Patterns for Mittens

The main difference between modern mittens and those that appeared hundreds of years ago is their variety. While mittens used to perform only one function, today things are different. As before, the main purpose of mittens is to protect the hands from cold air and snow. But besides that, they "must" be:

- beautiful;

- soft;

- the right size for the hand;

- practical;

- matching the rest of your clothing in colour.

The simplest mittens

The easiest thing is to knit plain mittens. As a rule, needlewomen take a skein of down yarn and five short needles. Mittens are knitted in the round, starting with the ribbing at the wrist and ending with the tip above the longest, middle finger.

A few free stitches are left for the thumb. From these and the stitches picked up on the opposite side, a separate "home" is made for the fifth, "non-standard" finger.

Knit stitches alone form a smooth fabric. Satin-stitch embroidery or Swiss darning over the knitted stitches is used for decoration. The look of the item depends on the craftswoman's skill and imagination. But you should not sew appliqués onto the smooth front. Inelastic fabric will make the mittens uncomfortable. They will stay soft on the palm and quite stiff on the back of the hand.

Not all ribbing is the same

There are many kinds of ribbing in knitting. Most often it is created by alternating one (or two) knit and purl stitches. Such ribbing stretches well, letting the hand into the mitten, and then grips the hand securely. Other kinds of ribbing do not fit the wrist so tightly but look more attractive.

"French ribbing" forms a small "snake". "Canadian" ribbing is more textured. There are also "Polish", "American" and other kinds.

Experienced craftswomen sometimes use two kinds of stitch on the ribbing at once. For example, half of the mitten is knitted in 1x1 ribbing and half in a beautiful textured stitch that continues along the back of the whole mitten. This way the grip on the hand is not weakened, and the pattern decorates the mitten.

Textured patterns

Textured patterns make mittens warmer and more beautiful. The stitch for mittens should be chosen taking their width into account. For the whole fabric of the mitten, the small "buckwheat" pattern, made by alternating knit and purl stitches, is suitable.

On one side (the back), one or more cables are knitted. One wide, intricate "cable" is appropriate on large mittens, where it can "show off all its beauty". On small mittens, several narrow cables or "ears of wheat" look better.

Plain mittens can be decorated with a pattern of small raised bobbles. They can be arranged into geometric designs: little rhombuses, squares, chevrons, stars and so on. Mittens knitted from yarn of one colour are often decorated with beads or little pearls.

Multicoloured patterns

Two- and three-colour mittens are especially popular. Several threads of different colours are used in knitting. The more threads and colours involved, the more complex the work and the more intricate the result.

The traditional design for mittens is the "snowflake". Mittens usually have room for two large beautiful snowflakes or three more modest small ones. They are especially good in snow-white on a contrasting base colour.

If snowflakes are too difficult to knit, simpler designs can be used. For example, alternating hearts, rhombuses or circles is easier and quicker to do.

Before starting work, you should knit a sample. Knowing the number of stitches in the item, you can choose a suitable design. Then it will certainly be placed in a visible spot and adorn the mitten. Remember that jacquard knitting makes mittens thicker and warmer.

The choice of knitting method is up to the craftswoman. Any mittens knitted with love will warm both hands and soul on cold winter days.