Mittens 101
I was asked today by Ms. B for a lesson on knitting basic mittens. It’s something that I do now without really thinking–Each pair of mittens I make are unique! I try my best to keep each pair a matched set, but sometimes that requires me to knit them both without allowing much time to lapse!
These mittens are knit from my handspun (using K2 P2 ribbing instead of K1 P1 as stated in my recipe). The fleece was dyed at the beginning of the relay for life event at school. Colours are cherry, grape, and blue raspberry Kool-Aid. I used a salad spinner to remove the water quickly, and spun the wool over night. One ply is pink/red, the other is blue/purple. I stayed up all night spinning this yarn–my contribution to “being active”. Wearing them brings back the memories of the evening and the nice company on our “Captain Awesome and the Time Travellers” team
Skills required: casting on, knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing, knitting in the round on double pointed needles (DPNs), kitchener stitch
Materials required:
- 4 DPNs size 4mm (or size 4 which are 3.5mm…close enough!)
- 100g aran weight yarn (one or more colours)
- scrap of yarn to hold the thumb stitches
Abbreviations:
- K1=knit one
- P1=purl one
- M1=make one (increase)
- K2tog=knit two together
- SSK=slip slip knit Slip one stitch, then slip the next. Insert left needle into the front loops of the slipped stitches and knit them together from this position (through the back loops)
CUFF
Cast on 48 sts. Join in the round. Knit 2-3 inches of ribbing (K1 P1)
GUSSET
Row 1: K1, P1, K1, P1, K to end of round. (this forms the gusset. Increases will happen between the purl stitches)
Row 2: K1, P1, M1, K1, M1, P1, K to end of round (50 sts)
maintaining the columns of purl stitches, increase 2 sts between the purl sts every alternate row until there are 15 sts in the gusset.
try on the mitten. Note the distance to the start of your thumb (0.5-1 inch). Knit the remaining rows maintaining the purl sts, but without more increases.
Place the 15 gusset sts. on a piece of scrap yarn, and with the working yarn cast on 4 sts to cover the thumb hole.
BODY OF MITTEN
Knit in the round until the mitten is long enough to just cover your baby finger (about 4 inches)
DECREASES
Set up: Arrange the sts so that the palm sts (half of the total number of sts) are on one needle, and the other sts are divided equally between needle 2 and 3. Be sure that the thumb hole is located at one side of the palm.
Decrease 4 sts (1 st. at both ends of needle 1, and beginning of needle 2 and end of needle 3) on every alternate row. Use SSK for decreases slanting up to the left, and K2tog for decreases slanting up to the right.
When 10 sts remain, use kitchener stitch to close the top neatly.
THUMB
Pick up and knit 15 sts from scrap yarn, 1 st from the gap, 4 cast on sts, and 1 st from the gap (21 sts).
Knit in round for 1.5 inches.
Decrease (K2 tog, K1) around until there are around 6 sts. remaining. Break yarn, thread through remaining sts.
FINISHING
weave in ends.
NOTES: at any point, you can change colours to make stripes, or knit a colourwork pattern. Be sure that floats (yarn hanging behind other stitches when you are using 2 colours) are not longer than 5 sts or you may catch thumbs and fingers on them when you try on the mitten.
Tags: dyeing, knitting, mittens, pattern, spinning, tutorial
