New England native, Florida resident. Blogging about boating, beach-combing, gardening, camping, and knitting. Work for Zazzle as a designer since 2008.
This is a mitten pattern I made up by pulling from a couple of patterns I recently knit. Once you know the basics of mitten knitting, it’s quite easy to wing it with your own designs and colors.
Of course my made-up mittens don’t look great. In fact, they don’t match but they are for my son who lives in New England and asked for mittens. I will stress the importance of not throwing them in the washing machine or dryer, but who knows what will happen.
Lettlopi “Rough Sea” gray yarn
The Yarn
I used Lettlopi gray yarn called Rough Sea. It is very nice with specks of lighter gray here and there and can look a bit greenish at times. For the first time ever I also used Plotulopi yarn in wine red. It is pictured in the image above and comes as a “plate” of unspun fiber.
A warning about the Plotulopi, which is very inexpensive, is that it easy pulls apart. More than once while knitting I accidentally pulled on the red too hard and had to spit splice it back together. I knit with the yarn in my right hand to have more control over the pull.
Also the red color came out like mad when washing the mittens….! So the color runs.
Beginning the Mittens
To begin this mitten pair I began by casting on as called for in the Krokur mitten pattern (from the Lopi 40 book) as I was using the same exact type of wool. After the 1×1 ribbing I did a few rows of corrugated rib and then began a colorwork pattern. I took the pattern from one of my books and switched it up for each mitten. Because my colors of red and gray blend pretty well, I actually like that they each look different.
I knit the hand and thumb a bit longer for a man’s size hands and had my son here try them on. And the fit is good! They should definitely fit my younger son.
Mittens being worn
Now they have been washed and are drying. I’ll wrap them up to put in the mail. It is Christmas Eve and I have not mailed a single package yet! How does it get away from us so quickly?
I came across this Facebook group while browsing Ravelry. It was created to support the George Waterston Memorial Centre and Museum in Fair Isle. When accepted to the group, a Kep pattern (traditional “hat” of the region) is offered for sale, and the profit goes toward supporting this museum.
Links to FB Page and Museum
Here are two links to the museum page and the Facebook page. Knitters of this style Kep share their photos and knowledge and support other like minded knitters who have joined the group.
The Facebook Group Must apply to join, which means answering a few short questions.
Keep reading about my experience knitting this pattern.
Love Fair Isle Knitting?
Yes, I do! I joined the group and ordered the pattern, which is sold in GBP (Great Britain Pounds) and was around $14 for me here in the US. After about a week or so I received the pattern PDF in my e-mail and began knitting right away.
(If you think that is expensive, it’s more of a donation with a pattern to go along with it. Also, the basic pattern will give you the opportunity to make many variations of this hat. OR… don’t buy it.)
Doing crown decreases
Trying it on
Review of the Kep Pattern and Instructions – you must buy the pattern from the group.
The pattern is not listed here, but you can buy it when joining the Facebook group – link above. I am not a fan of using Facebook, but do so for my business and groups like this.
It did take a little while (about a week) to receive the pattern, so just be patient. The group is run by volunteers and I’m sure they have other things going on in their lives! It arrives as a PDF which is downloaded and then printed out. I don’t have a color printer, which is unfortunate because sample keps are shown on the front page in full color.
A bit of history about the tradition of knitting a fisherman’s kep is included, as well as suggested yarn colors to use for a traditional look. As I rummaged through my wool, I found similar colors in my Jamieson & Smith and Rauma yarn. I figured for my first kep I would try to follow tradition, and the pattern, as closely as possible. Rauma is not from the region, but is a similar wool.
Fair Isle stitch pattern pages are attached in a variety of sizes which can be used to create colorwork designs of my own choosing. I followed the suggested cast-on number and used a size 1.5 US needle. I’m hoping it won’t end up too small, but decided on this size after looking at my Katie’s Kep notes.
The pattern instructions are basic, with cast-on number, placing the plain knit and purl rows, turning instructions (the brim will fold up and be doubled), and when to change needle size. There are detailed instructions for decreasing at the crown (which I would change next time). But all of the patterning is left up to the knitter, which makes for some interesting keps! Having a Fair Isle pattern book is useful at this point although some pattern suggestions are included.
The Hat is On Hold
I had planned to write about how I made the tassel for this hat. The tassel is added after the hat is washed and blocked so I have a ways to go at this point. One kep knitter created an ocean / fishing themed kep and put little fish hanging off the top in place of traditional tassels! I thought that was so clever.
I had planned to write about how I made the tassel for this hat, but I’ve decided to put this hat on hold after finishing the knit. There are lots of ends to weave in, and I’m not liking the fit. I should have gone up a needle size and made the hat shorter. I don’t like the big bunch of fabric on top of my head, and I don’t like the puckering of the crown.
I did have fun playing with the colorwork, and I’m happy with the colors, just not the hat’s fit in general.
