Cat Tarot Mittens
SINCE ADOPTING my sweet girl Purl, I’ve found myself irresistibly drawn to all things witchy black cat. These mittens started late one sleepless night last winter. (Yes, I do sometimes scribble out colorwork charts when I can’t fall asleep!) A few months later, I stumbled across an enamel pin in a little witchy shop in Leadville, Colorado—with a design strikingly similar to the one I’d drawn. I took it as a sign: it was time to cast on the mittens I had dreamed up that winter night.
By this time, it was nearly spring, and I tucked the finished mittens away for colder weather. Now, at last, I’m so excited to share them with you—my fellow earthy, cat-loving knitters. May these bring you joy as you make them, warmth when you wear them, and just a touch of magic wherever you go.
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Design & Construction: The Cat Tarot Mittens feature an allover colorwork design inspired by mystical, cat-themed tarot imagery. Worked from the bottom-up, mittens begin with a corrugated ribbed cuff before transitioning into the main colorwork motif, which is knit in traditional stranded colorwork. Charts include instructions for working the colorwork with optional ladderback jacquard to manage long floats on the inside of the fabric. A thumb gusset is shaped with increases and put on hold while the hand is completed. Stitches are then returned to the needles to finish the thumb.
Fit: These mittens are designed to be worn with approximately 5% negative to 5% positive ease for a comfortable fit. To choose the best size, measure the circumference of your hand at the widest point (typically around the knuckles, excluding the thumb). Multiply that number by your preferred ease, then select the size with a finished hand circumference closest to the result. For instance, to make mittens to fit a 7.5-in. (19-cm) hand with a small amount of positive ease, I chose a Size 2 for my sample mittens.
Ladderback Jacquard: This pattern provides optional instructions for ladderback jacquard to manage longer colorwork floats. While you can always catch floats the traditional way, ladderback jacquard is a great technique when you have multiple, sequential rows or rounds with large floats.
Stitch Patterns: The stranded colorwork stitch patterns in this sweater are only charted, so you should be confident in your chart reading skills—or be open to learning!
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SIZES
(1, 2, 3)FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
The circumference as measured at the widest point of the hand is as follows.
(7.5, 7.75, 8.25) in.
(19, 19.5, 20.5) cmThese mittens are designed to be worn with 5% negative ease to 5% positive ease. The sample is shown in Size 2 with 3% positive ease.
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YARN
Light fingering weightMatching Pair
MC: (30, 35, 35) g/(160, 185, 185) yds or (145, 170, 170) m
CC: (30, 35, 35) g/(160, 185, 185) yds or (145, 170, 170) mMismatched Pair
Yarn requirements are the same whether you knit a matching or mismatched pair!SUGGESTED YARN
Ritual Dyes Maven (50 g/265 yds (242m)) – 100% non-superwash RambouilletMC: 1 skein (all sizes)
CC: 1 skein (all sizes)The sample mittens are knit in the colorways Bone (cream) and Obsidian (black).
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Size 1: US 000 (1.5 mm)
Size 2: US 00 (1.75 mm)
Size 3: US 0 (2 mm)You will need 32 in. (80 cm) circular needles to work in the round using the magic loop method, or your preferred needles for smaller circumference knitting, such as short circular or double-pointed needles.
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Measure gauge in the round, after blocking.
Size 1: 35.5 sts and 48 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork
Size 2: 34 sts and 46 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork
Size 3: 32.5 sts and 44 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork -
German twisted cast-on, corrugated ribbing, stranded colorwork, ladderback jacquard (optional), chart reading, grafting stitches together