Waltzing

designed by Jill Bickers

No Dancing Princess would go to the ball with bare hands! These

mitts feature an Estonian Double Waterlily Motif and eyelets for a
very feminine design. A thumb gusset makes them as comfortable
as they are pretty. They were designed as a companion to These
Socks Were Made for Dancing. Thank you once again, Olga
Jamovidova, for sharing this motif on Ravelry and in New Lace – Old
Traditions!

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Size: Women's Small (Medium, Large) to fit a hand circumference of about

6-6 ½ (7-7 ½, 8-8 ½) inches [15-16.5 (18-19, 20-23)cm]. Note: This is a
stretchy pattern. If your hand falls between sizes, consider knitting the smaller
size.

Needles: One set of US #3 (3.25mm) double-pointed needles or size needed

to obtain gauge. This pattern is easily adapted to Magic Loop or to knitting on
two circulars; however, you may find it is easiest to knit the thumb on double-
pointed needles.

Gauge: 6 ½ sts/inch (2.5 cm) over stockinette stitch.

Yarn: Holiday Yarns Super Sheep DK, 100% Superwash Merino Wool, 265
yards (242m) to 4 oz (112g). One skein in Namaste. Any suitable DK wool or
wool blend could be substituted.

Notions: Three stitch markers; a small length of waste yarn; scissors; tapestry
needle for darning in ends.

Abbreviations:
Gather7incr: 3-to-7 st increase. Knit 3 sts together but do not remove from left-
hand needle, [yo, knit the same 3 sts together again without removing them from
the left-hand needle] twice, yo, knit the same 3 sts together once more and slide
off them off the left-hand needle.
K: knit.
K2tog: knit 2 sts together (1 st decreased, leans right).
K4tog: knit 4 sts together (3 sts decreased, leans right). Here's an easy way to
accomplish this: on your left-hand needle, pass Stitches 2, 3, and 4 over Stitch
1, then knit Stitch 1.
M1L: make 1 left. With left-hand needle, lift the running thread between the sts
on your needles from front to back, and knit into the back.
M1R: make 1 right. With left-hand needle, lift the running thread between the
sts on your needles from back to front, and knit into the front.
No st: this square is ignored when knitting.
P: purl.
PM: place marker.
Rnd(s): round(s).
RS: right side.
St(s): stitch(es).

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S4k: slip 4 sts individually as if to knit, then insert the left-hand needle into the
fronts of the 4 sts from left to right and knit then together from this position (3 sts
decreased, leans left). Here's an easy way to accomplish this: after you have
slipped the four sts to the right-hand needle, pass Stitches 3, 2, and 1 over
Stitch 4. Transfer Stitch 4 back to the left-hand needle and knit it.
Sl 1: slip 1 purlwise.
Sl 2tog-k1-p2sso: slip two sts together as if to knit two together, knit 1, pass the
two slipped sts over the knit st (2 sts decreased, centered).
Sl M: slip marker.
Ssk: slip, slip, knit. Slip 2 sts individually as it to knit, then insert the left-hand
needle into the fronts of the 2 sts from left to right and knit them
together from this position (1 st decreased, leans left).
St(s): stitch(es)
WS: wrong side.
Yo: yarn over.

Chart Key:
Gather7 incr
Knit on right side; purl on wrong side
K2tog
K4tog
No st
S4K
Sl 2tog-K1-p2sso
Ssk
Yo

Notes:
Directions are for size Small. Changes for Medium and Large are in
parentheses. If only one set of numbers is given, it applies to all sizes.

I strongly recommend needles with nice, sharp points to make the lace knitting
easier.

DIRECTIONS
Left Mitt
Cast on 41 (45, 49) sts using either Long Tail or the Old Norwegian Cast On:
https://www.interweave.com/article/knitting/old-norwegian-cast-on/

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Divide sts between 3 or 4 double-pointed needles as you prefer, place marker

for the beginning of the rnd, and join to knit in the round, being careful not to
twist.

