CLUBHOUSE LANE KNITTING PATTERN REVIEW

Fingerless mitts fit for an Austen Heroine

Sometimes I like to match my knitting projects with my reading material. If you asked me to pair a knitting pattern with a book I would choose Clubhouse Lane by Georgie Nicolson and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, as these fingerless mitts are fit for a Jane Austen heroine. 

The extra length gives them a touch of grace and elegance and the delicate Persian lace details look like little blossoms to me. It makes me think of Jane and Lizzie picking lavender and daisies in the Longbourne gardens. Not to mention sipping tea from delicate china cups. This knitting pattern also happens to be inspired by a tea blend, which we’ll get into later. 

The Pattern Design - Inspiration behind Clubhouse Lane mitts

Clubhouse Lane fingerless mittens were originally designed for the Augustbird Tea Club, where a pattern and yarn colourway were created to compliment a particular blend of tea, in this case ‘Clubhouse Lane’ by Scullery Made Tea. Clubhouse Lane Tea has a delicious rooibos base, blended with orange zest, cinnamon, cloves and calendula petals. 

Check out Scullery Made Teas here. 

Here’s what Georgie has to say about her Clubhouse Lane Pattern.

“The pattern pays homage to the flavours of the Scullery Made tea that bears the same name; citrus, cinnamon, cloves and calendula. These mitts are for wrapping around a good cup of tea and embracing nature.”


Clubhouse Lane Mitts in the colour way 'Clubhouse Lane'. Photo by Georgie Nicolson.

Knitting Clubhouse Lane - What a lovely knitting experience

Clubhouse Lane was an enjoyable knit from the start. There is something about a reverse stocking stitch base that really appeals to me like one of my favourite sock patterns, Bavarian Cable Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson. 

The only downside to a canvas of reverse stocking stitch (when using the magic-loop method or double pointed needles) is that ladders can occur more easily. If ladders are something you struggle with you may wish to pull the yarn a little tighter as you switch needles or reposition the stitches on the needles every so often to soften the line. 



In my case I positioned my needles so that I had more stitches on needle one than on needle two. This way any laddering that may appear would be on the palm and not amongst the pattern on the front. This method worked really well for me and after soaking and blocking my slight ladders were hardly visible anyway.

Something I really appreciated about this knitting pattern is the detailing on the thumb, this makes a big difference in the finished product and is a testament to Georgie’s attention to detail and her talent as a designer. 

Skill Level for Knitting Clubhouse Lane

The skill level recommended for knitting Clubhouse Lane mitts is Intermediate to Experienced and I found them to be intermediate. The pattern is knit in the round, has lace work and two different cast on methods. Having said that the pattern instructions were extremely comprehensive and I had no issues following any of the steps or the charts. See below for full list of techniques required. 

Techniques used:
Knit and purl
Increasing, decreasing
Long tail cast on
Backward loop cast on
Working small circumferences in the round
Working from charts
Cables
Lace
Picking up stitches

The Yarn I Used for This Pattern - Study in Pink on Fantail

I had a treasured skein of ‘Study in Pink’ on my silk/merino sock yarn base ‘Fantail’ that I could have made into socks but I didn’t want to hide it away under my shoes… so fingerless mitts seemed like the perfect choice. 



‘Study in Pink’ is an Augustbird colourway that is hand-dyed by gently coaxing pigment from the skins and stones of avocado. Natural dyeing (while oftentimes a lengthy process) appeals to me due to the connection with nature through the dye-stuffs. However, it can sometimes produce unexpected or undesirable results. When a naturally dyed batch produces a soft, dusty pink I could not be more thrilled and this particular shade is something I’ve never been able to match using acid dyes. 

The yarn base, Fantail, my Australian merino and silk sock yarn, synchronises beautifully with delicate pink while enhancing it further with a subtle sheen and a slightly antique undertone due to the tussah silk content. Fantail is also constructed with a tighter twist-on-twist which gives it excellent stitch definition which helps the Persian lace details to really pop. 

Check out what’s in stock on Fantail or preorder here. 

Final thoughts

Clubhouse Lane mitts are pretty, delicate and will no doubt appeal to your inner Jane or Lizzie Bennet. The instructions are clear and well laid out and extra details such as longer wrist length and detailing on the thumb really gives Clubhouse Lane an extra sprinkle of grace and beauty. 

The yarn I used, ‘Study in Pink’ on ‘Fantail’ is a perfect fit for these mitts due to the subtle sheen and excellent stitch definition and the antique pink hue. 

Would you like to get some Clubhouse Lane Mitts on your needles? Clubhouse Lane can be purchased here.

Please use the discount code CLUBHOUSE20 at check out to get 20% off the Clubhouse Lane pattern.   

I hope you found this helpful and feel inspired to either pick up a book or your knitting or both!

Happy reading and happy creating!

Rebecca xx