These cozy fingerless mitts feature a traditional Slavic colorwork motif worked in classic red and white. The pattern combines stranded knitting with duplicate stitch embroidery for a beautiful folk-inspired design.
The hand warmers are knitted in the round from the bottom up, starting with a comfortable 1x1 ribbed cuff in two colors. A thumb gusset is formed with increases worked into the colorwork pattern, and the thumb is completed separately after the main body is finished.
The clever construction uses an identical pattern on both front and back, which means you knit two identical warmers and simply rotate one to create a perfect left-right pair — no mirror-image shaping required!

Size
One size fits most adults

Palm circumference: 19 cm (7.5 inches)
Length: Approximately 18-20 cm from cuff to top (adjustable)
Thumb length: Approximately 3-4 cm

Materials

Yarn

Color A (white): 1 ball of Lang Yarns Alpaca Soxx, color 26 Oat (70% Superfine Alpaca / 30% Nylon, 390 m per 100 g)
Color B (red): 1 ball of Lang Yarns Alpaca Soxx, color 61 Red Melange (70% Superfine Alpaca / 30% Nylon, 390 m per 100 g)

Yarn substitutions: Any fingering weight yarn with similar gauge will work. For best results, choose a yarn with good stitch definition for colorwork.

Needles

3mm (US 2.5) circular needles, 16” (40 cm) cable length
OR 3mm (US 2.5) double pointed needles if preferred

Notions

Stitch markers (at least 1)
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends and duplicate stitch embroidery
Scrap yarn for holding thumb stitches
Scissors
Ruler or measuring tape

Construction Notes

Worked in the round from cuff to fingertips
Ribbing uses two colors in alternating pattern (knit stitches in one color, purl stitches in another)
Thumb gusset increases are worked every other round
After Row 52, remaining colorwork is completed with duplicate stitch to avoid long floats
Second mitt is knitted identically and rotated to fit opposite hand

Skill Level
Moderate — Perfect for adventurous beginners or intermediate knitters

Required skills:

Knitting in the round
Two-color ribbing
Stranded colorwork (Fair Isle)
Increases (M1 or similar)
Duplicate stitch embroidery
Basic finishing techniques