Cuff
Rnds 1 & 3: P1 (2, 2), [k2, p2] twice, k3, [p2, k2] 7 (8, 9) times, p1 (0, 0).
Rnd 2: P1 (2, 2), [yo, ssk, p2] twice, yo, sl 2tog-k1-p2sso, yo, [p2, yo, ssk]
7 (8, 9) times, p1 (0, 0).
Rnd 4: P1 (2, 2) [k2tog, yo, p2] twice, yo, sl 2tog-k1-p2sso, yo, [p2, k2tog,
yo] 7 (8, 9) times, p1 (0, 0)

Work Rnds 1-4 six times, or until cuff is desired length. Work Rnd 1 one
more time.

As written, the length of the cuff will be approximately 2 ¾-3 inches (7-7.5cm)
long.

Hand
For size Small, work the sts between the green lines on the chart; for
both Medium and Large, work the sts between the purple lines. For those who
do not like charts, written directions for the back of the hand are provided.
Please note that the chart does not show all 41 (45, 49) sts of the mitt--just
the sts covering the back of the hand. After you have the worked the sts in
a given line of the chart all remaining sts in that rnd are worked in
stockinette.

Work at least 4 (4, 6) rnds of stockinette st before you begin working either the
chart or the written directions.

Note on fitting: Hands vary a lot, and so do preferences on how far you want
your mitt to extend. If you knit four rnds before starting your chart in size Small
or Medium, the hand section of your mitt will be about 4 ½ inches (11.3cm) long
when you complete the mitt. If you like your mitts longer, work additional rnds of
stockinette. I chose to do this when I knit the Large size. I knit 10 rnds of
stockinette before beginning the chart, and 6 additional rnds after I finished the
chart. The length of the hand section was 5 ½ inches (13.8cm), and fit me
perfectly. If you choose to change the number of rnds you do, make sure to note
how many rnds you knit before starting the motif.

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Begin working from chart:

Rnds 1– 6: Starting with Rnd 1 of your chart, work the relevant chart line,
then knit all remaining sts of the rnd.
Rnd 7: Work Chart Rnd 7, then knit until 1 st remains in the
rnd. Place marker on the right-hand needle. M1R, K1, M1L. You
now have 3 sts between the marker you just added (the gusset
marker) and the beginning-of-rnd marker. There are 45 (49, 53)
sts total on your needles.
Rnd 8: Work Chart Rnd 8, then knit to the end of the rnd.
Rnd 9: Work Chart Rnd 9, then knit to gusset marker. Sl M, M1R,
knit to beginning-of-rnd marker, and M1L. Slip beginning-of-
rnd marker and proceed to Chart Rnd 10.

Continue working the hand and building the thumb gusset in this manner. On
odd numbered rnds, work relevant line from the chart, knit to the gusset marker,
sl M, M1R, knit to the beginning-of-rnd marker, and M1L. Slip beginning-of-rnd
marker and proceed to the next rnd. On even numbered rnds, work from the
chart and then knit to the end of the rnd without increasing. When you have 21
(23, 25) sts between your two markers, thumb gusset is complete.

Next rnd: Work relevant chart line and then knit all sts to the second
marker. Remove the marker, and place the 21 (23, 25) gusset
sts on waste yarn. Backwards loop cast on 3 sts and
rejoin your work, making sure that you replaced the beginning-
of-rnd marker.
Decrease rnd: Work relevant chart line and then knit to 5 sts before the
end of the rnd, ssk, k1, k2tog; 41 (45, 49) sts remain.

Finish working the chart, and try your mitt on. The top eyelet band will add
about ½ inch (1.2cm) to the length of your mitt. If you are happy with how it will
fit, proceed to the Eyelet Band. If you want your mitt to be a little longer, add
extra rnds of stockinette before beginning your band. If you do work extra rnds,
make a note of how many so your next mitt will be the same!

Eyelet Band:
Rnd 1: Purl.
Rnd 2: K2tog, knit to the end of the rnd; 40 (44, 48) sts remain.
Rnd 3: (K2tog, yo) to the end of the rnd.
Rnds 4 & 6: Knit.
Rnd 5: (Yo, ssk) to the end of the rnd.

