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I love wearing mittens in the winter- they’re cosy, practical, and lots of fun to make. Kapitsa was designed because I needed a beautiful, quick, and satisfying knit to use a single skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I wanted to highlight the gentle fuzziness and perfect stitch definition in a practical garment that can be loved for years to come.

You’ll start with a long twisted ribbing, then work bouncy seed stitch across the top of the hand. A special gusset leads way to a tailored hand, and before you know it, this speedy knit is ready to be worn.

These mittens use a brand-new thumb increase technique called Kristen’s Gorgeous Gusset. KGG is easy-peasy to knit, super comfortable to wear, and attractive on the hand. You’ll love not having to count your stitches every row! Working your gusset this way makes the knitted piece wrap around your hand (mimicking how your real thumb moves and rotates). It also avoids having increases on your palm, so no bulky stitches that can chafe and rub sensitive winter skin.

Pyotr Kapitsa was a Soviet physicist praised for his work in low-temperature physics. He discovered the superfluidity of liquid helium in 1937 (that is, that liquid helium flows with no friction). He was awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for his ‘basic inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics’. Kapitsa was known to be steadfast in his opinion, dedicated to his research, and devoted to his family. I’m honoured to name this pattern after his legacy.

French and Danish translations coming soon. If you’d like to translate Kapitsa into another language, I’m happy to collaborate!

Sizes: Adult small, medium, large (if between sizes or unsure of hand circumference, I recommend sizing down)

Yarn: 200y worsted weight (sample knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca 6285 ‘Ocean’

Needles/ Notions: 3.75/US5 (or to get gauge), stitch marker, tapestry needle

Gauge: 20sts = 4” or 21 sts = 11 cm (row gague not critical) in stockinette, very lightly blocked

A huge thank-you to my wonderful tester knitters: Isitiknit, KnitRev, DorothyKP, keylieghann, Leana, Hokiegirl112, jcmccaffrey55, Terassa, Wittyknittynurse, and donnaron!