Easy Fingerless Mitts, Free Pattern, Knitted Flat

These are a quick and easy knit!

Size: 8" around x 6" long

Yarn: Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky in Cotton Candy

Needles: Size 10½ Straights

Pattern:
Cast on 22 stitches.

Rows 1-5: Knit (Garter stitch).

Rows 6-20: Knit in Stockinette stitch, beginning with a purl row.

Rows 21-22: Knit.

Bind off (wrong side, makes a second row of "garter stitch" on the front).

Sew side seams, leaving an opening for the thumb. I left 7 rows unsewn, beginning on the 10th stockinette row up from the bind off (wrist end) but you can easily adjust which end of the mitts you want to make longer or shorter!

The Fisherman's Wool Knit Dragon Hat

The fairisle "Red Dragon Hat", this time knit in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool.

This hat was knit a little bigger, 100 stitches instead of 92, leaving room for shrinkage since the yarn used is 100% wool and felt-able. Without shrinkage, it is definitely a size large!

There are 5 "pattern repeats" of the Red Dragon Chart instead of only 4, so the chart is knitted continuously with no added stitches.

The Non-Wool Beginner's Class

So my thinking has been: if I could knit 20 hats a year to give to charity, I could teach 20 people how to knit and if they each donated 20 hats, that would make 400 hats. That's a lot of hats!

My Plan: 
Teach others to knit and multiply my ability to give! One person has only so many hours in a day, but a multitude has many times more...

Inspire. Show some things I've made: dishcloths, scarves, hats, vests, sweaters, etc. Explain that we'll start small and work towards big. Dishcloths are a great way to begin, as you can knit a dishcloth in just about any stitch pattern. These stitch patterns can later be incorporated into hats, scarves, mittens, socks, sweaters and vests, afghans, and, well just about anything you can knit!

Teach the basics by starting with casting on and the knit stitch, then the bind off. Knit a very Basic Garter Stitch Dishcloth. There's a lot of "knit stitch" practice in an 8" x 8" dishcloth, and dishcloths are like mini-gratifications of accomplishment :)

The Basic Garter Stitch Knit Dishcloth Pattern:

Recommended materials:
Size 7 or 8 knitting needles and 100% cotton worsted weight yarn.
I recommend 9" Takumi/Clover Bamboo knitting needles.

Cast on 32 stitches.
Row1: Knit across. Turn...
Remaining Rows: Repeat row 1 until dishcloth is desired size.
Bind off, cut yarn leaving a 4”-6” tail to sew in.

Add stitches and accomplishments. Each accomplishment, no matter how seemingly small, brings confidence to a new knitter. Since there are really only two stitches (knit, purl) and the yarn over, it's more a matter of combining and manipulating these basic stitches that create a work of art.

I just taught my first class to the ladies at Faith Scraps, an all day, all crafts event held at North-Mar Church in Warren, OH. It was fun, and I can see I need to find a place to teach knitting more often, because I'm sure there are going to be questions I just can't answer over the phone... and I must confess, I LOVE TO TEACH KNITTING!!! :)