Knitting

Patterns
Supporting seafarers
and fishers with a
special gift
When you knit a woolly hat or mittens for a seafarer
or fisher, you do more than just keep them warm. You
remind them of your love and care.

For people working at sea, icy conditions and harsh storms are a regular
occurrence. Days can feel long and cold. A knitted hat or mittens can not only
help to protect them from the cold, but for the 1.5 million people who work at
sea, transporting 90% of our goods, it can also remind them that someone cares
about them. For someone who has been away from home for many months,
facing difficult and often dangerous conditions, this can mean a great deal.

If you would like to send a knitted item to a seafarer, please contact your
nearest Senior Area Port Chaplain below:

North of England South of England & Wales Scotland

Anne McLaren Deacon Nick O’Neill Deacon Joe O’Donnell

anne.mclaren@ nicholas.oneill@ joseph.odonnell@

stellamarismail.org stellamarismail.org stellamarismail.org
07906661633 07821846189 07793489193
Please use the fibre you enjoy working with and
you have available. You may use wool, washable
wool, wool blends,or acrylics—your preference.
However Aran will make the cosiest hat!

While most of the maritime workforce is male,

we find that seafarers and mariners love bright
colours as well as the more traditional dark
colour palette. But please do avoid pastels as
delicate colours get dirty quite quickly..
Woolly Hat

This hat holds on to your head, keeps you warm and does not blow off in the wind!

Size needles, no.6 (5mm) and no. 7(4.1/2mm)

• With no. 6 needles cast on 108 stitches and k2. p2 . for approx 2 to 3
inches.
• Change to no. 7 needles and continue in rib until work measures a total
of 9 inches,
• Start the decreasing as follows:
• 1st row. Rib 9, slip 1 k. 2 tog. p.s.s.o. repeat to end of row.
• 2nd and every alternate row rib in pattern.
• 3 rd. row Rib 7, slip1, k.2 tog.p.s.s.o. repeat to end of row.
• 4th. row as 2nd.
• 5th. row Rib 5 etc. and continue decreasing every other row until on the
9th. row it will be Rib 1. etc.
• 11 th. row k2 tog. to the end of the row thread wool through remaining
stitches, stitch up and fold back the brim,
• and then start again!
Fingerless Mittens on two
needles

Materials:
Worsted Weight Wool (one 3.5 oz/100 gram skein of 200
yards was plenty) Size
4 (US) double point needles 2 stitch markers Small bit of spare
waste yarn
Gauge: about 7 sts = 1” done in 1X1 ribbing, and 6 sts = 1” in Twin
Rib stitch, unstretched

Size:
Adult sized. Arm length can be adjusted by working more or less rows
before starting the thumb gusset, and hand length can be adjusted by
working more or less rows after the thumb stitch divide. The gusset length
measures 2.5" long, so adjust length above and below to your wishes.
Length as written is 8.5" long. The Twin Rib stitch is very stretchy and
accommodates various widths. The arm and hand sections measure 7"
around when unstretched, and up to about 10" stretched.

Abbreviation:
M1 increase is done by lifting the running thread between the stitch just
worked and the next stitch on the left needle, waiting to be worked, and
twisting it to either the left or the right at you put it on the left needle, then
knit this new stitch twisted. I mirror the M1 increases on each side of the
thumb gusset to make a symmetrical increase line going up each side of
the thumb.

Instructions:
Cast off 42, dividing onto double point needles, joining into round, being
careful not to twist sts at join. (For ease in working twin rib, distribute
stitches in multiples of 6 on each needle.) K1, P1 rib for 6 rounds
Begin main pattern (twin rib):
Round 1: K3, P3 around
Round 2: K1, P1 around
Repeat these two rounds 10 times total (26
total rounds completed since the beginning)

Thumb gusset:
On a Round 1, begin to increase for thumb:
K3, P3, place marker, M1, K1, P1, K1, M1, place marker,
P3, then continue to finish the round in K3, P3….
Next round do the K1, P1 round (to continue in the
established pattern), BUT making sure to do the thumb gusset
stitches between the markers in the established 1X1 ribbing
columns at all times (no increases on this round).
Repeat these two rounds, doing the M1 increase on the inside of
the markers on every K3, P3 round (in other words, every other round)
until there are 19 thumb gusset stitches (all in 1X1 ribbing) between the
markers, for a total count of 58 stitches.

