Lantern Fingerless Mitts: a Free Fingerless Mitts Knitting Pattern

What you'll make

Lantern Fingerless Mitts are simple mitts knitted in the round from the cuff up. They have ribbed edges at the cuff and the top, a plain stockinette hand and a shaped thumb. Your fingers stay free, and your palms stay warm.

This is a free pattern for personal use. It is rated advanced beginner, and it is a good first thumb gusset: the shaping is spread over a few easy rounds, and the thumb itself is only a few rounds of rib. The whole pattern is 53 rounds and fits on two pages.

If you are looking for a fingerless gloves knitting pattern that stays calm and readable, this is one. Every round is written out, with stitch counts after each increase.

Sizes and how to choose

There are two sizes: S/M and M/L. Numbers are given for S/M, with M/L in brackets, like this: 36 [40]. Where only one number is given, it is for both sizes.

To choose, measure around your hand at the palm, across the knuckles but not the thumb. Then pick the size that matches.

• S/M: about 7¼ in (18.5 cm) around the palm and 7 in (18 cm) long; fits a hand about 7–7½ in (18–19 cm) around.
• M/L: about 8 in (20.5 cm) around the palm and 7 in (18 cm) long; fits a hand about 8–8½ in (20.5–21.5 cm) around.

Materials: what you need

You need very little: one worsted-weight yarn, a set of double-pointed needles and a few small notions. The yardage below is for the pair, so you will not need a second skein for the second mitt.

• Yarn: worsted-weight (#4) wool or wool blend, about 135 [150] yds (123 [137] m) for the pair.
• Needles: a set of US 7 (4.5 mm) double-pointed needles, or a long circular for magic loop.
• Notions: 2 stitch markers (one in a different colour for the start of the round), a short piece of waste yarn, tapestry needle.

Gauge

20 sts and 28 rounds = 4 in (10 cm) in stockinette (knit every round). Check your gauge: the fit depends on it.

Knit a small tube in the round before you cast on the mitts, and measure it flat. If you have more stitches than 20 over 4 in, try a larger needle. If you have fewer, try a smaller one.

Abbreviations

The pattern uses only a few stitches. The two make-one increases are the only new move if you have knitted a hat or a pair of socks before.

• k: knit
• p: purl
• M1L: make 1 left: lift the bar between the needles from front to back and knit it through the back loop
• M1R: make 1 right: lift the bar from back to front and knit it through the front loop
• pm: place marker
• st(s): stitch(es)
• *: repeat the instructions after the * as directed
• [ ]: numbers for the larger size

The pattern: free fingerless mitts knitting pattern, round by round

Notes: The round numbers are the same in both sizes. The thumb gusset grows between the start of the round and a second marker. Make two mitts the same way; they fit either hand.

Cast on 36 [40] sts. Place a marker and join to work in the round, taking care not to twist the stitches.

• CUFF. Rounds 1–12: *K2, p2; rep from * around.
• CUFF. Rounds 13–18: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 19: M1L, k1, M1R, pm, knit to end. (3 gusset sts; 38 [42] sts)
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 20: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 21: M1L, knit to the gusset marker, M1R, knit to end. (5 gusset sts; 40 [44] sts)
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 22: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 23: M1L, knit to the gusset marker, M1R, knit to end. (7 gusset sts; 42 [46] sts)
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 24: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 25: M1L, knit to the gusset marker, M1R, knit to end. (9 gusset sts; 44 [48] sts)
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 26: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 27: M1L, knit to the gusset marker, M1R, knit to end. (11 gusset sts; 46 [50] sts)
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 28: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 29: M1L, knit to the gusset marker, M1R, knit to end. (13 gusset sts; 48 [52] sts)
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 30: Knit.
• THUMB GUSSET. Round 31: Slip the 13 gusset sts onto waste yarn, remove the gusset marker, cast on 1 st over the gap, knit to end. (36 [40] sts)
• HAND. Rounds 32–42: Knit.
• HAND. Rounds 43–48: *K2, p2; rep from * around. Bind off loosely in rib.
• THUMB. Round 49: Slip the 13 held sts onto the needles, k13, then pick up and knit 3 sts across the gap. Join. (16 sts)
• THUMB. Rounds 50–53: *K2, p2; rep from * around. Bind off loosely in rib.
• FINISHING. Weave in the ends, closing any small holes at the base of the thumb as you go.
• FINISHING. Make the second mitt the same way.

How a thumb gusset works

A thumb gusset is a small triangle of extra stitches that grows on one side of the mitt, so there is room for your thumb. In this pattern it starts at round 19 with 3 gusset stitches, between the start-of-round marker and the second marker.

From there you increase with M1L at the start of the round and M1R at the gusset marker, on every other round. The gusset goes from 3 stitches to 13 stitches over rounds 19 to 29. The plain rounds in between keep the shaping gentle.

On round 31 you put the 13 gusset stitches on waste yarn and cast on 1 stitch over the gap. That brings you back to 36 [40] stitches, and the hand carries on as a plain tube. Later, on round 49, you slip those 13 held stitches back onto the needles and pick up 3 more across the gap, which makes 16 thumb stitches.

The 1 stitch cast on at round 31 and the 3 stitches picked up at round 49 are where small holes can appear. The pattern tells you to close them as you weave in the ends.

Working on double-pointed needles

Knitting mitts in the round on double-pointed needles feels fiddly for the first round or two. Spread the cast-on stitches over three needles, and use the fourth to knit. Keep the stitches snug around the corners where one needle meets the next.

The pattern is written for double-pointed needles, but a long circular for magic loop also works, as the materials list says. Keep the different-colour marker at the start of the round, so you always know where a round begins. The gusset marker sits further along.

Work the join with care: make sure the cast-on edge is not twisted before you join, because you cannot fix it later without starting again.

Making a matching pair

Make two mitts the same way. They fit either hand, so there is no left and right to track, and no mirrored shaping to remember.

Both mitts use the same round numbers, so you can knit them one after the other or alternate between them. If you like to keep the pair the same, note how many rounds you worked before the cuff changes to stockinette on round 13, and do it again on the second mitt.

Both mitts take about 67 yds each in S/M, and about 75 yds each in M/L, if you split the pair yardage evenly.

Tips

A few small habits make the mitts easier.

• Check your gauge first. The fit depends on it.
• Use a marker in a different colour for the start of the round.
• Keep the waste yarn loose, so the 13 held stitches slide back onto the needles without a struggle.
• Close small holes at the base of the thumb as you weave in the ends.
• Bind off loosely in rib at the top and at the end of the thumb, so the edges stay stretchy.

Following it in Row & Round

In Row & Round, you open a PDF pattern and a highlighter bar sits on the row you're working. Tap +1 and the count and the bar move down together. Your place is saved on every tap, and undo is one tap away.

The round numbers in this pattern are the same in both sizes, so one counter works for S/M and M/L. You never need to change your count when you change size.

The gusset increases happen on every other round, from round 19 to round 29. A row alert is a good fit for that rhythm. You can also link a round to a repeat, so it goes back to 1 each time the repeat goes up, which helps with the k2, p2 rib.