Michelin Man Mitts

Gauge: 18 stitches per 4 inches (4.5 ss/in)
Needles: U.S. size 7 double-points or size to meet gauge. (Either 4 or 5 needles, whichever is most comfortable), stitch holder or scrap yarn to hold thumb stitches

Yarn: I used softly handspun alpaca at 11 wpi. Any soft, fuzzy yarn that is pleasantly squishy at the gauge should work.

Size: One size fits most, since the mitts are very stretchy. Unstretched, mitts measure 8 inches in length and approximately 8 inches around palm. Adjustments can be made by casting on fewer or more stitches for a child's or man's hands, and adjusting the number of pattern repeats for length. I was able to try on the mitts for size as I knit them.

Abbreviation: LI = Lifted Increase: pick up the strand between stitches in the row below with the tip of the left needle (front to back) and knit through the back to twist the new stitch.

8-Round Stitch pattern:
Rounds 1-4: Knit
Rounds 5-8: Purl

CUFF:
- Cast on 32 stitches (loosely) and join in round, distributing stitches evenly between needles.
- complete 4 repeats of the 8-round stitch pattern (resulting in 4 purl welts)

INCREASE FOR THUMB GUSSET:
- Knit 2 rounds
- K1, LI, knit to last stitch, LI, K1
- Knit 1 round
- Purl 4 rounds
- knit 1 round
- k2, LI, knit to last 2 stitches, LI, k2
- Knit 1 round
- k3, LI, knit to last 3 stitches, LI, k3
- purl 4 rounds
- knit 4 rounds
- purl 4 rounds
- knit 1 round
- knit to last 5 stitches, put 5 stitches on holder, cast on 2 stitches to tip of right needle (I used 2 backward loops)
- add first 5 stitches to holder (total 10 stitches on holder), knit to end

PALM:
- Purl 4 rounds
- repeat 8-round pattern 4 times (total of 12 purl welts from very beginning of mitt)
- Knit 4 rounds
- bind off loosely

THUMB:
- put the 10 stitches from the holder onto 3 needles
- leaving a 5-inch yarn tail, knit 1 round picking up 3 more stitches from the gap at inside of thumb
- knit 1 round
- purl 4 rounds
- knit 4 rounds
- purl 4 rounds
- knit 4 rounds
- bind off loosely
- use the 5-inch tail to sew closed any gaps that remain around the base of the thumb.
- weave in remaining yarn tails.

NOW MAKE ANOTHER ONE.

Enjoy!