Knitting Experience 2:

The Purl Stitch

Felted Mitts & Hat

by Sally Melville
There was not room in The Purl Stitch for this hat and mitts pattern. But
the photo of the child in the Kangaroo pullover, sitting with the bronze
Glen Gould, was too wonderful not to offer. What to do? Put the patterns
on the web!
As you see here, it isnt just a childs pattern: theres also a womans
version of both hat and mitts. What you need to know is that both sizes are
knit identically: both are then felted with the childs shrunk smaller than
the adults. See the notes that follow.
3TITCHPATTERNS
3TOCKINETTESTITCH3TST
Right side (RS) rows Knit (k) all stitches (sts).
Wrong side (WS) rows Purl (p) all stitches (sts).
2EVERSESTOCKINETTESTITCH233
RS rows P all sts.
WS rows K all sts.

-ITTS

Make 2.
Right and left mitts are identical.



%80%2IENCE







sBEGINNERINTERMEDIATE
sSIMPLESHAPING
sMID LEVELFINISHING

)TgLLFIT
#(),$37/-!.3
!LLMEASUREMENTSARE
FORAFTERFELTING
#IRCUMFERENCE
ATWRIST 
#IRCUMFERENCE
ATFINGERS 
,ENGTH 





 $" !# "!  "

9OULLNEED

CM
"EFOREFELTING




sOVERSTOCKINETTESTITCH
sWITHLARGERNEEDLES
!FTERFELTINGCHILDS



sLIGHTWEIGHT
sYDS
s
NON SUPERWASHWOOL
9OUSHOULDALSO
AVOIDWOOLTHAT
HASBEENBLEACHED

)USED


!FTERFELTINGWOMANS

+bb$JH&%




-bb$JH&&

1 Cuff
With smaller needle, e-wrap cast on 24 sts.
Work 5 rows Stst, beginning and ending with k row. Turn (so bumpy side
is now facing).
K onto larger dpns as follows.
Next (increase) row (RS) Onto needle 1 (N1), *k6, knit in front and
back of next st (kf&b), then repeat from * for N2, N3, N47 sts on each
needle.
Form circle with needles, being careful not to twist work. Place marker
onto end of N4.
Next 11 rounds (rnds) K.

2 Palm
Rnd 1 (increase)
N1 & N3 K1, make 1 (M1), k to end8 sts on each needle.
N2 & N4 K to 1 st remaining, M1, k18 sts on each needle.
Rnd 2 K.
Repeat rnds 1 & 2 once9 sts on each needle.
Rnd 5 (increase)
N1 K1, M1, k to end10 sts on needle.
N2 & N3 K.
N4 K to 1 st remaining, M1, k110 sts on needle.
Rnd 6 K
Repeat rnds 5 & 6, ending with rnd 6 and at marker, to 12 sts on N1 & N4.
(9 sts on N2 & N3.)
Break yarn, leaving approx 4yd tail (to work thumb later).

 #
 "






 


 !!

 "

 !!

 !!

Slip first 5 sts of N1 and final 5 sts of N4 onto holder7 sts remain on N1
& N4.
Slip 1 from N2 onto N1 and 1 from N3 onto N48 sts on each needle.

3 Fingers area
Use larger needles.
With RS facing, re-attach yarn to beginning of N1.
K 20 rnds (pulling yarn taut at end of first rnd to join N4 and N1).
Rrnd 21 (decrease) *K2, k2tog, repeat from *6 sts on each needle.
Rnd 22 K.
Rnd 23 (decrease) *K1, k2tog, repeat from *4 sts on each needle.
Rnd 24 K.
Rnd 25 K2tog across all sts2 sts on each needle.
Break yarn. Tread onto tapestry needle and draw yarn through remaining 8
sts; pull tight.

4 Thumb
Use larger needles.
Slip 5 sts of thumb to 1 needle, 5 sts to another.
Begin at center (where yarn is).
Rnd 1
K2, place marker.
This will be the last 2 sts of N4, and the marker will sit between N4 and N1.
If you go under 2 threads for the pick up and knit that follows, youll have
a firmer result. But dont be too concerned: the felting will close the fabric,
and you can always repair holes at the end.
N1 K3 onto N1, then pick up and knit from edge of fingers area.
N2 Pick up and knit 1 from edge of fingers area, then k3.
N3 K4 remaining sts (to marker) K 7 more rnds, ending at marker.
Rnd 9 K2tog across all needles6 sts remaining.
Break yarn. Thread onto tapestry needle and draw tail through remaining 6
sts; pull tight.

