Fleeceflower Tam & Mitts in SweetGeorgia BFL Sock - Downloadable PDF

Fleeceflower Tam & Mitts – Colorwork Hat and Mittens Knitting Pattern by Mk Nance

The Fleeceflower Tam & Mitts is a beautifully coordinated colorwork knitting pattern designed by Mk Nance and published as a downloadable PDF. The set captures the organic beauty of leafy foliage and the spiky, fluffy blooms of the fleeceflower plant, translating these natural motifs into a wearable, heirloom-quality accessory pairing. Rated intermediate in difficulty, this pattern is an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with stranded colorwork and working in the round on both circular needles and double-pointed needles.

What Is Being Made

The pattern includes instructions for two complementary accessories:

• A colorwork tam – a structured, slightly slouchy beret-style hat worked in the round with a fitted ribbed brim and a decorative colorwork body featuring the signature fleeceflower motif.
• Colorwork mittens – a matching pair of mitts worked in fingering-weight yarn, sized using different needle sizes rather than rewriting the stitch counts, making the pattern elegantly efficient.

Design Details – The Tam

The tam features the leafy and floral fleeceflower colorwork pattern across its body, creating a rich, textured visual effect through the use of two contrasting colors. The hat is worked from the brim upward in the round, beginning with a ribbed band before transitioning into the colorwork section. The crown is shaped with decreases that draw the colorwork motifs to a neat, decorative finish.

• Finished diameter: 3.6 (3.9, 4.1) inches / 9.1 (9.9, 10.4) cm
• Total height: 8.8 (8.8, 9.6) inches / 22.3 (22.3, 22.4) cm
• Height excluding ribbing: 7.3 (7.3, 8.1) inches

Design Details – The Mitts

The matching mitts carry the same fleeceflower colorwork motif across the hand, creating a cohesive set when worn together with the tam. A key feature of this pattern is that different mitt sizes are achieved by working the same stitch counts on different needle sizes, rather than altering the pattern itself. This is a clever and practical approach that keeps the pattern streamlined while still offering a range of fits. The mitts include a thumb gusset worked with a stitch holder, allowing the thumb to be shaped and finished neatly.

Techniques Used

This pattern draws on a range of intermediate knitting techniques, making it a satisfying and skill-building project:

• Stranded colorwork (Fair Isle-style): Two colors are carried across each round to create the fleeceflower motif. Knitters will manage floats across the wrong side of the fabric, keeping tension even to maintain the correct gauge and fabric drape.
• Working in the round: Both the tam and the mitts are worked entirely in the round, first on circular needles and then transitioning to double-pointed needles as the stitch count decreases toward the crown of the hat.
• Ribbing: The brim of the tam and the cuff of the mitts are worked in ribbing, providing stretch and a snug, comfortable fit.
• Crown shaping with decreases: The tam crown is shaped through a series of decrease rounds that integrate with the colorwork pattern.
• Thumb gusset construction: The mitts feature a traditional thumb gusset, with stitches placed on a holder and later picked up to complete the thumb.
• Gauge adjustment by needle size: Sizing the mitts through needle size variation rather than stitch count changes is a technique that requires knitters to swatch carefully and understand the relationship between needle size, yarn, and finished dimensions.

Stitches Used

• Knit and purl stitches – the foundation of all ribbing sections
• Stranded stockinette – the primary stitch used across the colorwork body of both the tam and the mitts
• Decrease stitches – used in crown