What Do You Get for An 8 Year Old for Her Birthday?

Stella has been invited to a birthday party this weekend and I went to several stores looking for the perfect gift for an 8 year old girl – but I could not really find anything that was worth buying.  I thought about what I could make that could be completed within the week and would be liked and I thought about a pair of fingerless mittens.  I went to my 2 favorite free knitting pattern sites: www.ravelry.com and www.knittingpatterncentral.com.  I couldn’t really find a child’s pattern that I liked, but I found one for adults, but of course it was for a different weight yarn than what I wanted to use – so I re-wrote the pattern for the size I wanted and using the yarn I had.  After 2 starts I had the pattern!

Lace & Fur Fingerless Mittens

Size: Child or small wristed adult
Gauge: 20 sts = 4 inches
Yarn: 1 skein chunky weight yarn (you will use about 1/2)
1 skein Fun Fur (you will not even use 1/2)
Needle Size: US 8
1 darning needle

Stitch Explanation
K = knit
P = purl
sk2p = slip 1 stitch as if to knit, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch  – 2 stitches decreased
YO = yarn over
P2tog = purl 2 stitches as one, decreasing one stitch

Pattern:
Lace
Row 1 (WS): Purl
Row 2 (RS): K1 *yo, k2, sk2p, k2, yo, k1; repeat from * across
Repeat rows 1 & 2 for Lace Pattern

Ribbing
Row 1(RS): *K2, P2; repeat from * across
Row 2 (WS): knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches
Repeat rows 1 & 2 for ribbing

Make 2

 

Cast on 33 stitches with the yarn only,  using the knitting on method.  Work in Lace Pattern until piece measures 4 1/2 inches, ending on a RS row.

 

Next Row (WS), decreasing: P3, (p2tog, p4) 5 times – you will now have 28 stitches

 

Add the fun fur to the yarn and work in the Ribbing Pattern, starting with Row 1 and work for 12 rows.

 

 

Continuing with the Ribbing Pattern and only using the yarn, work for 4 more rows.  Bind off in Ribbing Pattern.  The fingerless mitten should measure 8 inches.

 

To Finish: Beginning at the bound-off edge, seam sides of fingerless mittens, sewing for     5 1/2 inches, then weave the yarn through the edge, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space for the thumb opening and then sew 1 inch to end (another way to state: seam sides, leaving a 1 1/2 inch opening for the thumb, about 1 inch below cast on edge). Weave in all ends.  This project took me less than 3 hours to make (had some interruptions!) and I think you could make 2 pairs from 1 skein of yarn. After the photos, I was told that I needed to make another pair for Stella, who would have thought?!

 

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4 Responses to What Do You Get for An 8 Year Old for Her Birthday?

  1. Joie says:

    Love them. Wow, what a great gift. These could be the new fad.

    • simply0637 says:

      Now making an adult pair, for me! Stella keeps asking when I am going to make her a pair, which I will, but I need to get working on her quilt, which I realized I am going to have to sew by hand, ugh!

  2. Candace Coffin says:

    Love the pattern. Love your blog. Love you!!

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