Finishing
Sew small seam of RSS edgings.
Sew in all tails before felting.
Felt as directed.
There may be a small hole at the base of the thumb: darn over it, on WS,
with a little yarn.

Before felting

After felting

The final measurements offered are what I achieved after felting, and they
were the sizes I needed for the models. But hand sizes vary: work with the
felting to achieve the measurements you need.
The yarn I used felted beautifully. However, no two colors felt the same way.
Do not assume you have done anything wrong if your pieces do not felt as
expected. Read what follows.

(AT

1 Body
With larger needles, e-wrap cast on 14 sts.
Work Stst for 120 rows.
Bind off.
2 Lower edging
With RS facing and smaller needles, pick up and k 2 sts for each 3 rows
along one entire selvedge edge of hat body81 sts.
Work 5 rows RSS, beginning and ending with WS (k) row, then bind off
(in p), leaving long tail.
With long tail, loosely sew bind-off row of edging to selvedge.

3 Upper edging
Work as for lower edging but with larger needles and along other selvedge
edge of hat body.
4 Crown
Use larger needles.
With RS facing, pick up and k 1 st in each purl bump just behind fold line
of upper edging (slightly to WS)81 sts.
Row 2 (and all following WS rows) P.
Row 3 *K8, knit 2 together (k2tog), place marker, repeat from * to 1 st
remaining, k1.
Row 5 (and all following RS rows) *K to 2 sts before marker, k2tog,
repeat from * to 1 st remaining, k1.
When 17 sts remain, work as follows.
Row 19 (RS) *K2tog, remove marker, repeat from * to 1 st remaining, k1.
Break yarn, leaving tail long enough to seam hat. Thread onto tapestry
needle and draw tail through remaining 9 sts; pull tight.

%80%2IENCE
sBEGINNERINTERMEDIATE
sSIMPLESHAPING
sMID LEVELFINISHING

9OULLNEED

)TgLLFIT
#(),$37/-!.3
!LLMEASUREMENTSARE
FORAFTERFELTING
(EIGHT
#IRCUMFERENCE 

sLIGHTWEIGHT
sYDS
s
NON SUPERWASHWOOL
9OUSHOULDALSO
AVOIDWOOLTHAT
HASBEENBLEACHED

CM
"EFOREFELTING



sSTAR SHAPED
WHITEBEADS
ELEVENGOLD
BEADSORCOINS



sOVERSTOCKINETTESTITCH
sWITHLARGERNEEDLES
!FTERFELTINGCHILDS

Finishing
Sew center back seam.
Sew in all tails before felting.
Felt as directed.
Decorate hat with buttons or beads, spacing evenly.

)USED




+bb$JH&%

For one version, I decorated with gold coins which had a central hole. To
attach, I worked 2 French knots, in the yarn of the piece, through and over
the hole.

!FTERFELTINGWOMANS



-bb$JH&&







The final measurements offered are what I achieved after felting, and they
were the sizes I needed for the models. But head circumferences vary:
work with the felting to achieve the measurements you need.
The yarn I used felted beautifully. However, no two colors felt the same
way. Do not assume you have done anything wrong if your pieces do not
felt as expected. Read what follows.
The felted hats will stretch to suit a head 2 bigger.



  !







 #  "   

  !

!
!







FELTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH MITTS AND HAT

Wash pieces in machine, with normal wash load and soap and with warm or hot
wash and cold rinse. (The hotter water will felt the piece smaller: I washed the
womans in warm water, the childs in hot.)
Check the measurements after the wash (by trying the damp pieces on the
recipient, if possible). The measurements can be manipulated a little while the
pieces are damp.
If you achieved the desired measurements, dry flat.
If a little too large, tumble dry on regular heat. (A hot dryer will felt the piece
smaller.) Check pieces frequently. When desired measurements, remove and dry
flat.
If much too large, wash again.
If too small, do the following: dissolve as much coarse salt as possible in the
hottest water your tap will produce; bring to room temperature; soak pieces for
3 hours; rinse; wring; stretch pieces to desired measurements; dry flat.
Wash felted pieces as you would any wool pieces you dont want to shrink.