Mittens 3 Ways – Knitted, Felted, and Repurposed

With cold weather soon approaching (or arrived) for many of you, I thought a few instructions on making mittens would be appropriate. Does any one else have trouble like I do finding well-made WARM wool mittens for outdoor activities like walking, sledding, and shoveling?!? Mittens #1 and #2 require some basic knitting skills, and variation #3 just sewing skills (no knitting). All three mitten variations are lined with fleece or flannel; the instructions for the lining appears at the end of the post.

Mittens #1 (Knitted) and #2 (Knitted & Felted) with Fleece Lining

Mitten #1 – Knitted

Download a PDF of the instructions or keep reading!

MATERIALS: 150 yards bulky yarn, 4.5 oz; size 8 double pointed needles (DPN) or size needed for gauge; 2 stitch markers, 1 stitch holders; crochet hook.

For standard knitted mittens, any yarn material can be used but acrylic can be washed and dried in machine without worrying about shrinking, wool must be hand washed to avoid shrinking.  

GAUGE: 3 st/inch over St St

Questions on the abbreviations or techniques in the pattern? Check out this earlier post.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR KNITTED MITTENS (Make 2):

Cast on 24 Sts. Distribute stitches over 3 DPN so that there are 8 stitches to each needle. Work in K1 P1 rib until the knitting measures 2 ½” from beginning. Change to St St and knit 2 rounds.

K1 P1 Ribbing for Cuff of Mitten

Increase for thumb:

Round 1: K 11 sts, place marker, increase in the next 2 stitches, place marker, knit to the end of the round.

Round 2: Knit

Round 3: Knit to first marker, slip marker, increase in next stitch, knit to 1 stitch before the next marker, increase in that stitch, slip marker, knit to the end of the round.

Repeat rounds 2 & 3 until there are 8 stitches between the markers. Knit 2 rounds plain.

 

Hand:

Knit to the first marker. Slip 8 stitches onto a stitch holder. Using the “thumb” method, cast on one stitch. Continue to knit around the rest of the stitches (25 sts on needles). Continue to knit these stitches until the hand is 1” shorter than the mitten recipient’s hand.

Hand decreases:

Round 1: Knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 3, knit 2 tog, knit 3, SSK, Knit 1, Knit 2 tog, knit 7, SSK

Round 2: Knit

Round 3: Knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 5, SSK, knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 5, SSK

Round 4: Knit

Round 5: Knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 3, SSK, knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 3, SSK

Round 6: Knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 1, SSK, knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 1, SSK

Round 7: *Knit 2 tog. Repeat from * to the end of the round.

Cut yarn and pull through the open stitches.

Thumb:

Put the 8 stitches from the stitch holder onto 2 DPN (4 stitches each). Pick up and knit 3 stitches into the place where a stitch was cast on using the “thumb” method. Join in a round and knit until the tube is ¼” shorter than the mitten recipient’s thumb.

Thumb decreases:

*Knit 2 tog. Repeat from * until 4 stitches remain. Cut yarn and pull through open stitches. Pull to close up the opening.

Finishing:

Use crochet hook to weave in all loose ends.

Finished Mittens #1

 

Mitten #2 – Knitted & Felted

Download a PDF of the pattern or keep reading!

SIZE NOTE: These mittens are intended to be one size fits all, but I would recommend adding 6-8 rows to the hand and 3-4 rows to the thumb for a man’s mitten. 

MATERIALS: 150 yards bulky yarn, 4.5 oz; size 8 double pointed needles (DPN) or size needed for gauge; 2 stitch markers, 1 stitch holders; crochet hook.

For felted mittens, use 100% wool yarn.

GAUGE: 3 st/inch over St St

Questions on the abbreviations or techniques in the pattern? Check out this earlier post.

INSTRUCTIONS: The instructions for the felted mittens are roughly double the regular knitted mittens (2 stitches for every 1 stitch in regular mitten pattern, 2 rows for every 1 row in regular mitten pattern). 

Cast on 48 Sts. Distribute stitches over 3 DPN so that there are 16 stitches to each needle. Work in K1 P1 rib until the knitting measures 5” from beginning (Approx.17 rows). Change to St St and knit 4 rounds.

Increase for thumb:

Round 1: Knit 22 sts, place marker, increase in the next stitch, knit 2, increase in the next stitch, place marker, knit to the end of the round.

Round 2: Knit

Round 3: Knit to first marker, slip marker, increase in next stitch, knit to 1 stitch before the next marker, increase in that stitch, slip marker, knit to the end of the round.

