Paw Me Mittens

My dog likes to paw at us. She does it for food or attention, and it should be annoying but it is mostly just adorable (unless she mistakenly paws your eye, or inside your mouth).
So, after knitting up a pair of basic tweedy mittens, I decided they needed a little something extra. I cut out a paw print, cradled it in my hand, and honestly, my heart melted just a little. If that makes me a crazy dog lady, so be it.

The end result looks somewhere between a cozy mitten and a pair of old-fashioned driving gloves - only with some extra pup appeal :) And amazingly, every time I hold out my hands to Annie wearing these mittens, she slaps a paw right on the spot - she's a genius I tell you.


Pattern Notes:

I custom fitted these to my hands - which are rather petite- so you will want to adjust to fit your hand size. I wanted the mittens to be tight and form fitted to my hands. I would say an extra 4 - 8 stitches would make a women's medium - large, with extra stitches beyond that if you want your mittens looser.

I used a super chunky tweed yarn, but knit it tight on size 8 needles for warmth. Gauge was around 3.5 stitches per inch in stockinette.

These are knit in the round. I used two circular needles, though knitting in the round on double pointed needles would work too. The right and left are knit up the same.

Cuff:
CO 28 stitches.
Join to work in the round.
Work in Seed Stitch for 2 rounds.
Dec Round: Decrease 2 stitches evenly on each needle, 4 stitches total
Knit 1 round.
Dec Round
Knit 1 round.
Switch to K1xP1 Rib for 6 rounds.

Mitten Body:
Knit 4 rounds in stockinette
Increase 2 stitches evenly on each needle, 4 stitches total (24 stitches)
Knit 4 rounds
Increase Round (28 stitches)
Knit 4 rounds
Increase Round (32 stitches)
Knit 2 rounds

Knit 12 stitches, slip 8 stitches to waste yarn for thumb, and then knit into next stitch with live yarn (skipping over the stitches you just slipped to waste yarn) and knit to end of round.

Continue knitting around until you've reached 3 inches from where the thumb is.
Decrease Round: SSK, knit to two stitches before end of needle 1, K2tog
Repeat with the second needle.
Knit 3 Rounds
Decrease Round
Knit 3 Rounds
Decrease Round
Decrease Round again... You should now have 4 stitches left on each needle.
Knit one more round and then pull yarn through remaining stitches.

Thumb:
Remove 8 stitches from waste yarn.
Pick up 2 stitches from inside of the thumb to make 10 stitches total.
Knit in round for 2 inches.
K2tog five times to end
Pull yarn through remaining 5 stitches.

Weave in all ends. Then cut out your paw from felt or fabric and sew on to the palm of your mittens. Now prepare to be melted with cuteness every time you look down at your hands...