Chinese Frost Mittens

Chinese Frost Mittens by Amy Anderson

What is Being Made

The Chinese Frost Mittens are a pair of knitted mittens designed for advanced knitters. This pattern includes both a right hand and left hand mitten, each with its own charted design. The mittens feature a structured thumb construction worked separately from the main mitten body.

Craft and Primary Technique

These mittens are created using the knitting craft. The pattern is worked in the round, which is a fundamental technique for creating seamless, tubular garments like mittens. Working in the round eliminates the need for seaming and creates a more polished finished product.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques Used

The Chinese Frost Mittens employ several key knitting stitches and techniques:

• Knit stitch: All stitches throughout the pattern are knit stitches, creating a smooth stockinette surface
• K2tog (knit two together): A right-leaning decrease stitch used to shape the mittens, indicated by the forward slash (/) symbol in the charts
• SSK (slip, slip, knit): A left-leaning decrease stitch that pairs with the k2tog for balanced shaping, indicated by the backslash (\) symbol
• Make one (M1): An increase stitch created by knitting into both the front and back of a single stitch, used in the thumb construction to add stitches where needed
• Chart reading: The pattern uses charted instructions that are read from the bottom right corner, working each row from right to left, which is standard for in-the-round knitting

Thumb Construction

The thumb features its own dedicated chart with 28 stitches. The thumb is constructed using a hold-and-work method: stitches are placed on scrap yarn (indicated by the H symbol) during the main mitten knitting, then worked separately afterward. The thumb chart incorporates make one increases (m symbols) to shape the thumb properly.

Tools and Materials

This pattern requires double-pointed needles (DPNs) for working in the round. The mittens are designed to be worked with 3-ply or 4-ply yarn, which are relatively fine yarn weights that create detailed, fitted mittens suitable for the advanced techniques and charted patterning involved.

Difficulty Level

Rated as advanced, the Chinese Frost Mittens are best suited for experienced knitters. The complexity comes from working charted patterns in the round, managing multiple decrease techniques, and executing the thumb construction method.

Pattern Format

This is a downloadable PDF pattern designed for personal, non-commercial use only.