These pretty fingerless mittens are a great introduction to stranded colourwork; knitted in the round, the patterned sections consist of nothing more complicated than K2 in shade A, followed by K2 in shade B.

The pattern instructions cleverly adjust the number of stitches, gently tapering them towards the finger cast-off, so that the mitts fit perfectly and the direction of the patterned stripes changes. The number of rows in the bands of patterns combined with the direction changes make for an impressive array of traditional motifs.

I used 2 x 25gm of the main shade and 1 x 25gm of contrast, but they could be worked from odds and ends of any 4 ply yarn in lots of different colours to create a truly personalised project!