Repeat rounds 2 & 3 until there are 16 stitches between the markers. Knit 4 rounds plain.

Hand:

Increase for Thumb

Slip Thumb Stitches to Stitch Holder

Knit to the first marker. Slip 16 stitches onto a stitch holder. Using the “thumb” method, cast on two stitches. Continue to knit around the rest of the stitches (46 sts on needles). Continue to knit these stitches for 16 rounds.

Hand decreases:

Round 1: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 8, knit 2 tog, knit 8, SSK, Knit 2, Knit 2 tog, knit 16, SSK

Round 2: Knit

Round 3: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 6,  knit 2 tog, knit 6, SSK, knit 2,  knit 2 tog, knit 15, SSK

Round 4: Knit

Round 5: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 4,  knit 2 tog, knit 4, SSK, knit 2,  knit 2 tog, knit 14, SSK

Round 6: Knit

Round 7: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 3, knit 2 tog, knit 3,  SSK, knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 11, SSK

Round 8: Knit

Round 9: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 6, SSK, knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 8, SSK

Round 10: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 4, SSK, knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 5, SSK

Round 11: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 3, SSK, knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 3, SSK

Round 12: Knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 1, SSK, knit 2, knit 2 tog, knit 1, SSK

Round 13: Knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 1, SSK, knit 1, knit 2 tog, knit 1, SSK

Round 14: *Knit 2 tog. Repeat from * to the end of the round.

Cut yarn and pull through the open stitches.

Thumb:

Put the 16 stitches from the stitch holder onto 2 DPN (8 stitches each). Using a third DPN, pick up and knit 6 stitches into the place where a stitch was cast on using the “thumb” method. Join in a round and knit 8 rounds.

Using 3rd DPN, pick up 6 stitches into the place where stitches were cast on

Thumb decreases:

*Knit 2 tog. Repeat from * until 4 stitches remain. Cut yarn and pull through open stitches. Pull to close up the opening.

Finishing:

Use crochet hook to weave in all loose ends.

Here are the finished mittens before felting. Also I included a picture of the finished (unfelted) mitten next to a standard mitten using variation #1 so that you can get a sense of how much bigger these mittens are prior to felting.

Felting:

Felt mittens in washing machine to shrink to desired size/shape. Check out Janie’s post with felting tips for more information.

Drying mittens after shrinking

Mitten #3 – Repurposed Felted Wool Sweater

MATERIALS: A 100% wool sweater and coordinating thread

INSTRUCTIONS:

Follow these 5 Easy Steps to Felting a Wool Sweater and then use this Mitten Pattern (or make your own by tracing your hand onto a piece of paper) to cut out 4 pieces. Bonus points if you cut the mitten cuff along the bottom ribbing band of the sweater.

 

Sew 2 mitten pieces together using a sewing machine (or hand stitch using a blanket stitch) with a 1/4″ – 1/2″ seam allowance. Make sure to leave the bottom edge open for your hand! Repeat for second mitten.

Sorry I don’t have very many of my own pictures to post for this one… if you need a little more guidance, here are a few other great posts with pictures from other bloggers:

Mitten Lining

MATERIALS: 1/4 yard fleece or pre-washed cotton flannel and coordinating thread.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Use your mittens as a pattern, cut out 4 layers of the mitten lining.
   

   
2. Lay 2 lining pieces in front of you with RS together (WS facing out). Turn up cuff edge 1/2″ (to WS) and sew with zigzag stitch. Repeat on the other 3 lining pieces.
   

   
3. Sew 2 mitten pieces together with RS together (WS facing out), using 1/4-1/2″ seam allowance.  
4. Trim seam allowance to 1/4″ to avoid unnecessary bulk between the lining and the mitten.
5. Do not turn right side out, leave with RS together (WS facing out) and use your hand to place the lining inside the knitted or felted mitten.
   

   
6. I like to tack the lining to the mitten, but if you think you will want to take the lining out frequently for washing, you may want to skip this step.  Using a needle and thread, tack the cuff of the lining to the cuff of the mitten. By catching the inside hem of the lining and the ribs of the wool mitten cuff, you will be creating an invisible stitch.
   

   

   

    

Congratulations – you now have a pair of beautiful (and WARM) lined mittens. If you really want to spruce them up, try embroidering a pattern on to the mitten before adding a lining.

As always, we would love to hear from you if you give the mittens a try or have tips and tricks to add!

-Sarah