Raw Honey

Raw Honey Mittens by Alicia Plummer

What is Being Made

Raw Honey is a downloadable knitting pattern for a pair of mittens designed by independent designer Alicia Plummer. This project is available in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large, fitting wrist circumferences of 6 (7, 8, 9) inches or 15.5 (17.8, 20.3, 22.86) centimeters respectively. The mittens are constructed using worsted weight yarn and are classified as an intermediate difficulty level project.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

The Raw Honey mittens are worked in the round using either double-pointed needles or long circular needles with the magic loop method. The construction begins with a Long-Tail Ribbed cast-on, which is a foundational technique that creates a neat, elastic edge ideal for fitted garments like mittens. The pattern uses two needle sizes to create different fabric densities: smaller needles for the cuff ribbing and larger needles for the body, allowing the designer to achieve both stretch and structure in the finished mittens.

Stitches Used

• Ribbed Knit Stitch (k1 x p1 rib): The cuff is worked in a 1x1 ribbed pattern, alternating knit and purl stitches for approximately 2 inches/5 centimeters. This creates vertical lines of texture that provide elasticity and help the mittens stay securely on the wrist.
• Stockinette Stitch: The body of the mittens is worked in stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a V-shaped stitch pattern on the right side.

Materials and Yarn Information

The Raw Honey mittens require 115 (135, 150, 175) yards or 105 (123, 137, 160) meters of worsted weight yarn. The suggested yarn is Rios by Malabrigo, which is composed of 100% superwash merino wool. This yarn comes in a standard ball weight of 3.53 ounces (100 grams) with 210 yards (192 meters) per ball, providing excellent stitch definition and a soft hand.

Tools and Notions Required

• Needles: US Size #7/4.5 mm double-pointed needles or long circular needles for magic loop construction (for the mitten body)
• Needles: US Size #6/4.0 mm double-pointed needles or long circular needles for magic loop construction (for the ribbed cuff)
• Gauge: 20 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in stockinette stitch on the larger needles
• Darning needle or crochet hook for weaving in ends
• Scrap yarn for stitch holders or temporary stitches
• 1 stitch marker in color A
• 1 beginning-of-round (BOR) marker in color B

Pattern Overview

The pattern begins with casting on 32 (36, 40, 44) stitches using the Long-Tail Ribbed cast-on method on the smaller needles. After placing the beginning-of-round marker, knitters work the cuff in k1 x p1 ribbing for 2 inches before transitioning to the larger needles and stockinette stitch for the body. The use of two distinct markers—one for general stitch tracking and one specifically for marking the beginning of the round—helps knitters maintain proper stitch counts and round placement throughout the project.