The name of these mitts is inspired by Caroline Herschel, born in 1750. Starting out as a mere secretary to her famous brother William, she gradually became a recognised astronomer in her own right. She was also the first woman to actually receive a salary for scientific research.
Whether you discover comets like Caroline Herschel or just take an evening stroll to gaze at the stars: fingerless gloves like these will keep your hands warm while allowing your fingers freedom of movement.

The Astronomer’s Mitts are worked mainly in two-colour brioche ribbing - a small project that appeals to newer brioche knitters as well as those with more experience who look for a quick accessory.

The mitts can be customised for various sizes and styles: plain, colourful, unisex, classy, girly, for kids - everything is possible.

Skills required: You need to be comfortable working in the round over a small circumference and familiar with (or willing to look up) the basic brioche stitches brk, brp and sl1yo (the pattern uses Nancy Marchant’s terminology). The mitts are worked in a combination of two-colour brioche ribbing and garter stitch; every round is first worked in the main colour and then in the contrasting colour (only one colour at a time).
All shaping is done with kfb increases in garter stitch.
Photo tutorials are included for cast-on and bind-off techniques.

Notes on materials
Choose two colours with high contrast for the best effect. You will need approximately the same amount of each colour.
With optional embellishments such as buttons, beads or bows, you can style the mitts to suit your taste.

Glove circumference (unstretched)
13.5 cm/5¼’’ (S), 16 cm/6¼’’ (M), 18.5 cm/7¼’’ (L)
Length
15.5 cm/6’’ (S), 18 cm/7’’ (M), 19.5 cm/7¾’’ (L)
Larger mitts can be made by choosing sport- or DK-weight yarn and larger needles.

Thank you to Jo Torr for technical editing and to my wonderful test knitters (some of them were knitting brioche for the first time!) for their creative projects.