When I finished knitting a recent sweater, I had some wonderful Icelandic wool leftover. About that same time I found the Clacks mittens pattern. I thought it might be perfect for using up more of the Lettlopi wool.
Lettlopi wool mittens
About a year or so ago I knit a stranded mitten pattern by designer Virginia Settler-Reimer. I hadn’t knit any colorwork mittens at that point and was only just beginning to get the hang of mitten knitting overall. The pattern was Glissade mittens and I used Brooklyn Tweed’s Arbor yarn. Between the beautiful yarn and the well written pattern I thoroughly enjoyed making that pair of mittens.
Now, the designer has come out with a new, similar pattern called Clacks Mittens. Just like Glissade, this pattern has the thumb on the side, which means both right and left hands will be knit the same way. In fact, I have never knit mittens, or fingerless mitts, with a different type of thumb!
Why I Like the Glissade and Clacks Mittens Patterns
Both patterns are by designer Virginia Sattler-Reimer and this link goes to her Ravelry page. Anyone already familiar with mitten knitting and doing colorwork would find this pattern fun and easy to follow.
Both Glissade and Clacks mittens begin with a Latvian Braid (directions included in pattern). Then, we jump right into knitting the colorwork. There is no boring ribbed cuff to knit first.
The mittens are knit on 4 DPNs which separates the front stitches from the back with a line of similar colored stitches. The first two needles hold the first half of the pattern, and the last two hold the remainder. I use a 9-inch circular needle to cast on and do the braid before changing to DPNs. (The second needle will hold the thumb stitches as well.)
The “make one” stitch is a backwards loop (Andrea Mowry video) which is super easy.
I don’t remember this from knitting Glissade, but for Clacks, the designer has provided two charts – one for a light colored background and one for a dark. Because blue is my chosen MC – I’m following the “dark” chart and using Knit Companion.
The Kitchener Stitch (Very Pink Knits slow-motion video) is needed for the top of the mitten and because there are only a few stitches, it is perfect practice for anyone unfamiliar with this finishing stitch.
Yarn and Knit Companion
After I first saw this pattern, I began to hunt through my stash to find yarn to use. The pattern calls for two colors only, and I just happened to have some Lettlopi yarn leftover from a recent sweater. I decided that this wool would be perfect for mittens.
Once the pattern was purchased it was added to Knit Companion and opened on my iPad. From there, it is easy to follow the colorwork pattern line by line.
I had considered changing to a larger size needle at the thumb, to knit the hand a bit wider, but ended up not doing so and the fit is fine. Maybe do this if you have wide hands. Also these mittens are plenty long (for me) already. Measurements are 3.5 – 3.75 inches wide and 11 inches long.
Fair Isle Mittens and Fingerless Mitts I Have Knit.
After knitting for a while, I’ve discovered that I like to knit hats, mittens (and mitts) and sweaters best. I prefer Fair Isle colorwork and think it is especially nice for mittens to add extra bulk and warmth.
This new sweater pattern is from the Lopi 40 book which I bought along with some Lettlopi yarn recently. I want a light blue sweater with white accents and Farfuglar is the pattern I chose. It means “migrating birds”. The sweater shown in the book uses my same choice of colors (air blue and white) as I chose, but in the opposite way. The yoke can also have more colors in another version.
Lopi 40 is full of Icelandic designs knit with Lopi wool and apparently it is one of the newer books.
This Farfuglar pattern, and other patterns in the book, can also be purchased separately. (This link goes to Ravelry.)
Book CoverPattern page
The Farfuglar Learning Curve
I purchased bunches of the Lettlopi yarn variety which is aran weight. The first pattern I chose was one by Jennifer Steingass. After beginning the sleeve twice, and not being happy, I gave up and moved on. That is when I chose this pattern from the Lopi book: Farfuglar, or “Migrating Birds”.
I knit a flat gauge swatch which matches the required gauge for the sweater. I know that garments knit in the round should have swatches knit in the round, but oh well, I didn’t do that.
The pullover is knit bottom up. I have begun knitting one of the sleeves and really like the way this yarn looks and feels. The pattern uses the same two colors I chose, white and “Air blue”, but the sample sweater is mainly white with blue accents whereas mine will be the opposite. The colorwork chart is in five colors because there are two ways to knit this sweater. As I knit the chart I will convert it to two colors in my head.
The patterns in Lopi 40 are Icelandic and measurements are given as centimeters. Needle sizes are also mentioned in mm except at the beginning of the pattern where they give the US size also.
Increases and Decreases
After the sleeve ribbing is finished, we are told to increase around evenly to end up with correct stitches for the colorwork. I had to go from 42 stitches to 50. I don’t know why, but this was hard to figure out. I will have to do something similar at the neckband except it will be decreases! Oh Boy….
Had to decrease at the neckline from 100 to 84 stitches evenly around. This strained my brain, but I did it.
