Beautiful mittens with cables and bobbles—see Meiju Knits’ pattern!
The Väre (“Ripple”) mittens feature a beautiful stitch pattern combining cables and bobbles. The pattern was created by the internationally acclaimed knitwear designer Meiju Kallio.
Size: Women’s size.
Väre mittens: supplies
One skein of Aara Aatos merino-blend yarn in color Väre or a comparable 100 g/225 m yarn
Needles 4.5 mm (US 7) and 5 mm (US 8)
2 stitch markers, scrap yarn, tapestry needle, cable needle.
Abbreviations:
pm: place a stitch marker
rnd: round
sm: slip marker i.e. move the marker from one needle to the other
M1R: make a right-leaning increase; pick up the strand between stitches from behind onto the left needle and knit it through the front loop.
M1L: make a left-leaning increase: pick up the strand between stitches from the front onto the left needle and knit it through the back loop.
M1Lp: make a left-leaning purl increase; with the right needle, pick up the strand between stitches from the front onto the left needle and purl it through the back loop.
M1Rp: make a right-leaning purl increase; with the right needle, lift the strand between stitches from behind onto the left needle and purl it through the front loop.
p: purl
bobble: k1 through the front loop, k1 through the back loop, repeat once (1 st becomes 4 sts), turn work, p4, turn work, k4, turn work, p4, turn work, k2tog twice, pass the first knitted st over the latest st (1 st remains at the end).
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 sts together = 1 st decreased.
st(s): stitch(es)
ssk: slip, slip, knit; slip 2 sts knitwise one at a time, return them to the left needle, and knit them together through their back loops.
1/1 RC: 2-st right-leaning cable; slip 1 st onto cable needle and hold behind work, k1, then k1 from cable needle
1/1 LC: 2-st left-leaning cable; slip 1 st onto cable needle and hold in front of work, k1, then k1 from cable needle
2/2 LC: 4-st left-leaning cable; slip 2 sts onto cable needle and hold in front of work, k2, then k2 from cable needle.
2/2 RC: 4-st right-leaning cable; slip 2 sts onto cable needle and hold behind work, k2, then k2 from cable needle.
2/1 RPC: 3-st right-leaning purl cable; slip 1 st onto cable needle and hold behind work, k2, then p1 from cable needle
2/1 LPC: 2-st left-leaning purl cable; slip 2 sts onto cable needle and hold in front of work, p1, then k2 from cable needle
Gauge: 15 sts and 24 rnds = 10 cm.
How to knit the Väre mittens:
These mittens are worked with the yarn held double. You can knit the mittens using four double-pointed needles, placing the back-of-hand chart stitches on one needle and the palm stitches on two needles, and using the fourth needle for knitting. Alternatively, you can use a circular needle and the magic loop technique, distributing the stitches onto two sides of the cable.
Right mitten
1. Cast on 29 sts with the 4.5 mm (US 7) needles. Join in the round and place 15 sts on needles I and II, and 14 sts on needle III (these are the chart sts). Pm at start of rnd.
2. Rnd 1: Needles I and II: [k1, p1] x 7, k1.
Needle III: work the right-hand chart, starting from rnd 1.
Continue as above, following the chart until you have completed rnd 19 of the chart.
3. Switch to the larger needles (5 mm (US 8)) and proceed:
Needles I and II: k8, M1L, k7.
Needle III: continue with the right-hand chart (rnd 20), increasing 3 sts as indicated in the chart.
You have now increased 4 sts total and have 33 sts on the needles.
4. Work the thumb gusset.
Setup rnd (rnd 21): k1, pm, k2, pm, knit the sts on needles I and II, then follow the chart on needle III.
Increase rnd: k1, sm, M1R, knit to marker, M1L, sm, knit the sts on needles I and II, then follow the chart on needle III.
2 sts added. Work 2 rnds as above without increases.
Repeat the increase rnd every third rnd 4 more times; 12 sts are now between the thumb gusset markers. Then work 2 rnds without increases.
5. Separate the thumb. Next rnd: knit to marker, remove marker, place the next 12 sts on hold on scrap yarn, remove marker, cast on 2 sts knitting, work needles I and II, then continue with the chart on needle III.
Top of the mitten
6. Keep working as before: knit on needles I and II and continue following the chart on needle III, until rnd 53 of the chart is complete. Then move on to the shaping the tip of the mitten.
