Kitty Mitts

Fall is here and the air is getting chilly.  These adorable little mitts are a wonderfully fun way to keep a little pair of hands warm.  Break out a pair of Kitty Mitts and watch the smiles come out to play.   

Materials

Knitting Loom:  2 KB Zippy Looms, connected together (total of 8 pegs)

Yarn:  Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in black (less than 1 skein will be needed)

Notions:  Knitting tool, scissors, yarn needle with large eye, needle and thread, tape measure

7/8” wide sheer ribbon- 2 cuts, each measuring 25” in length, pink yarn or embroidery thread to stitch nose, gray yarn or embroidery thread to use for whiskers, and 4 green LaMode buttons (style # 34555).

Finished Size:  Approximately 7.5” in height by 4” in width.  (Best suited for a child’s hands).

Gauge:  Not essential for this project.

Techniques

Flat Knit Stitch:  Bring the working yarn in front of the peg to be worked, above the existing stitch on the peg, without bending the yarn around the peg.  Knit the lower stitch over the working yarn.

Basic Bind Off:  Knit the first two pegs.  Move the stitch from the second peg over to the first peg.  Knit the lower stitch over the upper stitch.  One stitch has now been bound off. Move the stitch from peg 1 to the empty peg.  This is now peg 1.  Knit the next stitch.  Move the stitch that was just knit over to the first peg.  Knit the lower stitch over the upper stitch.  Continue working in this manner until there is one stitch left. Cut the working yarn, leaving a yarn tail that is at least 4” long.  Wrap the yarn tail around the last peg.  Knit the last stitch over the yarn tail and pull the yarn tail out through the stitch.  Bind off is now complete.

Gathered Bind Off:  Loosely wrap the working yarn in a circle around all of the pegs that have stitches – two times.  This will ensure that the yarn tail is long enough to complete the bind off.  Cut the working yarn, then unwrap the long yarn tail from around the pegs.  Lay the yarn tail below the stitch on peg 1.  Using the knitting tool, pull the yarn tail up through the stitch.  *Lay the yarn tail below the next stitch.  Using the knitting tool, pull the yarn tail up through the stitch.  Repeat from * for all stitches on the loom.  Once all stitches have been bound, remove the knitting from the loom.  Pull on the yarn tail to cinch the opening closed (unless otherwise directed by the pattern being worked).  Bind off is now complete.

Instructions

Panels: (make 4)

Leave a yarn tail measuring 18” long.  Cast on 8 stitches.  Knit 20 rows using the flat knit stitch.  Bind off using the basic bind off method, leaving a 50” yarn tail.  Note:  The bind off end of each panel will be the cuff end of the mitts.  Set panels aside for now.

Thumb: (make 2)

Cast on 6 stitches.  Knit 6 rows using the flat knit stitch.  Cut the yarn, leaving a 14” yarn tail.  Bind off using the gathered removal method.  Seam the side of the thumb closed.

Weave in both yarn tails and set aside for now.

Assembly:

*Lay one panel on top of another, knit sides facing outward.

Using the long yarn tail, seam the left side of the mitt closed.

Whip stitch across the top of the mitt, being careful not to gather the top.

Seam down the right side of the mitt, stopping after 3.5” of the side has been seamed closed.  Weave in the yarn tail.

Using the remaining long yarn tail at the bottom of the mitt, seam up the right side of the mitt, stopping after 2”.

Using the same yarn tail, sew the thumb piece to the mitt, setting it into the opening on the right side of the mitt.

Weave in the yarn tail.

There should be 2 yarn tails left – one in each corner, at the top of the mitt.  Using the tape measure, measure 2” in from the top left corner of the mitt.  Stick a pin or needle in to mark this measurement.

Thread the yarn tail at this corner into a yarn needle.  Weave the yarn tail down through the inside of the mitt, bringing it back out near the lowest end of the pin or needle that is marking the 2” measurement.

Sew in a diagonal line, just above the marking pin or needle, creating an ‘ear’.  Make sure to pass all the way through the mitt, catching the top and bottom panel as you work.  While working, keep the stitches tight.  This will help to gather this area in a bit and create the desired shape.

Repeat this process on the other side of the mitt, creating a second ‘ear’.  Weave both of these yarn ends in.  Set mitt aside for now.

Repeat from * for the second mitt.

Finishing:

With the needle and thread, sew two buttons to the top of each mitt, slightly lower than the lowest point of the ears.  (If making this item for a young child, embroider the eyes on with yarn or embroidery thread, instead of using buttons.)

With the pink yarn or embroidery thread, stitch a little v below the eyes for a ‘nose’.  Do this for each mitt.

Cut four lengths of gray yarn, each measuring 8” in length.  Take two of the strands of gray yarn and tie them into a stitch on one side of the nose.  (The yarn needle comes in handy here.)  Take the remaining two strands of gray yarn and tie them into a stitch on the other side of the nose.  Trim the whiskers to the desired length.

Thread an end of the ribbon through the eye of the yarn needle.  Using the yarn needle, weave the ribbon through the stitches around the cuff area of a mitt.

Once the ribbon has been woven through the stitches all the way around the cuff of the mitt, tie the ends into a cute little bow.  Repeat this process for the second mitt.

Wishing you a warm and happy autumn!