Hooded English Brioche Fingerless Mittens in Red Wool

I do a lot of things outside, such as photography, that make fingerless mittens an important tool in my outdoor gear. As the weather is getting colder so is the need to cover up those extremities. It's amazing how cold fingers can get when the mercury dips lower and lower. True, we've had an especially warm fall but at night the temps are still noticeably dropping to crispy cold level. It's been an especially exciting year for Northern Lights this year, more displays than I ever remember seeing in one year. Late nights outside, exposed to the elements, mean cold fingers when setting up the camera to capture the undulating ribbons of color in the night sky.

These English honeycomb brioche fingerless mittens with hood are the perfect solution. I've had this wool yarn for almost a year now, waiting for the perfect project. I love the hint of purple by the same company because these two colors go so well together.

English brioche is a handy stitch to learn. The beauty of brioche is that it's double layered which makes it cushy and warm for winter attire. The English brioche is worked in one step instead of having to do yarn overs and knitting the yarn overs together with the neighboring stitch on the second pass. They knit up as quickly as if it's stockinette stitch because all the extra steps are eliminated.

The stitch is worked in the stitch below the stitch on the needle. This step can be quite scary when doing it for the first time. I recommend a practice swatch. The first few times you knit into the stitch below it feels like you've just tossed aside a live stitch to run amok in your swatch but it's really okay, it hasn't gone rogue like it seems. But it is important to get a good feel for the stitch before starting your project. After a few rows you will see exactly where the needle needs to go and that the extra strands of yarn sliding down the new stitch are exactly what you want.

It's amazing how many varieties of brioche methods I have encountered. This English style is by far my favorite and once learning it can't help but wonder why all the other, complicated varieties even exist. There must be a reason.

I am all prepared for winter and autumn lingers. The same thing happened when I bought a four-wheel drive vehicle several years ago, no snow that year. I was so ready for winter that year with four-wheel drive and cashmere mittens, wool scarves, and cozy chenille hats. Yet winter never came in its normal force. Maybe if I keep knitting all these fantastically warm and delightful winter accessories we will keep having mild winters.