Announcing the Winners of

TKGA 2020 Knitwear for Hands

1^st Place – Colorwork Cables Mittens by Jean Anderson

Yarn:  Knit Picks Palette in colors Bark and Tranquil

Inspired by a box of Fanny Farmer chocolate mint candy, Jean’s Colorwork Cable Mittens use a combination of XO Cables in contrasting colors against a background of stranded  knitting with smaller motifs of the same XO design.  She has avoided partial motifs on the thumb gusset by increasing in multiples of 4.  We love the corrugated ribbing at the wrist and mitten top.  The professional workmanship around the thumb and mitten top is excellent in this creative design

2^nd Place – Revisiting French Marinier by Anne Tremolieres

Yarn:  Albertine by De Rerum Natura

French fashion’s iconic striped top influenced Anne’s Revisiting French Marinier mitts that plays with stripes in perpendicular directions.  A diagonal seam smoothly transitions cuff and thumb from the hand, giving the feeling that the hand rises from it.  Using a modified I-cord cast on, stitches are picked up from the I-cord side and the cuff is knit in corrugated ribbing in the round.  The mitt is then worked back and forth, using mirrored increases to create the thumb gusset and joined in the round again to knit the thumb.  The rest of the mitt is knit top down with a smaller I-cord seam.  We love how the diagonal seam softens the two varying width stripes with the thumb organically emerging from the body. The execution and knitting is lovely and overall effect is eye catching.

3^rd Place – Rapunzel’s Castle by Kathy Erhard

Yarn:  Dream in Color’s Smooshy Cashmere

Inspired by an old-world European fortress complete with turrets and spiral staircases, leaded glass windows and open-air balconies, Kathy’s Rapunzel’s Castle uses Bavarian twisted traveling stitches in her enchanted mitts.  Each mitt resembles a single tower with a center twisted motif resembling Rapunzel’s cascading hair.  They are knitt in the round and are interchangeable between right and left hands.  The different patterns on the back and palm allows the wearer to decide which side to showcase when wearing.  We love the framing around the thumb gusset and balanced stitch patterns that really take this design to a professional level.  The length, proportions and overall design is excellent.