Mittens & mitts · Easy

Arm warmers

Knitted flat from the elbow down: a cuff, a straight part, fully fashioned decreases down to the wrist, a short stretch with a gap for the thumb and a second cuff at the hand. Sewn up the side with the gap left open, so the same piece does for the left and the right arm.

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Virtual test knit

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Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

296 rows and 17,416 stitches knitted, 96 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
Measurement	Should be	Simulated
Elbow circumference	22.5–24.5 cm	✓ 23.7 cm
Wrist circumference	14.5–16.5 cm	✓ 15.7 cm
Length	28.5–31.5 cm	✓ 30.5 cm
Rows end where they started	0–0 rows	✓ 0 rows

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Women · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

Measurement	Women	Men
Wrist circumference	16 cm	18 cm
Elbow circumference	24 cm	27 cm
Length, elbow to hand	30 cm	32 cm
Cuff depth	3 cm	3 cm

You will need

Yarn: Soft, stretchy wool or wool blend: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge.

About 55 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, 2-prong transfer tool, Contrast thread for marking, Waste yarn (single bed)

Gauge swatch first

Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Arm warmer (knit 2)

Cast on 71 sts, 148 rows. Flat size about 23.7 × 30.5 cm.

Row by row

Bring 71 needles into work (L35 to R36). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
Turned hem: knit 12 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 12 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 026). Remove the waste yarn later.
Knit 25 rows at MT (RC 051).
Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 4 rows, 12 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 71 → 47 sts (RC 099).
Knit 5 rows at MT (RC 104).
Tie a contrast thread to the left edge stitch: the thumb opening starts here. Knit 13 rows at MT (RC 117).
Tie a contrast thread to the left edge stitch: the thumb opening ends here. Knit 6 rows at MT (RC 123).
Closing hem: knit 12 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 and 12 rows at MT−1 (RC 148), then a few rows of waste yarn, and release. Fold the hem inside along the loose row and sew the open loops to the first hem row.

Bed chart

Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.

Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (19)

Rows	What the carriage knits	Tension
1–12	Stocking stitch	MT−1
13	Stocking stitch	MT+2
14–25	Stocking stitch	MT−1
26–51	Stocking stitch	MT
52–55	Stocking stitch	MT
56–59	Stocking stitch	MT
60–63	Stocking stitch	MT
64–67	Stocking stitch	MT
68–71	Stocking stitch	MT
72–75	Stocking stitch	MT
76–79	Stocking stitch	MT
80–83	Stocking stitch	MT
84–87	Stocking stitch	MT
88–91	Stocking stitch	MT
92–95	Stocking stitch	MT
96–123	Stocking stitch	MT
124–135	Stocking stitch	MT−1
136	Stocking stitch	MT+2
137–148	Stocking stitch	MT−1

Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

Weave in the ends and remove the waste yarn.
Fold each piece lengthwise, right sides together, with the wider end at the top. Sew the long edge from the elbow down to the first thread and from the second thread to the hand: the gap between the threads is the thumb hole.
Turn right side out and steam lightly. Both are the same; wear the seam on the inside of the arm.

Notes and changes

The wrist, elbow and length are starting values from common arm warmers, not rules: change them in the size boxes to the wearer's arm.
Measure the arm where the warmer will sit, not at the widest part of the upper arm. Leave it slightly looser at the elbow so it does not slide down.
A 24-stitch punch-card pattern or stripes work well on the straight part.

What the words mean

Short rows (引返): knitting only some of the needles for a few rows while the others wait. The middle grows taller than the sides, which makes a cup: that is how the heel and toe of a sock get their curve.
Hold: the needle position for short rows: a needle pushed all the way forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Turned hem: a neat double edge: knit a strip, then fold it up and hang its first row back on the needles, so the edge is a fold instead of a raw cast-on.
1×1 rib: one stitch on the main bed, one on the ribber, side by side: the stretchy edge of socks, cuffs and hat brims. Needs a ribber or a double bed.
Decrease / increase: making the piece one stitch narrower or wider at the edge. Fully fashioned means moving the 2 edge stitches in (or out) with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for sewing.
Transfer tool: the small hook (1, 2 or 3 prongs) that lifts stitches off needles and puts them on others.
Waste yarn: a few rows in a spare colour knitted before or after the piece and pulled out later, leaving open loops to hang back or sew.
MT (main tension): the tension dial number of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC (row counter): the counter on the carriage. Set it to 000 after casting on; every step says what it should read when the step is done.
L10 / R10: needle numbers, counted outwards from the middle (0) of the needle bed.
Mattress stitch: the usual way to sew knitted pieces together: you catch the bar between the first two stitches on each side, so the seam disappears.
Duplicate stitch: embroidery that follows a knitted stitch's V shape with a needle and a second colour, so the pattern looks knitted in.

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Arm warmers

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