Patricia Hart grew up watching her mom make beautiful things without any patterns. Patricia says that this creativity she witnessed as a child inspired her own design career with knitting and crochet.
The Avoca Fingerless Gloves & Mittens pattern is one of Patricia’s most recent creations. Knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca from cuff to fingers, you can be sure your hands will stay warm – no matter which version you choose. The focal point is a classic cable pattern along the cuff, which can be knit in a contrasting color to really make it stand out. Patricia liked the look so much that she designed a hat to match!
How did you come up with this design?
One day I just felt a real need for some yellow mitts to brighten a dreary, gray winter. After making the gloves and the mittens in yellow, I chose the winter-white and grey combination to give the cuff more prominence visually. Everyone who saw that version loved it, too. The next thing I knew, the matching hat practically designed itself!
Any interesting stories about the process?
People sometimes ask me how a pattern got its name. In keeping with the Celtic look of these, I chose Avoca, which is the name of a village and a river in County Wicklow, Ireland. Avoca Handweavers, the oldest working woolen mill in Ireland and Ireland’s oldest surviving (and thriving) business, is located there – still making gorgeous things.
How did you decide on the yarn?
Ultra Alpaca is one of my favorite yarns. It’s lovely to knit with, keeps its shape well, it’s very soft and also offers so many fabulous color choices, any of which would work beautifully for these.
What’s your favorite thing about knitting?
I love that knitting is so calming and, at the same time, it’s so exciting because every skein has the potential to bring joy to someone by becoming something beautiful.
Do you have a cool design you want to share? Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn? You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.