All About the Pivot Mitts Pattern
I recently released the Pivot Mitts pattern. These mitts feature delicate cables framed by seed stitch.
A few months ago I'd had an idea for some mitts with detailed cables across the back of them, which eventually became the Pivot Mitts. When I started working on this pattern I didn't have a clear vision for the cables I wanted to use, so I knitted a number of swatches to help me decide on the final combination of cables. I then had to choose a stitch pattern to accompany the cables and opted for seed stitch as I always love the textured effect it adds to a project.
The mitts feature a central larger cable between two smaller cables, the sides of the mitts then use seed stitch, which also frames the thumb. The palm is predominantly stockinette stitch, which I chose as I find it to be more comfortable than having a more textured stitch pattern across the palm. When knitting the project the stockinette palms also become a nice break of plain knitting when knitting each round.
As usual with my mitt patterns I wanted these to be available in 3 sizes, so I created separate hand and thumb charts for each of the sizes, with the larger sizes having slightly wider seed stitch sections and the cables remaining the same across the sizes.
The cables used in this pattern are surprisingly easy and I think this would make a great project for anyone who hasn't knit cables before. Only two different types of crosses are used throughout the pattern, so you're not having to remember lots of different stitches or continually go back to the chart key.
For my sample I wanted to use a simple tonal yarn to really show off the texture of these mitts and ended up using yarn I already had in my stash. I was thinking about these mitts when I spotted the skein of 'Mint to Be' from Needle & Fred sitting in the top of my basket of yarn and realised it'd be the perfect yarn for this project. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and for these particular mitts I think it's best to use a smooth yarn with at least 3 plies as this should give very clearly defined cables.
The finished mitts are exactly what I'd originally had in mind and I couldn't be happier with them. They're a really great project for a single skein of yarn and make me want to design more patterns with cables in future.
Click the link below to check out the full details of the pattern.
