Helix Mitts

These mitts basically consist of a 10-stitch wide strip that winds around the wrists and hands. The strip is attached as you work, so no sewing is required.
They are all in garter stitch and a nice way to show of variegated yarn.

Left-hand and right-hand mitt are mirror inverted, so the directions are slightly different.




This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




Materials

• about 30 grams of fingering weight yarn
• 3mm needles (since the knitting is 10 stitches at the widest point, I used short dpns)
• about 14 safety pins to mark rows
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Abbreviations and Special Techniques

• Joining to rows at the edges: There are various ways to connect the last stitch of one ridge to the first stitch of another. I used the following ones:
  For the first mitt, I'd knit to the last stitch of the RS row slip it knitwise, pick up the front leg of the edge stitch, then insert the left hand needle as for a slip-slip knit and knit the two loops together. On the back row I'd slip the first stitch and knit to the end.
  Since the mitts are mirror inverted, they coil in the opposite direction. This meant that I had to do the join from the WS, like that. I'd knit to the last stitch and slip it as if to purl through the back loop (ptbl) with yarn in front, turn your work; pick up a leg of the edge stitch you want to join to and do a k2tog of this and the stitch you just turned.
  
  However, there are other methods to join rows at the edges, one method is shown here: http://youtu.be/3zPXZ4cu66Q . Please note that whatever you do, please stay consistent throughout one mitt.
   
• German short rows: when you turn, bring yarn to the front and pull it back so that a sort of double-stitch is created, then knit back as usual - when you have to knit the double-stitch, be careful to knit it as one stitch (see also http://youtu.be/PsBkXPmjgaE); this method has the advantage the no picking up of stitches is necessary. In the pattern, this stitch will be called t+p (turn and pull).

Instructions

First Mitt

Round 1:
CO2
R0: k2
R1: sl1 k1
R2: sl1, kfb
R3-R5: sl1, k to end
R6: sl1, kfb, k to end
R7-R9: sl1, k to end
Repeat rows 6 to 9 until there are 10 sts on your needles
Mark that row (this marker will be called Mid-Row-Marker-1)

Now repeat rows 8 and 9 until the strip fits around your wrist.
Mark the last row (this marker will be called Start-Round-Marker-1)

Round 2:

Fold the strip backwards (see picture on the right) so that you can connect the next row to the edge stitch of the very first row.
Standard Row 1 (SR1): sl1, k to last stitch, slip last stitch knitwise, pick up edge stitch, insert left-hand needle into both stitches and knit like an ssk.
Standard Row 2 (SR2): sl1, k to end
Repeat these rows until you reach the ridge marked with Mid-Row-Marker-1, mark the next ridge (this marker will be called Mid-Round-Marker-2)

Repeat SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked Start-Round-Marker-1, mark the next ridge (this marker will be called Start-Round-Marker-2)

Round 3:
Repeat SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked Mid-Round-Marker-2, mark the next ridge (this marker will be called Mid-Row-Marker-3, it will also mark the beginning of the thumb increases).
The picture below shows some of the markers and their position on the mitt.

The following short row sequence serves to wide the mitts and to create a thumb gusset.
Thumb Row 1 = SR1
Thumb Row 2 = SR2
Thumb Row 3: sl1, k8, t+p
Thumb Row 4: k to end
Thumb Row 5 = SR1
Thumb Row 6 = SR2
Thumb Row 7: sl1, k7, t+p
Thumb Row 8: k to end
Thumb Row 9 = SR1
Thumb Row 10 = SR2
Thumb Row 11: sl1, k6, t+p
Thumb Row 12: k to end
Thumb Row 13 = SR1
Thumb Row 14 = SR2
Thumb Row 15: sl, k5, t+p
Thumb Row 16: k to end
Thumb Row 17 = SR1
Thumb Row 18 = SR2
Thumb Row 19: sl1, k6, t+p
Thumb Row 20: k to end
Thumb Row 21 = SR1
Thumb Row 22 = SR2
Thumb Row 23: sl1, k7, t+p
Thumb Row 24: k to end
Thumb Row 25 = SR1
Thumb Row 26 = SR2
Thumb Row 27: sl1, k8, t+p
Thumb Row 28: k to end
Thumb Row 29 = SR1
Thumb Row 30 = SR2
Mark this row (this marker will be called Thumb-End-Marker-1).

