Mini Mittens Christmas Ornament

I took a knitting class over twenty years ago with my sisters, aunt and cousin. It was offered at my old high school at night as part of the continuing education program. The teacher was great, and she started us off with a simple mitten pattern to learn the ropes of knitting. Making mittens is a great way to learn the art of knitting because it includes several components. Any basic mitten pattern includes the ribbing stitch, the stockinette stitch, increasing a stitch, and decreasing a stitch. Not to mention sewing a seam. After that class I was hooked on knitting. I’ve also come up with a few of my own patterns. Tweaking the first knitting pattern I followed, I came up with a miniature version of mittens to be used as an ornament. I created this pattern to sell at a Christmas Fair, but you could also use these little mittens to decorate a gift bag or even for a gender reveal. Leave them empty or fill them with candy.

It’s been so many years since I first came up with the mini mitten pattern, that I lost track of the pattern. Luckily, my cousin still had a copy and gave it to me. I realized quickly when I developed this pattern that simply making an existing mitten pattern smaller does not work. So, I had to try several times to get the mittens to look just right. This pattern knits up quickly and it’s a great way to use up an old skein of yarn. I was able to complete a pair in less than a day while watching TV. You can knit in one color, add a stripe or make the ribbing a different color for contrast. I find worsted weight yarn is the best to hold the shape of the mitten, but you can use baby yarn if you like.

Supplies:

Pair of size 2 knitting needles

Two stitch holders

Tapestry needle for sewing seams

Worsted weight yarn in color of your choosing (I used Red Heart for the ones pictured)

Cast on 24 stitches and work in ribbing (k1, p1) for 1 inch.  One tip is to count the rows it takes you to get to 1 inch.  That way when you make the matching mitten, you can keep them the same size.

To start thumb gusset:

 K11, increase 1 stitch in each of next two stitches.  K the rest of the row.

(all even rows) purl

K11, increase 1 stitch, k next two stitches, increase 1 stitch, K rest of the row.

K11, increase 1 stitch, k next four stitches, increase 1 stitch, K rest of the row.

K11, increase 1 stitch, k next 6 stitches, increase 1 stitch, K rest of the row.

K12, place on stitch holder, K next eight stitches for thumb. Put the rest of the stitches left on the needle on another stitch holder (you will knit these stitches later after the thumb is completed.)

Then create thumb as follows:

Knit in the stockinette stitch (purl row, knit row) for 4 rows.

Decrease thumb tip as follows: Purl two stitches together across row.  Gather remaining stitches on tapestry needle and sew seam. Hide the extra yarn by weaving it into the seam.

After completing the thumb, place the yarn from the two stitch holders back onto the two needles. Reattach the yarn by the base of the thumb.

Knit the stitches from the second stitch holder so all stitches are on the same needle. Work in the stockinette stitch for 1 inch (remember to count rows so the other mitten will be the same size).

To create a stripe, when you reattach the yarn after creating the thumb, knit the rest of the stitches on the needle and purl the next row. Then attach the stripe yarn and knit in the stockinette stitch until you reach 1 inch from the base of the thumb. Next, reattach the main yarn color to begin mitten decrease.

Decrease tip of mitten:

K2, K 2 together, K2 across row

Rows 2 and 4: purl

K1, K 2 together, K1 across row

To finish, K 2 together across row. You should be left with 6 stitches on the needle.

Gather stitches on tapestry needle and sew seam. To connect the two mittens, I simply took a strand of yarn and worked it into the seam of the mittens, knotting the ends.