Myrtle pepper: a spice made from the dried berries of Pimenta dioica (a Caribbean tree) with a taste said to combine the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove (hence its other name “allspice”). Myrtle pepper, like cinnamon and star anise, is a common ingredient of spice blends for mulled wine and German gingerbread.

A good variegated yarn is like a tasty spice blend: every single colour, beautiful by itself, adds a particular flavour to the look of the yarn. The slipped stitch cable pattern of these mitts, accentuated by twisted ribbing, lets you make the most of a special, hand-dyed skein. Or do you go for your favourite solid colour and let the texture play the leading part? The choice is yours!

Skills required: Knitting and purling in the round over a small circumference, knitting stitches through the back loop, right- and left-leaning increases and decreases, cables over three stitches.
The pattern includes both charts and written instructions.