On next round, (1X1 rib round), rib up to the first marker, place 19 thumb
stitches on spare waste yarn, cast on 3 stitches (I do a backward loop
cast on), and continue to do the 1X1 ribbing around. (See note at end for
alternate thumb option.)
Repeat Rnd 1 and Rnd 2, 7 times more (14 rounds after taking thumb
gusset stitches off).
K1, P1 rib for 6 rounds. Cast off evenly (not too tightly) in rib pattern.
Thumb: Put 19 thumb stitches on needles and then do the first round, in
1X1 ribbing to match, to the hand side and pick up 5 stitches on the cast
on hand edge. (That is, 3 on the cast on stitches, plus one each side of
them, in each “corner”, to help fill in the holes on each side.) 1X1 rib for 4
more rounds, then cast off, in rib. Weave in ends, being sure to snug up
any loose areas in the thumb corners.

Make second one to match!

Note for Short Thumb:
If you don't wish to fiddle around
with the longer thumb knit after the
main body, just castoff the thumb gusset
stitches instead of placing them on a spare
piece of yarn, and continue on to complete that
round, then cast on the 3 stitches on the hand on
the next round. They would be quicker this way, and
be just slightly different than the original. Either way
they will still keep the hands warm, so the choice is yours!

OR More specifically:
When you have all the thumb gusset stitches increased (19 gusset
sts between your markers), work one more round of plain K1, P1
rib. Then, on the next K3, P3 round, simply bind off the 19 gusset sts
that are between your markers (instead of putting them on scrap yarn
for working later). Then finish working this round as usual. On the next
round, when you get to the spot where you bound off the thumb stitches,
to help minimize the "gap" that can occur at the joining spot, work the
next two rounds as follows:
Pick up one stitch from the first cast off stitch of the thumb stitches, and
then pick up one stitch from the last cast off stitch of the thumb stitches.
You now have added back 2 of the 3 stitches that you need (3 stitches to
match the stitches used at the base of the gusset sts).

Finish working this round in pattern. On the following round, work up to

where you picked up these two stitches, knit the first picked up stitch,
then do a M1 using the running strand connecting the two picked up sts,
then knit the next picked up stitch. The M1 will help tighten the loose
strand between these picked up sts, and make the neatest possible
"bridge" over the thumb join area.
Balaclava

Materials
One pair of size 10 (3mm) needles
One pair of size 8 (4mm) needles
100 grams of double knitting wool.

Instructions
• With size 8 needles cast on 150 stitches.
• 1st Row: K2, (P2, K2) to end of row. • 2nd Row: P2, (K2, P2) to
end of row.
• Repeat 1st and 2nd rows until the work measures 6ins.
• Next Row: (K2, P2) 3 times and slip these stitches onto a safety
pin, (K2, P2) to last 12 stitches and slip these on to a safety pin.
• Continuing in rib decrease 1 stitch at0 each end of next 4 rows
then the following 2 alternate rows (114 stitches). Continue until
work measures 12 ins. Crown
• 1st Row: Work 71. S1, K2tog, psso, turn.
• 2nd Row: Work 29, P3tog, turn.
• 3rd Row: Work 29, S1, K1, psso, turn.
• 4th Row: Work 29, P2tog, turn
• 5th Row: Work 29, S1 K2tog, psso, turn
• 6th Road: Work 29, P3tog, turn.
• Repeat from 3rd to 6th Row 12 times, then 3rd and 4th rows once
(30 stitches).
• Next Row: Work to end, pick up and P1 along the side edge of next
row down.
• Next Row: Work to end, pick up and K1 along the side edge of the
next row down.
• Repeat last 2 rows.
• Next Row: Work to end, pick up and K1 along side edge of next row
down.
• Next Row: Work to end, pick up and P1 along side edge of next row
down.
• Repeat last 2 rows (38 stitches)
• Break off wool and leave stitches on needle.
• Slip 12 stitches from first safety pin on to a size 10 needle.
• Rejoin wool and pick up and knit 20 stitches along the side edge to
stitches on needle, work 38 stitches from needle; pick up and knit 20
stitches along side edge to stitches on second safety pin and work
these 12 stitches (102 stitches).
• 1st Row: P2, (K2, P2) to end.
• 2nd Row: K2 (P2, K2) to end.
• Repeat last two rows twice, then 1st row once.
• Cast off loosely in rib.
• Sew front neck seam