Learning New Things
Two new (to me) types of decreases are also mentioned: KRPR (right leaning) and SKP (left leaning) – both links go to pages at the New Stitch a Day site where videos show the process.
I’m not a super experienced sweater knitter, but I have finished a few. Most have been top-down knits, but this is a bottom up. The underarm stitches need to be grafted together when finishing, which I’ve never done, that I recall. The pattern doesn’t say how to accomplish this, but I found this page at Laura Chau that explains Grafting Underarm Stitches. It uses the Kitchener Stitch, which I have done.
Joining Sleeves to Body – Notes for the Inexperienced (Me)
I’ve only knit one other sweater bottom up which means the sleeves and body must be joined. It’s not difficult, but for me, drawing out a diagram while reading the directions was helpful. I got a better picture for how this would happen. I also placed a pink marker on the front section so I would know front from back.
I’ll keep this for future reference and noted needle sizes and other hints to the paper.
Notes I made: After finishing the second sleeve, leave stitches on the needle (I used a 9-inch circular). When beginning to join, I used the longer (body needle) to knit off the sleeve needle. When I got around to the second sleeve, I put those stitches from the holder yarn onto a smaller (size 4) needle and then knit off of it. Once that happens, the whole sweater is now combined into one piece.
Needle lengths: Begin knitting the whole yoke with a 40 inch (The pattern says 32, but I found the longer needle to be easier). Changed to 32 inch farther up, and ended up with 16 inch for the neck.
Four places are on holder yarn and stitch holders for the underarms. Those will be grafted together using the Kitchener Stitch when I’m done knitting.
Joining sleeves to body and beginning yoke
Now I have begun the colorwork yoke. Some of the yarn carries are quite long, so knowing how to catch floats is definitely necessary for this design. I was very excited to see the birds emerge!
The birds!Knitting the colorwork yokeReady to bind off
Yarn Used For Size L
Blue Yarn total used: 8 skeins – nearly every bit of 8, so 9 is better just in case
White Yarn total used: less than 2 skeins
October 29th and the Sweater is Finished! See My Photo Shoot Below
At this point I was still trying to decide if that high front neckline would be okay. Without any type of short rows, the front and back of this one are exactly the same. This makes the front neckband ride on my neck. I would probably have a shirt on underneath, so I decided I could live with the neck as it is. Also, I didn’t want to risk ruining things since I am not experienced at changing knitwear designs!
The hat photos were taken in “winter” when the temps dropped to the low 40’s here in Florida. I went out to feed the birds bundled up in my woolies! (Triple-patterned watchcap, mittens, Woolfolk cowl) All other photos were taken before I washed the sweater.
I will be writing a separate blog post about how I finished off this sweater.
Learning About Lopi Wool
The sheep who provide this wool live in the harsh Iceland landscape. If their wool can keep them safe and warm during winters spent outdoors, certainly the wool in your Icelandic sweater will do the same. The yarn comes in lots of pretty colors (if you can find them in stock!) as well as natural colors such as white, gray, tan, brown and black. It comes as heathered, solids, and tweeds in various weights, including unspun yarn. The yarn is a combination of insulating and water repellant, not to mention very warm indeed! If you are not a knitter, the sweaters can be purchased already knit up.
After knitting with the Lettlopi, I found there were quite a few knots to deal with. More than most yarn I knit with, but maybe that is just the nature of the yarn.
I don’t yet have a sweater or other garment to try on so I can’t comment on the scratchiness of this yarn. Some people think it is exceptionally scratchy, but many people say the wool softens over time and gets better and better.
As is unfortunately true these days, finding yarn can be challenging, and especially in the popular color ways.
The Lettlopi (aran) and Alafosslopi (bulky) yarn in my stash has come directly to me from Iceland and is from the Istex company. It was ordered from The Icelandic Store where they still have quite a few colors in stock. The low price of the skeins, compared to prices in the US for the same yarn, made it worth paying the high shipping rates.
My order of Alafosslopi arrived in four days..!!… and came with a little candy surprise. I have already knit up a swatch and plan to knit the Carbeth Cardigan by Kate Davies, but that plan could change.
A little candy surprise in with my Alafosslopi yarn delivery!
For instance, many places in the US have Alafosslopi for around $10 a skein, or close to that price. When ordering from Iceland, each skein is $5.99, which is a big difference, and especially if you need many skeins to knit a sweater. The Lettlopi costs about $5.75 in the US compared to $2.99 each in Iceland.
Webs yarn offers big discounts if large amounts are bought, and the cost can be less in the end, but many of the colors are out of stock at the time of this writing.
This sweater knitting project was a fun one. Although there were a few things to figure out, I recommend the pattern to any fairly experienced knitters out there.
I’m knitting a beautiful cardigan pattern by Camilla Vad. The Magnolia Chunky Cardigan is knit top-down with lace and bobbles on the body and sleeves. On this page I cover some issues…
New England's Narrow Road 