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Bind off all sts, using this variation of the Purl Two Together Bind Off:

Purl the first two sts of the rnd together. Transfer the st from the right-hand
needle back to the left-hand needle, and purl two sts together; one st bound off.
Continue in this manner, always transferring the st you just worked back to the
left-hand needle and then purling it together with the next st. When all sts have
been bound off, cut the yarn and draw it through the final st.

Thumb
Place the 21 (23, 25) thumb gusset sts on three double-pointed needles and
remove the waste yarn. Reattach yarn and, with an empty needle, pick up and
knit 2 sts, PM, then pick up and knit 1 more st.

Decrease Rnd: Knit to 3 sts before the marker, ssk, k1, sl M, k2tog.

Repeat this rnd until 18 sts remain.

Next-to-last Rnd: Knit.

Last Rnd: Purl.

Bind off the thumb sts the same way you did the mitt. Darn in all ends. Now you
need to work the Right Mitt!

Right Mitt
The right mitt is worked exactly the same as the left mitt, until it is time to build
the thumb gusset. Remember, your thumb has to be on the other side of the
mitt! Cast on and knit your second mitt just as you did your first, until you reach
Rnd 7 of the chart.

Begin working the thumb gusset with Chart Rnd 7. Work across the 23 (25, 25),
sts of the chart, place a gusset marker, then M1R, k1, M1L. Place a second
gusset marker, and knit to the end of the rnd.

Build the thumb gusset exactly as for the first mitt, ending the gusset
increases when you have reached 21 (23, 25) sts. Work to the end of the
rnd. Begin the next rnd and follow the chart to first gusset marker. Place
the gusset sts on waste yarn. Keep one of the two markers on your needles
to mark your place, and backwards cast on 3 sts. Rejoin your work and knit
to the end of the rnd. On the next rnd, work across your chart. Remove the
marker, ssk, k1, k2tog; 41 (45, 49) sts remain on your needles. Work the
remainder of the second mitt as for the first mitt. Darn in ends and enjoy!

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CHARTS

Back of Hand

Size Small: work the sts between the green lines.

Sizes Medium and Large: work the sts between the purple lines.

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WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

Rnd 1: K8 (9, 9), k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k8 (9, 9) (21 [23, 23] sts).
Rnd 2 & all subsequent even-numbered rnds: Knit.
Rnd 3: K7 (8, 8), k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k7 (8, 8).
Rnd 5: K6 (7, 7), k2tog, yo, k2tog, k1, ssk, yo, ssk, k6 (7, 7)
(19 [21, 21] sts).
Rnd 7: K5 (6, 6), k2tog, yo, k1, Gather7 incr, k1, yo, ssk, k5 (6, 6)
(23 [25, 25] sts).
Rnd 9: K4 (5, 5), k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, ssk, yo, ssk, k4
(5, 5).
Rnd 11: K3 (4, 4), k2tog, yo, k4tog, yo, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, yo, s4k, yo, ssk,
k3 (4, 4) (21 [23,23] sts).
Rnd 13: K2 (3, 3), k2tog, yo, k5, yo, sl 2tog-k1-p2sso, yo, k5, yo, ssk, k2
(3, 3).
Rnd 15: K3 (4, 4), [yo, ssk] twice, k2, k3, k2, [k2tog, yo] twice, k3 (4, 4).
Rnd 17: K4 (5, 5), [yo, ssk] twice, k, k3, k, [k2tog, yo] twice, k4 (5, 5).
Rnd 19: K5 (6, 6), [yo, ssk] twice, k3, [k2tog, yo] twice, k5 (6, 6).
Rnd 21: K6 (7, 7), [yo, ssk] twice, k, [k2tog, yo] twice, k6 (7, 7).
Rnd 23: K7 (8, 8), yo, ssk, yo, sl 2tog-k1-p2sso, yo, k2tog, yo, k7 (8, 8).
Rnd 25: K8 (9, 9), yo, ssk, k, k2tog, yo, k8 (9, 9).
Rnd 27: K9 (10, 10), yo, sl 2tog-k1-p2sso, yo, k9 (10,10).
Rnds 28–31: Knit.

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