Note! The tip decreases add about 3 cm in length to the mitten. If you want the mitten longer, continue the cable pattern according to the chart, but with no decreases (note: remember to continue the small side cables). Then switch to stockinette and follow the chart’s decreases, working stockinette on all needles. This extends the mitten by about 3 cm. If you make it much longer, you may need more yarn.
Tip decreases
7. Decrease rnd 1: k1, ssk, knit until 3 sts remain on needle II, k2tog, k1, then follow chart rnd 54 on needle III.
Rnd 2: no decreases; knit needles I and II in stockinette, follow chart rnd 55 on needle III.
Rnd 3: k1, ssk, knit until 3 sts remain on needle II, k2tog, k1, then follow chart rnd 56 on needle III.
Rnd 4: no decreases; knit needles I and II in stockinette, follow chart rnd 57 on needle III.
After this, continue decreasing every rnd at the start of needle I and end of needle II, following the chart on needle III, until the chart is done and 12 sts remain total.
8. Last rnd: k2tog around. 6 sts remain.
Break the yarn and pull it through the remaining sts.
Thumb
9. Work the thumb. Move the 12 sts from scrap yarn onto three needles. Rejoin yarn and pick up 4 sts at the thumb base where you cast on new sts.
Next rnd: knit until the 4 picked-up sts, then k2tog twice, and knit to end of rnd.
Knit until the thumb is as long as you want. Make sure it covers your thumb when you try the mitten on.
Decrease rnd: *k2tog*, repeat *–* to end of rnd.
Decrease by k2tog 2 more times. 3 sts remain. Break yarn and pull it through the last sts.
Left mitten
Cast on 29 sts with the 4.5 mm (US 7) needles. Join in the round and place 14 sts on needle I (these are the chart sts) and 15 sts on needles II and III. Pm at the start of the round.
1. Rnd 1: Needle I: work the left-hand chart, starting from rnd 1.
Needles II and III: [k1, p1] x 7, k1.
Continue as above, following the chart until you have completed rnd 19 of the chart.
2. Switch to the larger needles (5 mm (US 8)) and proceed:
Needle I: follow the left-hand chart (rnd 20), increasing 3 sts as indicated in the chart.
Needles II and III: k7, M1L, k8.
You have now increased 4 sts total and have 33 sts on the needles.
3. Work the thumb gusset.
Setup rnd (rnd 21): follow the chart on needle I, then knit on needle III until 3 sts remain, pm, k2, pm, k1.
Increase rnd: continue the chart on needle I, knit to the marker on needle III, sm, M1R, knit to next marker, M1L, sm, k1.
2 sts added. Work 2 rnds as above without increases.
Repeat the increase rnd every third rnd 4 more times; 12 sts are now between the thumb gusset markers. Then work 2 rnds without increases.
4. Separate the thumb
Next rnd: follow the chart on needle I, knit to marker, remove marker, place the next 12 sts on hold on scrap yarn, remove marker, cast on 2 sts knitting, then knit to the end of needle III.
Top of the mitten
5. Continue as before with the chart on needle I and stockinette on needles II and III.
Tip decreases
6. Decrease rnd 1: follow chart rnd 54 on needle I, k1, ssk, knit until 3 sts remain on needle III, k2tog, k1.
Rnd 2: no decreases; follow chart rnd 55 on needle I, knit needles II and III in stockinette.
Rnd 3: follow chart rnd 56 on needle I, k1, ssk, knit until 3 sts remain on needle III, k2tog, k1.
Rnd 4: no decreases; follow chart rnd 57 on needle I, knit needles II and III in stockinette.
After this, decrease every rnd at the start of needle II and end of needle III, following the chart on needle I, until you have finished the chart and 12 sts remain total.
Last rnd: k2tog around. 6 sts remain.
Break the yarn and pull it through the remaining sts.
Thumb
7. Work the thumb as for the right mitten.
Finishing
Gently block your mittens. Soak them in cool water for about 20 minutes, lay them flat, and let them dry. They will expand slightly in width and length due to the blocking.
Tip!
You can adjust the size of the mitten by adding more stitches to the palm and chart edges. Work them in rib at the wrist and stockinette on the palm.
Download files
Väre mittens knitting charts(PDF)
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