Choose Colors That Pop! Knit Ilisha’s Mittens

I designed a pair of colorwork mitts inspired by the Pointillists, painters who used dots of pure color to simulate realism when viewed at a distance, and played with stitch patterns that might produce a color-dot effect. Deciding between color-stranding (two or more yarn colors per round) and slipped-stitch patterns (one yarn color per row or round), I chose a slipped-stitch technique to make dots of color that alternate with stripes. Three rounds of slipped knit stitches compress the fabric around the purled areas and make them seem rounded, which is exactly what I was going for in Ilisha’s Mittens!

You might wonder how to get such a smooth transition between colors in the purl-dot areas. Here’s an easy trick: Even if the pattern would normally call for a round of purl stitches, knit the first round of the new color in those areas, making a smooth transition of color. Since knit stitches tend to recede, they are almost invisible in the mitten.