Gallant Mitts

Gallant Fingerless Mitts by Sarah Inskeep

What Is Being Made

The Gallant Fingerless Mitts are a pair of striking fingerless mitts designed to add bold style to your hands. Named for their brave and heroic aesthetic, these mitts feature geometric color work patterns on the palm and back of the hand that lift spirits with their beautiful, eye-catching designs. The mitts are sized for adults in three sizes: Small (Medium, Large) to fit hand circumferences of 6.75 inches, 7.5 inches, and 8.25 inches respectively, and are intended to be worn with 0.25 inches of positive ease.

Construction and Techniques

These advanced-level fingerless mitts are knit in the round, creating a seamless construction that ensures a professional finish. The design incorporates several key structural elements:

• Ribbed cuffs that provide a secure, stretchy fit around the wrist
• Gusseted thumb for comfortable, well-fitted thumb placement and movement
• Stranded color work on the palm and back of the hand, creating bold geometric motifs throughout the piece

The stranded color work technique is particularly notable in these mitts because it creates a super cozy double-layered fabric. The floats—the strands of yarn carried along the inside of the piece when switching between colors—add extra insulation and warmth without bulk, making these mitts exceptionally functional as well as beautiful.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Gallant Fingerless Mitts utilize ribbed stitching for the cuff construction, which provides elasticity and a classic finished look. The primary stitch pattern work involves stranded color work, a technique where two colors of yarn are worked simultaneously in the round. This creates the bold geometric patterns featured on the palm and back of the hand. The color work motifs are the visual centerpiece of the design, making these mitts as striking to look at as they are comfortable to wear.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Gallant Fingerless Mitts are worked in 100% alpaca yarn in a DK weight, which provides the ultimate in softness, warmth, and wearability. Alpaca fiber is prized for its luxurious feel and exceptional insulating properties, making it an ideal choice for hand-worn accessories that will be touched frequently.

The pattern is worked on larger needles to achieve the specified gauge of 25 stitches and 25 rounds over 4 inches (10 centimeters) when measured in the round in the color work pattern and after wet blocking. The gauge is measured on the larger needles used for the main color work sections of the mitts.

Difficulty Level and Skill Requirements

These mitts are rated as advanced difficulty, reflecting the complexity of working stranded color work in the round while managing multiple color floats and shaping elements like the gusseted thumb. Knitters should be comfortable with circular knitting, color work techniques, and reading pattern instructions for shaping.

Coordinating Designs

The Gallant Fingerless Mitts are part of a coordinated collection by Sarah Inskeep. They can be paired with the Dauntless hat, the Daring open crown hat, and/or the Valiant headband to create a cozy matching set with a cohesive design aesthetic.