Tutorial: Mystery Stitch

Hello fellow crafty people.   :) I have dubbed this the Mystery Stitch because it is the result of trying to find out how some mittens were made. A woman in Canada received them years ago from a German woman and couldn't find anyone who knew how they were made. She described them as appearing to have two layers even though they were knitted with one strand. The outside had 'little sticks' and the inside had stocking stitch 'running round and round', horizontal to the fabric. I racked my brains and the closest thing I could think of made like this with knitting was Twice-knit. However, on trying this stitch out and comparing it to her mittens it turned out that Twice-knit was not the stitch after all. The mystery deepened. 'Well,' I thought to myself, 'perhaps it is not knit at all, but crochet'. I hunted through my books and did indeed find a crochet stitch that matched the criteria. I can't find a proper name for the stitch anywhere so Mystery Stitch seems as good as any. Apparently the makers of these styles of mitten knit the cuffs but then work the rest doing this type of crochet. They use a special, flattened style of hook to make it easier but I managed to work up a sample by working not-too-tightly with an ordinary hook. If you'd like to see the mystery unfold for yourself the directions follow below. Megan Front view Back view Foundation Make a chain as long as the circumference you require - about 30 will be good for trying out the technique, and join with a slip stitch into a circle. Round 1 Slip stitch into the front loop only of every chain. Round 2 Slip stitch into the front loop only of every slip stitch. Repeat Round 2 to form the pattern. The fabric has a very strong tendency to roll but that will be countered when the item is seamed or, as with items like mittens, decreased and joined at the tips.

Home Page and more Patterns
Created: 19 February 2006