Thumbs Up! by Stella Ackroyd
Thumbs Up! by Stella Ackroyd
These mittens can be made from one 50gm ball of 4ply or Sport weight yarn, but it’s a great way to use up precious leftovers from other projects too! The striped ones are shown here in Stella’s one Home Flock 4ply, spun from the fleece of her own flock of Shetland Sheep and the yellow ones in De Rerum Natura Ulysse.
The thumb has been cleverly placed to make the mitten both left- and right-handed, so the same instructions apply for both mitts.
The pattern is written for a plain one-coloured mitten, but you’ll see that I had fun experimenting with different coloured cuffs and two and four row stripes.
These have proved an immediate success with all of the guys and gals in our household, I have a feeling I’m going to be making a lot more of them!
Recommended yarn:
Local knitwear designer and pattern writer, Stella Ackroyd lives and works on her own small holding in rural Northumberland where, with her husband, she breeds and tends to a small flock of black Shetland sheep.
Spun at The Border Mill in Duns, this beautiful, soft yet sturdy 4 ply yarn is a blend of Stella’s fleeces with a second ply of dyed 100% Shetland wool creating a stunning colour palette of the finest 4 ply yarn.
Yarn composition: 100% Shetland Wool
Ball size: 50g
Meterage:
Night Sky: 165m/50gm
Purple Spray: 180m/50gm
Sea Fret: 170m/50gm
Mallard: 150m/50gm
Shepherd’s Delight: 155m/50gm
Thunder Storm: 155m/50gm
Black Sheep: 160m/50gm
Tension: 25 sts x 34 rows on 3.25mm needles
(Scroll down to see the colours and read more about this lovely yarn)
Yarn composition: 100% woollen spun Merino wool
Yarn weight: Sport weight
Ball weight: 50g
Meterage: 185m / 202 yds per 50 g ball
Needle size: 2.5 to 3.5 mm
Gauge: 22-24 stitches x 36-38 rows per 10cm
Ulysse is a woollen spun yarn made from a blend of white French Mérinos d'Arles (Provence) and black Portuguese merino (Alentejo valley) raised with concern for the well-being of the animals and the value of their wool.
All the manufacturing stages of this yarn are carried out within a short circuit (France and Portugal for sourcing, Belgium or Italy for washing, France for spinning and dyeing), with traceability and care to reduce its impact on the environment.
It is offered in natural colours that result from the blend of brown and white fleeces ("sel" (salt), "poivre blanc" (white pepper), "poivre et sel" (pepper and salt) and "poivre" (pepper)), and in a range of subtly heathered and dyed in fleece colours.
ON THE NEEDLES
Made up of two well-twisted strands, it is a light, soft and delicately fluffy yarn which is perfect for fair isle and colour work but also for delicate cables or beautifully rustic lace.
RECOMMENDED CARE
This yarn is not superwash treated. We recommend that you wash your knitted fabric in warm water with soap or a suitable detergent and leave it to dry flat, avoiding rubbing or stretching it. If you wish to test the wool programme of your washing machine, we advise you to do so first with your sample.
Please note that very dark or particularly saturated colours such as "émeraude" are more likely to bleed during blocking. If you plan to knit with lighter colours, we recommend that you test a swatch first. If you find excess dye in the first wash, we recommend that you repeat the rinse bath until it is clear before drying your work.
A little background information: Ulysses is named after the hero a of the "Odyssey" who fell in love with Penelope.