PurlbedMittens & mitts · Beginner
Newborn scratch mittens
The quickest first project on a knitting machine. Each mitten is one flat piece: cuff, palm, a rounded tip made with fully fashioned decreases and increases, back of the hand and a second cuff. Fold it at the tip and sew the two sides. On a machine with a ribber or a double bed the cuffs are 1×1 rib; on a single bed they are turned hems.
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.
198 rows and 3,254 stitches knitted, 32 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) | 10.5–12 cm | ✓ 11.3 cm |
| Hand length, cuff to fingertip | 5.5–7 cm | ✓ 6 cm |
| Rows to ease into each side seam | 0–3 rows | ✓ 2 rows |
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.
0–3 months · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows
Sizes
| Measurement | 0–3 months | 3–6 months |
|---|---|---|
| Mitten circumference | 11 cm | 12 cm |
| Mitten length, cuff to tip | 9 cm | 10.5 cm |
| Cuff depth | 3 cm | 3.5 cm |
You will need
Yarn: Soft, washable baby yarn: 4-ply / fingering on a standard 4.5 mm machine, DK on mid gauge. Cotton or merino keeps them gentle on new skin.
About 10 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, Waste yarn and ravel cord (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
Mitten (knit 2)
Cast on 17 sts, 99 rows. Flat size about 5.7 × 18.3 cm.
Row by row
- Bring 17 needles into work (L8 to R9). 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 12 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 12 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 026). Remove the waste yarn later.
- Knit 17 rows at MT (RC 043).
- Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 2 rows, 2 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 17 → 13 sts (RC 047).
- Decrease 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every row, 2 times in all: move the 2 edge stitches 1 needle in with the 2-prong tool and put the empty needle out of work. 13 → 9 sts (RC 049).
- This is the tip of the mitten: the fold line. Knit 2 rows at MT (RC 051).
- Increase 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every row, 2 times in all: bring the next needle into work and hang the heel of the neighbouring stitch on it. 9 → 13 sts (RC 053).
- Increase 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 2 rows, 2 times in all: bring the next needle into work and hang the heel of the neighbouring stitch on it. 13 → 17 sts (RC 057).
- Knit 17 rows at MT (RC 074).
- Closing hem: knit 12 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 and 12 rows at MT−1 (RC 099), 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 (15)
| Rows | What the carriage knits | Tension |
|---|---|---|
| 1–12 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 13 | Stocking stitch | MT+2 |
| 14–25 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 26–43 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 44–45 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 46–47 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 48 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 49–51 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 52 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 53 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 54–55 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 56–74 | Stocking stitch | MT |
| 75–86 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
| 87 | Stocking stitch | MT+2 |
| 88–99 | Stocking stitch | MT−1 |
Finishing
- Remove the waste yarn and weave in the ends.
- Fold the mitten in half at the tip (the 2 rows marked as the fold line), right sides together.
- Sew both sides with mattress stitch from the tip to the cuff, matching the shaping row for row.
- Turn right side out and steam lightly. Optional: thread a soft cord through the cuff so the mittens stay on.
Notes and changes
- Newborn hands vary a lot; if in doubt knit the larger size, scratch mittens are worn loose.
- For a longer cuff that folds back, add 1–2 cm to the cuff depth.
- Sew the seams on the outside with a flat seam if the baby's skin is sensitive.
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/newborn-scratch-mittens/ · Virtual test knit passed