Itty Bitty Mitties

My favorite thing about having a 9-month old nephew (apart from the big grins, slobbery kisses, and singing songs) is knitting gifts for him.

Last winter, he was just a newborn baby and spent most of his time bundled up in blankets.  Super adorable, but not a lot of opportunity for fun accessories like mittens.

This winter, however, he's big enough for all kinds of warm weather gear.  And I've got his little hands covered with these Itty Bitty Mitties!

These mittens have it all: super washable yarn, densely knitted to keep out the wind and cold, and a mitten string to keep the kiddo from losing them.

Normally I like to knit with merino wool, because it's soft, warm, and is available as washable yarn.  But when it comes to kids (especially babies and toddlers), I lean more towards acrylic and other synthetic blends.  Items made from acrylic yarn can be machine washed and dried over and over without worrying about the yarn shrinking or felting.  This is especially great for kids because, let's face it, kids are messy.  And their clothes need to be washed a lot.  A LOT.

These mittens are a bit big for our 9-month old boy, but I'm crossing my fingers that they'll make it through 2 winters.

Dimensions:
The mittens measure 5" around the hand at the palm (not including the thumb), and 5" from the edge of the cuff to the top of the hand.

What you’ll need:

•  Less than 1 skein of worsted weight yarn (I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Fern)

•  Size 5 double-pointed needles, or whatever you need to get the correct gauge

•  2 buttons (I used 5/8 inch black buttons)

Gauge:

10 stitches and 15 rows = 2 inches x 2 inches

Key:

dpn: Double-Pointed Needles

CO: Cast On

k: Knit

p: Purl

pm: Place Marker

m: Marker

m1L: Make 1 on the Left

m1R: Make 1 on the Right

k2tog: Knit 2 Together

You can make your increase stitches using whatever method you like.  This is the method that I prefer.  It makes your new stitch without creating the gap that you sometimes get with other methods.  Since these mittens are for little hands, it’s important to keep out the cold as much as possible!

m1L:  Pick up the left side of the stitch 2 rows below the stitch you just knitted (on your right needle) and place on your left needle.  Knit this new stitch.

m1R: Pick up the right side of the stitch immediately below the next stitch on your left needle.  Knit this new stitch through the back loop.

Mittens:

CO 28 stitches.

Distribute sts evenly on 4 dpn, and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Cuff:

1-9:  (k1, p1) around

Hand:

10: k around, m1 (29 stitches total)

Thumb Gusset:

11: k14, pm, m1L, k1, m1R, pm, k14 (31 stitches total; 3 stitches between markers)

12-13: k around

14: k14, slip m, m1L, k3, m1R, slip m, k14 (33 stitches total; 5 stitches between markers)

15-16: k around

17: k14, slip m, m1L, k5, m1R, slip m, k14 (35 stitches total; 7 stitches between markers)

18-19: k around

20: k14, slip m, m1L, k7, m1R, slip m, k14 (37 stitches total; 9 stitches between markers)

21: k14, remove m, place next 9 stitches (gusset stitches) on a length of scrap yarn, CO 1 using backward loop method to close the gap left by the gusset, remove m, k14 (29 live stitches; 9 stitches on scrap yarn)

Top of Mitten:

22-28: k around

29: k to last 2 stitches; k2tog (28 stitches)

30: (k5, k2tog) around (24 stitches)

31: k around

32: (k4, k2tog) around (20 stitches)

33: k around

34: (k3, k2tog) around (16 stitches)

35: k around

36: (k2, k2tog) around (12 stitches)

37: k around

38: (k1, k2tog) around (8 stitches)

Cut yarn, thread tail through remaining stitches, pull tight, and fasten inside.

Thumb:

Place gusset stitches onto 3 dpn, pick up and knit 1 st over gap (where you CO 1 in row 21), and join.  (10 stitches total)

1-7: knit around

8: (k2tog) around (5 stitches)

Closeup of gusset and thumb

Cut yarn, thread tail through remaining stitches, pull tight, and fasten inside.

Weave in loose ends, closing any gaps at the base of the thumb.  Then do it all again to make another mitten!

Mitten String:

Not only are mitten strings good for keeping pairs of mittens together, but they’re also adorable!  Here’s how I did it:

Tightly sew a button to the cuff of each mitten, on the side opposite the thumb.

Sew on your button here

With the crochet hook, make a chain long enough to lace through both sleeves of the child’s coat, plus 2 inches.

Loop end of chain over to make a buttonhole just big enough to fit your button.

Fasten your buttonhole loop and weave in any loose ends.

Repeat with the other end of the chain.

Make a buttonhole loop at the end of your crochet chain

If you don’t know how to make a crochet chain, visit www.knittinghelp.com for a great tutorial.  (Video can be found here.)