01.28.07

Recipe for a Mitten

Posted in Crafts, Yarn Arts at 9:30 pm by rachel

Knit mittens are a quick (3-4 hour) project that is quite satisfying because you see instant results. They are also great gifts that not overwhelming to tackle and still show you care enough to make something with your own hands.

I’ve been making mittens for about a decade, and here is my secret recipe:

Ingredients:

~Four size 4 double-pointed needles
~Two skeins worsted weight wool
~Yarn needle

What to do:

*Note: pattern is for the LEFT mitten. Numbers of stitches for the RIGHT mitten are written in parentheses.

Cast on 40 stitches and spread over three double-pointed needles (12, 12, and 16 works well).

rows 1-20: *knit 2, purl 2* repeat until end of row
row 21: knit the whole row
row 22: knit 18 (20), increase 1, knit 2, increase 1, knit 20 (18)
rows 23-24: knit the whole row
row 25: knit 18 (20), increase 1, knit 4, increase 1, knit 20 (18)
rows 26-27: knit the whole row
rows 28: knit 18 (20), increase 1, knit 6, increase 1, knit 20 (18)
rows 29-30: knit the whole row
row 31: knit 18 (20), increase 1, knit 8, increase 1, knit 20 (18)
rows 32-33: knit the whole row
row 34: knit 18 (20), increase 1, knit 10, increase 1, knit 20 (18)
rows 35-36: knit the whole row
row 37: knit 18 (20), increase 1, knit 12, increase 1, knit 20 (18)
rows 38-39: knit the whole row

Congrats! You now have 14 thumb stitches added onto your second needle.

row 40: knit 18, then move the next 14 stitches onto a stitch holder (I just thread some extra yarn through these stitches and tie them off for later). Now increase 2 stitches to the 18 stitches you’ve already knit this row. Knit the rest (20 stitches) of the row.
rows 41-61: knit the whole row

You will now decrease to finish the top. Make sure the mitten is big enough at this point to cover your pinky finger. I find it useful to redistribute the stitches at this point, so that you have 20 on one needle, and 10 stitches on each of the others. That way, you are decreasing at the beginnings and ends of needles and it’s easier to keep track.

row 62: knit 1, slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over, knit 14, knit 2 stitches together, knit 2, slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over, knit 14, knit 2 stitches together, knit 1.
row 63: knit the whole row
rows 64, 66, and so on: decrease 1 stitch at each end of the mitten, as you did in row 62 (that means decreasing a total of 4 stitches on each decrease row)
rows 65, 67, and so on: knit the whole row

Continue decreasing until you have only 4 stitches left on each side (8 stitches total). You can finish the end by weaving thread through the stitches so that it is seamless, or you can “cheat” (this is what I usually do) by just using a yarn needle and going through each loop and pulling it like a cinch sack.

Finish the thumb:

Distribute the 14 thumb stitches onto three needles. Knit 16 rows or until the thumb is long enough to fit your own thumb. You can close off the thumb using the same cheating method described above.

Finishing: You will need to sew in all of the loose yarn ends by turning the mitten inside out. It’s important to sew up the hole that is formed at the base of the thumb, so use one of the yarn ends to close it up.

**Variation: draw your own snowflake on graph paper and incorporate it into the mitten design. Using two colors means doubling up the yarn, so the mittens will be even warmer.

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