The perfect winter companion!

Keep your hands cozy in a Handy Hand Warmer while you cheer for your favorite team! This knit muff hand warmer is the perfect companion for game day, winter walks, or other chilly outdoor activities. The removable strap makes it convenient to carry wherever you need it this winter!

Handy Hand Warmer Knit Muff free knitting pattern on Stitches n Scraps

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Lion Brand Wool Ease Yarns

I received the Wool Ease Wow and Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarns used in this pattern for free in goody bags at a conference. They are both thicker versions of the worsted-weight, classic Wool Ease yarn, with a blend of acrylic and wool. Thick and Quick is a super bulky (#6) weight, and Wow is an even bigger, jumbo (#7) weight.

Optional Strap

Add a removable strap to your knit muff for hands-free carrying when not in use. A couple of small D-rings make it easy to clip on any strap you like.

Handy Hand Warmer knit muff displayed worn over the shoulder on a dress form

Use a commercial purse strap that has clips on the ends, or crochet your own!

Wear it 2 Ways

Wear the cuff out for more arm coverage, or push it in for a double layer of warmth inside!

Muff with hands in it, left cuff extended and right cuff pushed in.

I like my cuffs out, so I can tuck them into my jacket sleeves. How about you?

Alternating Cable Cast-On

This knit muff pattern starts with a ribbed cuff. You can use any cast-on you prefer as long as it’s loose/stretchy enough to match the stretch of the ribbing.

My favorite cast-on for ribbing is the alternating cable cast-on. Also known as a seed stitch cast-on, it’s a simple variation of the traditional cable cast-on that allows you to cast-on the equivalent of knit and purl stitches. See this Alternating Cable Cast-On tutorial for a closer look!

Alternating Cable (Seed Stitch) Cast on Tutorial on Stitches n Scraps

Binding Off

For my muff, I used a simple bind-off in pattern. This means I knit/purled each stitch as it appeared, and then passed the previous stitch over.

Another great bind-off option for ribbing is the tubular bind-off. See this Tubular Bind-Off in the Round tutorial for one method.

Tubular Bind Off tutorial on StitchesNScraps.com

There are a few different versions of tubular bind-offs, some of which create a double layer of fabric at the bound-off edge. However, since we’re working with thick yarn already, that extra layer may get too thick. This tutorial is for a sewn version that does not create that extra layer of fabric.

Handy Handwarmer Knit Muff

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Materials

Yarn:
- 45 yds Lion Brand Wool-Ease WOW jumbo weight yarn (80% acrylic, 20% wool. 240g / 66 yds per skein) (A)
- Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick &Quick super bulky weight yarn (80% acrylic, 20% wool. 170g / 106 yds per skein) (B)
  - 25 yds for cuffs
  - 2-5 yds for crochet strap (optional)
Needles:
- Size 17 / 12 mm knitting needles for working in the round, or size needed to match gauge.
  (16″ circulars, double points, 2 circulars, or 1 long circular for magic loop are all ok).
- Size 15 / 10 mm knitting needles for working in small rounds, or 2mm smaller than larger needles.
  (Double points, 2 circulars, or 1 long circular for magic loop).
Notions:
- Large yarn needle
- Stitch marker
- Scissors
- 1/2 – 1 inch D rings: 2 (optional – for attaching purse strap)
- Purse strap of desired length (optional – you can crochet a purse strap instead)
- Size N/10mm crochet hook or the same size as smaller needles (optional – for crochet purse strap)
- Lobster clasps or swivel hooks that fit your D rings: 2 (optional – for crochet purse strap)

Project Level

Easy: Knit and purl in the round, changing needles. Optional crochet cord.

Size

17 inches length; 16 inches circumference at widest point.

Gauge

With A and larger needles, in stockinette: 5 sts = 4 inches; 7 rounds = 3 inches.

Abbreviations Used

CO = cast on / cast-on
k = knit
p = purl
st(s) = stich(es)

Recommended Resources

Instructions

You can adjust the length of any section by adding or removing rounds. If you adjust the length of one cuff, be sure to adjust the other cuff in the same way. Keep in mind any changes in length will affect yarn usage.

First Cuff

With B and smaller needles, CO 20 sts using an alternating cable (seed stitch) cast-on, long-tail cast-on, or your preferred stretchy cast-on for ribbing.

Join to work in the round and place marker for beginning of round. Slip marker with each round as you come to it.

Rnd 1: [K1, p1] around.

Repeat [Rnd 1] 9 more times or until cuff measures approximately 2.75 inches. Make a note of how many rnds you have worked.

Cut B, leaving a tail to weave in later.

Body

Change to A and larger needles.

Rnd 1: K around.

Repeat [Rnd 1] 26 more times or until body measures approximately 11.5 inches.

Cut A, leaving a tail to weave in.

Use ends to close any gaps at CO edge or at color changes as needed, and then weave in all ends before continuing to Second Cuff. It will be harder to access the WS of Body after working the Second Cuff.

If the yarn is too big for your yarn needle, use a crochet hook to weave it in, or split the strands of yarn and weave them in separately.

Second Cuff

Change to B and smaller needles.

Rnd 1: K around.

Rnd 2: [K1, p1] around.

Repeat [Rnd 2] 8 more times or to the same number of total rnds as First Cuff, not counting CO edge as a rnd.

Bind off all stitches in pattern or with a sewn tubular bind-off.

Weave in all ends.

Crochet Hanging Strap (optional)

With B and crochet hook, ch 76 or to desired length of strap, keeping in mind that strap will stretch with use. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. Fasten off. (75 sc)

Sew a swivel hook or lobster clasp to each end of the strap.

Attaching Strap to Muff

With B, sew one D ring to one side of Muff, where the cuff meets the body.

Sewing a D-ring in place where cuff meets body

Place the other D ring on the opposite side of the Muff, where the body meets the opposite cuff. Be sure the D rings are in a straight line across from each other (follow the column of stitches from one to the other) and then sew in place with B.

Muff with D-rings attached - a highlighted line shows the straight line from center to center of D-rings, along a column of stitches.

Strap can be attached and removed as desired by clipping or unclipping to the D rings. You can even make multiple straps for different looks!

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I hope you enjoyed this knit muff hand warmer pattern. A downloadable pdf of this pattern is available on Ravelry for a small fee. The fee for the pdf format offsets the advertising revenue lost when you print or download the pattern rather than viewing it online.

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