Practically Perfect Mitts

Practically Perfect Mitts by Emily O'Brien

What Is Being Made

Practically Perfect Mitts are a pair of elegant fingerless gloves designed for everyday warmth and practicality. These mitts feature a delicate lace motif that adds visual interest while maintaining functionality, allowing full use of your hands without excessive bulk. Available in four sizes—Child, Adult Small, Adult Medium, and Adult Large—these mitts are suitable for a range of hand circumferences from 5 inches to 8 inches.

Craft and Techniques

This is an advanced-level knitting project that combines fundamental and decorative knitting techniques to create a refined finished garment. The pattern employs the magic loop method or double-pointed needles for small circumference knitting, a technique that allows knitters to work in the round without the bulk of traditional circular needles. This method is particularly useful for fitted items like mitts that require precise shaping.

The lace motif central to the design's aesthetic requires proficiency with yarn overs and decreases, which create the characteristic openwork patterns in lace knitting. These techniques work together to form decorative holes and texture while maintaining the structural integrity of the garment.

Stitches Used

The Practically Perfect Mitts pattern incorporates the following stitches and abbreviations:

• Stockinette stitch – the foundational stitch providing smooth fabric texture
• Yarn over (yo) – creates decorative openings essential to the lace motif
• Knit two together (k2tog) – a right-leaning decrease used in lace patterning
• Knit one through the back loop (k1tbl) – creates twisted stitches for textural variation
• Make one right (m1r) and make one left (m1l) – increases that add stitches while maintaining pattern continuity
• Pass slip stitch over (psso) – a left-leaning decrease for balanced lace design
• Slip stitches (sl) – worked purlwise for clean stitch transitions
• Purl (p) – used selectively for textural contrast

Materials and Specifications

Yarn: The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn in quantities appropriate to size: 110 yards (101 meters) for Child size, 130 yards (119 meters) for Adult Small, 150 yards (137 meters) for Adult Medium, and 175 yards (160 meters) for Adult Large. The yarn featured in the pattern photographs is Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in the Spell colorway, though any fingering weight yarn meeting the specified gauge will produce successful results.

Needles: US 1 (2.25mm) circular needles measuring 37 inches (93 centimeters) for the magic loop method, or appropriately sized double-pointed needles (DPNs) as an alternative.

Gauge: 36 stitches and 4 inches in stockinette stitch (12.7 centimeters). Achieving proper gauge is essential for accurate sizing, particularly important in fitted items like mitts.

Additional Notions: A darning needle for weaving in yarn ends, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and size increases, and a measuring tape for checking hand circumference and finished dimensions.

Pattern Overview

Designed by Emily O'Brien and published in 2017, Practically Perfect Mitts balance aesthetic appeal with wearable functionality. The advanced difficulty rating reflects the requirement for proficiency with lace knitting techniques and working in the round with small circumference methods. The result is a sophisticated accessory suitable for those seeking both beauty and practicality in their hand wear.