I have a penchant for colourful mittens.

Here’s my perfect-mitten checklist:

• Red? Check.
• Small colourwork repeats that are easy to memorize? Check.
• No long floats? Check.
• Funny pops of unexpected colour? Check.
• Quick to knit? Check.
• Fit as an outer layer over my hand-knit gloves OR as mittens on their own? (I do live in Canada. We gotta layer up.) Check.
• Lets me use up bits of random tiny balls from my stash? Check.
• Easy to modify and customize in circumference and length? Check.

So I made this straight, no-gusset, afterthought-thumb, worsted-weight mitten pattern. And then I knit it about a million times.

The simple, 4-stitch repeating colourwork pattern can be knit up in so many different combinations of colours, and I got carried away.

The small bits of colour used in the cast on, optional centre “stripes,” and contrasting thumb are great for using up odd yards of leftover yarns. Or, you can keep things simple and just use two colours. I’ve included a few charts of possibilities to get you started.

I used halo-y Lett Lopi in my samples because I love its lightness and warmth. But you could substitute any worsted-weight wool, even holding it together with some KidSilk Haze, Shibui Silk Cloud, or Knit Picks Aloft to create a similar halo effect. Oooh, now I want to try that….

Somebody help me.

Yarn
Main Colour (white): 35-40 g of Lett Lopi (50 g = 100 m / 109 yards / 1.75 oz, 100% Icelandic Wool)
Contrast Colour (red): 26 g of Lett Lopi
Thumb & Cast On (turquoise): 5-10 grams of Lett Lopi

Needles
7 US / 4.5 mm needles for working small circumference in the round. (DPNs, Magic Loop, or 2 circulars)

For tips on picking up stitches at the thumb, see my YouTube video “Knit A Thumb With No Gaps.”