Howdy, how are you all doing today? Hope you are all good where you are.

February is quite typically sooo cold and grey here in the UK, though we have been enjoying some winter sun lately, but it’s still been freezing – which means there is no better time to release something woolly! Allow me to introduce the Malmsmead Mitts.

John Arbon Textiles have recently updated their classic Exmoor sock range, and I was delighted to try out one of their new colours combined with one of the lovely existing shades for my latest project.

Exmoor Sock is what you’d probably class as proper wool (if that makes sense), it’s a 4ply yarn that is a combination of Bluefaced Leicester, Blueface Exmoor, Devon Zwartbles and Falklands Corriedale breeds. As the name suggests it is designed to be perfect for socks but it’s still versatile enough to suit garments and accessories that suit a hard wearing, machine washable yarn.

After using it I would imagine it would actually make fantastically robust socks, however I had a different plan in mind. My husband does a lot of hiking and I understand that wool socks in particular have the ability to manage moisture and regulate temperature. They keep sweat away from your feet meaning feet stay drier so are comfortable in both cool and warm conditions. And if its good enough for feet, wouldn’t it be just as good for hands (I thought to myself), and that’s how the Malmsmead Mitts came into being!

For my mitts I used the original rich magenta Bell Heather shade (because it literally had my name on it!) combined with their new light pinkish Fairy Thimble. I love that the colours are based on the natural shades you would see in the beautiful landscape that makes up Exmoor National Park. The Bell Heather is based on the moorland shrub (that gives me my name) and the Fairy Thimble inspired by the colour of foxgloves (isn’t that a lovely image; fairy thimbles!).

The name for the mitts comes from an actual place; Malmsmead is a rural hamlet sitting on the border of Somerset and Devon. It’s nestled in the Exmoor valleys and is classed as a bit of a nature lovers paradise. Malmsmead is also the gateway to the Doone valley which was made famous by RD Blackmoor in his famous novel Lorna Doone set in the drama of the Exmoor landscape.

I like the think that these mitts would be the perfect thing to wear on a wild and windy walk on the moors, obviously by a heroine of some kind, and the stitch pattern does remind me of clumps of bell heather – see what you think when you make them.

The pattern comes in three different sizes (small, medium and large) size with a cm or so (1/2 inch) negative ease. The stitch pattern I’ve used has such a pleasing texture that I want to use it again – maybe for a matching cowl, what do you think?

The written pattern for Malmsmead Mitts is now available in all of my pattern shops with 25% off for the next couple of weeks on Ravelry and Etsy (see code below):

As I mentioned I used a combination of Exmoor sock in Bell Heather for the cuff and Fairy Thimble for the main mitt, which is a 4ply yarn, with a 3mm (US size approx. D3), I say the pattern works best in a solid colour, rather than variegated, so you can see the stitch pattern.

The pattern is 8 pages long and it’s written, as usual, in both UK and US terms, I have also added a flatlay chart for each size of mitts as a helpful visual guide. The patterns are worked in rows for the cuff and then in rounds for the main body of the mitt and I would suggest they are suitable for a more intermediate crocheter – though there is nothing to stop an adventurous beginner having a go!

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If you fancy 25% off the pattern price just enter the coupon code: MALMSMEAD25 on either Ravelry or Etsy until 22 February to save.

I really enjoyed making these mitts, so I’m definitely not done with mitt designs yet in fact I’ve got another in the pipelines which I’m hoping will be one of my first releases in February. And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the John Arbon Textiles yarn, in fact if you are a fan too I’ve got a pattern using their yarns scheduled later in the year – so watch this space for that.

If you like this pattern please give it a love, or leave a comment or review on the platform you got it from when you’ve made it up, as a small biz all support and shares are very much appreciated! I hope you’ll share any finished photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to make sure you are signed up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.

Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

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