PurlbedMittens & mitts · Easy
Mittens with thumb
The hand is one flat piece: cuff, palm, a rounded tip made with fully fashioned decreases and increases, the back of the hand and a second cuff. Fold it at the tip and sew the sides, leaving an opening marked with threads on one edge for the thumb. The thumb is a small separate piece gathered at the top and sewn into the opening, so the same piece works for the left and the right hand.
Suits these machines
- Single bed, punch card
- Single bed, electronic
- Single bed, no patterning
- Single bed (punch card) + ribber
- Single bed (electronic) + ribber
- Double bed with pushers (Passap type)
- Double-bed hand flat (V-bed)
Techniques used
Your size, machine and gauge
Virtual test knit
✓ Virtual test knit passedEvery row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.
536 rows and 14,862 stitches knitted, 78 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.
| Measurement | Should be | Simulated |
|---|---|---|
| Mitten circumference (two layers) | 18.5–21 cm | ✓ 19.3 cm |
| Hand length, cuff to fingertip | 17.5–19 cm | ✓ 18 cm |
| Rows to ease into each side seam | 0–3 rows | ✓ 2 rows |
| Thumb hole all round vs thumb circumference (%) | 80–125 % | ✓ 95.5 % |
| Thumb length | 5.3–7.9 cm | ✓ 6.3 cm |
The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.
Women · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows
Sizes
| Measurement | Child 2–4 years | Child 4–8 years | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand circumference (round the knuckles) | 13 cm | 15.5 cm | 18 cm | 21.5 cm |
| Hand length, wrist to fingertip | 10 cm | 12.5 cm | 17.5 cm | 19.5 cm |
| Cuff depth | 4.5 cm | 5 cm | 6 cm | 6.5 cm |
You will need
Yarn: Warm wool or wool blend: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge, worsted on bulky. A slightly tighter tension than usual makes warmer, windproof mittens.
About 45 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).
Also: Tapestry needle, 2-prong transfer tool, Contrast thread for marking, Waste yarn (single bed)
Gauge swatch first
- Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
- Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
- Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
- Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).
Pieces
Hand (knit 2)
Cast on 29 sts, 243 rows. Flat size about 9.7 × 48.3 cm.
Row by row
- Bring 29 needles into work (L14 to R15). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
- Turned hem: knit 24 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 24 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 050). Remove the waste yarn later.
- Knit 11 rows at MT (RC 061).
- Tie a contrast thread to the left edge stitch: the thumb opening starts here. Knit 14 rows at MT (RC 075).
- Tie a contrast thread to the left edge stitch: the thumb opening ends here. Knit 36 rows at MT (RC 111).
- Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 2 rows, 3 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 29 → 23 sts (RC 117).
- Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every row, 4 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 23 → 15 sts (RC 121).
- This is the tip of the mitten: the fold line. Knit 2 rows at MT (RC 123).
- Increase 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every row, 4 times in all: bring the next needle into work and hang the heel of the neighbouring stitch on it. 15 → 23 sts (RC 127).
- Increase 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 2 rows, 3 times in all: bring the next needle into work and hang the heel of the neighbouring stitch on it. 23 → 29 sts (RC 133).
- Knit 36 rows at MT (RC 169).
- Tie a contrast thread to the left edge stitch: the thumb opening starts here. Knit 14 rows at MT (RC 183).
- Tie a contrast thread to the left edge stitch: the thumb opening ends here. Knit 11 rows at MT (RC 194).
- Closing hem: knit 24 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 and 24 rows at MT−1 (RC 243), then a few rows of waste yarn, and release. Fold the hem inside along the loose row and sew the open loops to the first hem row.
Needle notation
Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.
Row sequence (21)
| Rows | What the carriage knits | Tension |
|---|---|---|
| 1–24 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 25 | Stocking stitch | MT+2 |
| 26–49 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 50–111 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 112–113 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 114–115 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 116–117 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 118 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 119 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 120 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 121–123 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 124 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 125 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 126 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 127 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 128–129 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 130–131 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 132–194 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 195–218 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 219 | Stocking stitch | MT+2 |
| 220–243 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
Thumb (knit 2)
Cast on 22 sts, 25 rows. Flat size about 7.3 × 6.3 cm.
Row by row
- Bring 22 needles into work (L11 to R11) and cast on in the main yarn with an e-wrap (closed edge). Set RC to 000.
- Knit 23 rows at MT (RC 023).
- Move every other stitch onto its neighbour and put the empty needles out of work (22 → 11 sts). Knit 2 rows (RC 025).
- Cut the yarn leaving about 30 cm. Thread it through every stitch with a tapestry needle, take the stitches off the needles and pull the top closed.
Needle notation
Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.
Row sequence (2)
| Rows | What the carriage knits | Tension |
|---|---|---|
| 1–23 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 24–25 | Stocking stitch | MT |
Finishing
- Weave in the ends. Fold each hand at the tip, right sides together.
- Sew the edge without threads from tip to cuff. Sew the edge with the threads too, but leave the opening between the two threads on each layer open: that is the thumb hole.
- Thumb: gather the top, then sew its side seam. Sew the open (cast-on) edge into the thumb hole, seam of the thumb towards the palm.
- Turn right side out and steam. For a pair, turn the second mitten so its thumb sits on the other side.
Notes and changes
- Measure round the hand at the knuckles, without the thumb. Between two sizes, knit the larger one.
- For extra warmth, knit a second, slightly smaller pair in a fine yarn as a lining.
- For a fold-back cuff, knit the cuff twice as deep.
Abbreviations
- MT
- main tension: the tension dial setting of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
- RC
- row counter. Set it to 000 after the cast on; the steps give the reading at the end of each step.
- sts
- stitches. One working needle holds one stitch.
- L10 / R10
- needle numbers, counted outwards from the centre 0 of the needle bed.
- Hold
- a needle pushed fully forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
- Waste yarn
- a contrast yarn knitted before or after the piece and unravelled later, so open loops can be hung or sewn.
- Fully fashioned
- decreasing or increasing 2 stitches in from the edge with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for seaming.
purlbed.com/templates/mittens/ · Virtual test knit passed