Braeburn Mitts

Choose three shades of Appledore DK or other mini skeins or scraps of your choice, and knit yourself a pair of Braeburn Mitts for autumn.

These cosy colourwork mitts are named after my favourite variety of apple—not too sweet, not too tart, and gloriously crisp to bite into. The colourwork motifs resemble little trees (or are they slices of fruit?), and vertical stripes form a pleasing frame.

The pattern includes three sizes and my favourite tips for knitting beautiful stranded colourwork.

Skills & Techniques

  • Knitting a small circumference in the round

  • Working stranded colourwork

  • Following colourwork charts

  • Picking up stitches

Materials Needed

  • 4 x 25g mini skeins of John Arbon Textiles Appledore DK (40% Devon Closewool, 40% Romney, 20% Exmoor Blueface; 68yds/62m per 25g skein), or light DK or sport weight yarn suitable for colourwork

    MC: 1 (2, 2) mini skeins or 66 (79, 104)yds/60 (72.5, 95)m

    CC1: 1 mini skein or 30 (36, 50)yds/27 (33, 46)m

    CC2: 1 mini skein or 30 (36, 44)yds/28 (33, 40)m

    Size 2 shown in MC ‘Hangy Down’, CC1 ‘Whimple Wonder’, & CC2 ‘Golden Knob’, with short cuff

    Size 3 shown in MC ‘Foxwhelp’, CC1 ‘Golden Knob’, & CC2 ‘Pig Snout’, with long cuff

  • US 4 / 3.5mm needles (or needle size that gives you the right gauge) for working a small circumference in the round, plus needles a couple of sizes smaller for working the ribbing

  • You will also need a stitch marker, waste yarn, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Finished Measurements

  • Relaxed after blocking:

    6 (7.5, 9)”/15.25 (19, 23)cm circumference, and

    6.75 (6.75, 7.5)”/17 (17, 19)cm total length with short cuffs for Sizes 1 & 2 and long cuffs for Size 3

  • Sizes 1 (2, 3) to fit 5.5-6.5 (7-8, 8.5-9.5)”/14-16.5 (18-20.5, 21.5-24)cm palm circumference with -0.5”/1.25cm to +0.5”/1.25cm ease.