Virginia Sattler-Reimer – New England's Narrow Road

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.

Left to right clockwise from top: Fiddlehead, Glissade, My own pattern, Fair Isle Mitts, Oulu, and Stellar Parallax. All links go to my blog pages where you will find links to each the patterns.

Fiddlehead
Glissade – same designer
My own pattern
Stellar Parallax
Oulu Mitts
Fair Isle Mitts

Keep Reading About My Knitting Adventures!

After beginning The Woolly Thistle mitten knitalong with one mitten pattern, I came across a new pattern for sale that I liked a lot better.

I finished on mitten in my first choice (Milet) and then started this one which is called “Glissade” and you can buy the pattern and download it at Ravelry – I have a link further down the page. I have finished one mitten, and I do love this pattern! Read on…

Arbor yarn mitten knitting project — Brooklyn Tweed Arbor yarn is pretty nice

I wanted to use the same DK yarn the designer used, but it was out of stock, so I began looking for other DK yarn to use.

One thing I want to do this year with my knitting projects is to use new types of yarn. I’ve already fallen in love with the Rauma yarn, and I vow to use more pure wool this year. The Woolly Thistle imports beautiful wool from overseas, so that’s a good place to start when shopping for “yarn with a story”. I love knowing where my yarn came from!

But this time I chose Brooklyn Tweed’s Arbor yarn for a couple of reasons. After researching this yarn, reviews are outstanding. Everyone loves it, and I can now join that group – it is so nice. Secondly, the color selection was fabulous. I bought mine at Wool and Company, and they wound the skeins for free (as always).

My Arbor colors are “Kilmt” (gold) and “Thaw” (silver gray) and I think I made good color choices. It’s not super expensive yarn for the nice quality. It will need to be hand-washed, but how often do you need to wash mittens?

Glissade mitten pattern knitting — Getting beyond the cuff

The Glissade Mitten Pattern is for sale on Ravelry by Virginia Sattler-Reimer and I believe it is one of her newer patterns. She also has a very popular mitten called Tettegouche mitten which has many colors. She has a hat with the same name which is featured in the Milarrochy Heids book which I bought a while ago.

This mitten pattern is fun. It starts with a Latvian Braid, which I think looks really nice. (The designer includes directions for making the braid.) I think one reason a braid is used at the beginning of the cuff is to keep it from rolling.

Knitting the Thumb

The pattern is in chart form, and the thumb is shown separate, which took me a bit to figure out. The thumb stitches have to be added at a certain point in the pattern, which takes some getting used to for a newbie like me.

You can see my thumb placement knitting in the photo below. It was easier for me to add a marker so I would know exactly when the thumb stitches begin.

Thumb stitches on mitten knitting — I placed a marker at the beginning stitches of the thumb area

It’s tough to know gauge with mittens until you get far enough along to slip your hand through the DPNs. I began using size 3 DPNs, as the designer used – I switched to size 4 after the thumb – because the hand seemed to be a bit tight.

thumb knitting for mitten — Getting started on the colorwork thumb

I did okay for my first colorwork thumb. It did get a bit hairy at times, but all in all it was completely worth it because I love the outcome! I used a marker for the BOR, and added one in the center of the pattern, just to help keep me on track.

Love the color, love the yarn, love the fit, and love this pattern!

Here you can see how the side line of the mitten carries onto the thumb.

Inside thumb — Pattern on inside of thumb continue along the side of the mitten as well

I Love This Mitten!

Although I still have one more Glissade mitten to knit, I look forward to having a pair of these. The fit is perfect, but I did end up going up to size 4 DPNs once I put the thumb stitches on hold. I tend to be a tight knitter.

When I do the next mitten I will do the cuff in a size 3 and then change to a size 4 for the hand and thumb. It’s the only change I’ll need to make. (That worked well on #2)

I have not washed and blocked it yet – I am waiting for the second mitten to be knit.

Love my first colorwork mitten — Love this!

When doing stranded colorwork knitting, the inside of the mitten looks like the image below. It makes for a bit thicker fabric than plain knitting.

wrong side stranded knitting Glissade mitten — Wrong side

I am trying to be a better “pairs project” knitter, where I finish two mittens, two socks, etc., but I have to love what I am knitting for that to happen. I can’t see wasting time knitting something I dislike.

Finished today! My first pair of hand-knit, full colorwork mittens. They still need to be washed and blocked, but they fit well and look decent. In fact, I really enjoyed this knitting project. It was quick, even for me.

I did not knit every day. I have to work also, but the pair only took 13 days. Haha… some knitters can knit 3 pair in that length of time! Still, I am happy that I have a new pair of mittens AND I finished before the knit-along ends (March 26th).

hand-knit mittens in gold and off-white — Washed and blocked and ready to wear

Inspired to Knit More Mittens

Once I knit a project that I enjoyed, and turned out wearable, I want to do more. The Brooklyn Tweed Arbor yarn is so fabulous that I have my eye on a new mitten pattern in DK yarn. It’s called Fiddlehead, and is very popular. The DK weight works up quicker than fingering, and that is a good thing for a beginner.

In fact I might write a page full of DK and Worsted weight patterns.