Mini Felted Mitts and Socks

These miniatures may not have room for all the goodies Santa brings, but they make festive accents on any tree. Knit them large, then felt and shrink them to ornament size. For advice on yarns, see Yarns for Felting.

Measurements (finished)

Stocking: 2³⁄₄" wide x 6" long
Mitten: 2³⁄₄" wide x 4¹⁄₂" long

Yarn

Cascade 220, 100% Peruvian Highland wool, worsted weight, 3¹⁄₂ oz (100 g)/220 yd (200 m) skeins, Natural (4528), Hot Pink (9469), Christmas Green Heather (9490), Marine (8339)

Sock

MC: 30 yds
CC A: 5 yds

Mitt

MC: 35 yds
CC A: 3 yds

Needles

One set of US 10¹⁄₂ (6.5 mm) double-pointed needles or size you need to obtain correct gauge

Gauge

12–14 stitches = 4" on US 10¹⁄₂ (6.5 mm) needles in stockinette stitch

Other Supplies

Stitch holder, crochet hook, yarn needle, felting supplies (fine-mesh bag, jeans, washing machine, detergent; see page 125), buttons and/or 3 yds embroidery yarn and needle (optional)

Abbreviations

CC: contrasting color

K: knit

K2tog: knit 2 stitches together

M1: make 1 stitch

MC: main color

P: purl

P2tog: purl 2 stitches together

ssk: slip, slip, knit the 2 slipped stitches together

The Sock

Knitting the Cuff

Setup: Cast on 22 stitches.

Rows 1–4: Knit to the end of each row. (This is the garter-stitch cuff, which will be seamed after the stocking is completed.)

Knitting the Stocking

Setup: Distribute the stitches evenly among three double-pointed needles. Join into a round, taking care not to twist any stitches. For information on circular knitting, see Getting Around on page 16.

Rounds 1–14: Using MC, knit to the end of each round.

Knitting the Heel

Join CC A without cutting the MC yarn. You will be working back and forth in rows in this and the next section.

Row 1 (right side): K12. Place remaining stitches on a stitch holder, if desired.

Row 2: Purl to the end of the row.

Row 3: Knit to the end of the row.

Rows 4–7: Repeat rows 2 and 3 on the 12 stitches you are working.

Turning the Heel

Row 1 (wrong side): P7, P2tog, P1, turn.

Row 2: Slip 1, K3, K2tog, K1, turn.

Row 3: Slip 1, P4, P2tog, P1, turn.

Row 4: Slip 1, K5, K2tog, K1, turn.

Row 5: P6, P2tog, turn.

Row 6: K5, K2tog. Cut CC A. You now have 6 stitches.

Knitting the Gusset and Foot

Setup: Beginning with the right side of the heel facing you, where MC is still attached, pick up and distribute stitches as follows (see Picking Up Stitches):

Needle 1: With a new needle, pick up and knit 6 stitches along the side of the heel, then K3 from the heel.
Needle 2: K3 from the bottom of the heel, then pick up and knit 6 stitches along the other side of the heel.
Needle 3: K10 (instep).

You now have 28 stitches, distributed as follows:

Needle 1: 9 stitches
Needle 2: 9 stitches
Needle 3: 10 stitches

Round 1: Knit to the end of the round.

Round 2:

Needle 1: Ssk, knit to the end of the needle.
Needle 2: Knit to the last 2 stitches on the needle, K2tog.
Needle 3: Knit to the end of the needle.

Rounds 3–6: Repeat rounds 1 and 2. You now have 22 stitches.

Rounds 7–9: Knit to the end of each round. Cut MC.

Shaping the Toe

Round 1: Using CC A, knit to the end of the round.

Round 2:

Needle 1: K1, K2tog, knit to the end of the needle.
Needle 2: Knit to the last 3 stitches on the needle, ssk, K1.
Needle 3: K2tog, knit to the last 2 stitches, ssk.

Rounds 3–8: Repeat rounds 1 and 2. At the end of round 8, you now have 6 stitches. Cut yarn.

With a yarn needle, thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull firmly. Fasten off. Go to Finishing.

The Mitt

Knitting the Cuff

Setup: Using CC A, cast on 20 stitches.

Rows 1–4: Knit to the end of each row. Cut CC A. (This is a garter-stitch cuff, which will be seamed when the mitt is completed.)

Knitting the Thumb Gusset

Setup: Distribute the 20 stitches evenly among three double-pointed needles. Join into a round, taking care not to twist the stitches. (For advice on knitting in the round, see Getting Around.)

Rounds 1 and 2: Using MC, knit to the end of each round.

Round 3: M1, K1, M1, knit to the end of the round. (See On the Increase for how to M1.) You now have 22 stitches.

Rounds 4, 6, and 8: Knit to the end of each round.

Round 5: M1, K3, M1, knit to the end of the round.

You now have 24 stitches.

Round 7: M1, K5, M1, knit to the end of the round.

You now have 26 stitches.

Round 9: Slip the first 7 stitches (thumb stitches) onto a stitch holder, cast on 1 stitch, and knit to the end of the round.

You now have 20 stitches on the needles.

Knitting the Hand

Rounds 1–9: Knit to the end of each round.

Round 10: K1, K2tog, K5, ssk, K1, K2tog, K5, ssk.

You now have 16 stitches.

Rounds 11 and 13: Knit to the end of each round.

Round 12: K1, K2tog, K3, ssk, K1, K2tog, K3, ssk.

You now have 12 stitches.

Round 14: K1, K2tog, K1, ssk, K1, K2tog, K1, ssk.

You now have 8 stitches.

Cut the yarn, thread the tail through the remaining stitches with a yarn needle, pull together, and fasten off.

Making the Thumb

Setup: Slip the 7 stitches from the stitch holder onto two double-pointed needles. With the third needle, pick up 3 more stitches from the body of the mitt. You now have 10 stitches.

Rounds 1–5: Using MC, knit to the end of each round.

Round 6: *K2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round.

You now have 5 stitches. Cut yarn.

With a yarn needle, thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull together. Fasten off.

Finishing

Sew the short seam in the cuff. Weave in all loose ends on the wrong side of the work. Felt the ornaments as described in Felting, right).

Add hangers (see page 77 for suggestions). Decorate with buttons or embroidery as desired (see page 105 for decorative stitches).

Felting

To protect your washer from excess lint, place the knitted ornaments in a zippered, fine-mesh bag. If you felt several ornaments at once, use a separate bag for each color. Avoid felting light and dark ornaments together, as there is always some dye and fiber washed out during the process. Adding a pair of blue jeans to the load will shorten agitation time.

Set the washer for hot water, low water level, and maximum agitation. Add a small amount of a mild detergent.

Check on the felting progress every 5 minutes. Each time you check, remove all the ornaments from the bag, pull them into shape, and check their size before continuing. Reset the washer to continue agitating until you are happy with the size. Do not let the washer drain and spin.

Remove the ornaments from the bags. Rinse them completely by hand, using a towel to remove as much water as possible.

Shape them and lay them out to air-dry. When they are completely dry, apply trim or embroidery, if desired.