Repeat SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked Start-Round-Marker-2, mark the next ridge (this marker will be called Start-Round-Marker-3)

Round 4:
Repeat SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked Mid-Round-Marker-3, and mark the next ridge (this marker will be called Mid-Round-Marker-4)

Now the thumb gusset will be widened a bit more with some short rows.
Thumb Rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 = SR1
Thumb Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 = SR2
Thumb Row 11: sl1, k8, t+p
Thumb Row 12: k to end
Thumb Rows 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 = SR1
Thumb Rows 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 = SR2
Thumb Row 23: sl1, k8, t+p
Thumb Row 24: k to end
Thumb Rows 25, 27, 29, 31, 33  = SR1
Thumb Rows 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 = SR2
Mark the last row, this marker will be called Thumb-End-Marker-2.

Repeat SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked Start-Round-Marker-3, mark the next ridge (this marker will be called Start-Round-Marker-4)

Round 5:
Knit SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked with Mid-Round Marker-4.

Knit 6 ridges that are not connected to the round below:
Unattached Row 1: sl1, k to end
Unattached Row 2: sl1, k to end
(Repeated a total of 6 times)

Try the mitt on and try how it fits if the last knitted row were attached to the row marked with Thumb-End-Marker-2. If it feels to tight, knit one or two more unattached ridges.

Attach the next row to the row below Thumb-End-Marker-2

Knit SR1 and SR2 until you reach the ridge marked with Start-Round-Marker-4.
Row 1 = SR1
Row 2 = SR2
Row 3 =  sl1, k to last stitch, slip last stitch knitwise, pick up edge stitch, insert left-hand needle into both stitches and knit like an ssk.
Row 4 = sl1, ssk, k to end
Row 5 = SR1
Row 6 = SR2
Repeat rows 1 to 6 until there are only two stitches left
Last row: slip these two stitches knitwise (as if to do a k2tog), pick up edge stitch, insert left-hand needle the three loops on the needle and knit.
Cut yarn.


Second Mitt
There are tow differences that make the mitts mirror-images of one another:
a) the knitted strip is folded differently when first connecting the rows
b) the connection is done differently (i.e. standard rows 1 and 2 are different, as described below).


Knit Round 1 as for first mitt.

Round 2:
Fold the strip forwards (i.e. in the different direction than for first mitt) so that you can connect the next row to the edge stitch of the very first row.
Standard Row 1 (SR1): sl1, k to last stitch, slip last stitch wyif as if to do a ptbl
Standard Row 2 (SR2): pick up edge stitch, k2tog (i.e. the last stitch of the last row and the picked up stitch), k to end
Repeat these rows until you reach the row marked with Mid-Row-Marker-1, mark this row (this marker will be called Mid-Row-Marker-2)

Continue round 2 and knit Round 3 and Round 4 as for the first mitt.

Round 5:
Knit as for first mitt until you reach Start-Round-Marker-4.
Row 1 = SR1
Row 2 = SR2
Row 3 = sl1, k to last stitch, slip last stitch wyif as if to do a ptbl
Row 4 = pick up edge stitch, k2tog (i.e. the last stitch of the last row and the picked up stitch), ssk, k to end
Row 5 = SR1
Row 6 = SR2
Repeat rows 1 to 6 until there are only two stitches left
Next-to-last row: sl1, sl1 as if to do a ptbl
Last row: pick up edge stitch, k3tog
Cut yarn.

Before you weave in the ends, turn the mitts inside out and decide which side you like best. Then weave in ends.