)
• Bluebell Woodland (shade 1030)
• Rainbow Bouquet (shade 1032)
• Bloom (shade 1028)
• Stripes Mist Awakening (shade 1031)

Each of these colourways reflects Dame Zandra Rhodes' celebrated love of vivid, nature-inspired colour, allowing knitters to personalise their wrist warmers with a shade that suits their individual style. Knitting needles appropriate for DK weight yarn would typically be used, following the tension and needle size guidance provided within the PDF itself.

Techniques and Construction

The Susannah Ribbed Wrist Warmers are constructed using ribbing as the primary technique. Ribbing is a classic knitting method that creates a stretchy, vertically textured fabric by alternating columns of knit and purl stitches. This elasticity makes ribbed wrist warmers an excellent fit across a range of hand sizes, and the texture adds visual interest and tactile depth to what might otherwise be a simple accessory.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch – the foundational stitch of all knitting, creating smooth V-shaped loops on the right side of the fabric
• Purl stitch – the reverse of the knit stitch, used in combination to build the ribbed texture
• Rib stitch pattern – alternating knit and purl stitches across the row to create the characteristic stretchy, ridged fabric

Key Techniques

• Casting on – setting up the initial stitches to begin the wrist warmer
• Working in the round or flat – the ribbed structure is worked to shape the wrist warmer into a tube-like form
• Thumb opening shaping – a defining feature of fingerless mitts, typically achieved through simple increases, decreases, or stitch holds to create a gap for the thumb
• Casting off – finishing the edge neatly to complete the accessory

Pattern Design and Collection Context

The Susannah Ribbed Wrist Warmers are part of the broader Zandra Rhodes – Make