Patterned mittens
Choosing a favorite knitting project feels like picking a favorite child. But even so, patterned mittens will always have a special place in my heart. They were the first project that truly sparked my love of knitting, striking that perfect balance between technique and creativity without requiring too much waiting to see the result.
That’s why I’m especially excited to share the newest addition to Knittable: You can now add a pattern repeat to your mitten pattern, making creative knitting even easier!
In Iceland, every child learns to knit in elementary school, including me. I say “learned,” but I didn’t really start knitting back then. Honestly, I found the projects my teacher set for us incredibly boring! I’ve often thought about that since, especially after starting Knittable and more or less dedicating my life to knitting. How could I have been taught to knit without it sparking my passion?
It wasn’t until my cousin taught me to knit again at 25 that I completely fell for it. She handed me needles and yarn, showed me how to cast on, knit ribbing, and add a thumb, and then taught me how to use two colors to create endless pattern possibilities. I was hooked.
In hindsight, I credit one big difference between the two approaches: the creative element.
Mittens are the perfect canvas for experimenting with colorwork. Simple in shape and quick to knit!
Sketch Your Pattern
Starting by sketching out the pattern you have in mind is a good place to start making your own unique pair of mittens. The fewer stitches in your repeat, the easier it will be to make it work for your chosen mitten size. Knittable will warn you if your pattern repeat doesn’t quite fit the size you’ve picked.
Let your imagination run wild! You can also draw inspiration from other knits, like if you’re making mittens to match a sweater, you could borrow part of the sweater’s pattern.
You can use graph paper or a spreadsheet, or digital tools like Chartminder or StitchFiddle.
Choose Your Colors
Here are some tips for choosing colors for your pattern:
Colors that are too similar can blend together and make the pattern hard to see. Choose contrasting shades unless you’re going for a subtle, gradient look.
Too many bright colors can compete for attention. A neutral base, like white or a light shade, can help other colors stand out.
Play with contrasts (whether in hue or brightness) for a bold, striking design.
Use Knittable to Create Your Pattern
Knittable’s mitten patterns are available in any size from kids to adults, and you can also customize your own measurements.
When you select “Add pattern”, new options will appear where you can input the stitch count for your pattern repeat. You can also decide whether the number of repeats needs to be even or if it can be odd.
Tip: An even number of repeats makes it easier for the pattern to flow all the way to the top of the mitten, where you decrease stitches for shaping.
This project
Knitting gauge: 18 stitches x 24 rows = 10 x 10 cm
Needle size: 4.5 mm
Yarn combo: Léttlopi in 5 different colours
Yarn amount: < 50 g in total
Size: 6-8 years
Design: Single ribbing, 4 stitches for the body pattern repeat (no need to adjust for an even number of repeats) and no felting.
