Pattern Mittens

Pattern Mittens by Yankee Knitter Designs

What is Being Made

Pattern Mittens is a knitted mitten design created by Melinda Goodfellow and offered by Yankee Knitter Designs. This downloadable PDF pattern provides instructions for creating fitted mittens in four distinct sizes: Child's Small (2-4 years), Child's Medium (6-8 years), Child's Large (10-12 years), and Women's. The pattern accommodates growing children and adults, making it a versatile project for knitters seeking to create practical, sized-appropriate hand coverings.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques suitable for knitters with some experience. The construction utilizes stockinette stitch as the primary fabric structure, created by alternating knit and purl rows to produce the classic smooth, V-patterned knit fabric. The pattern incorporates colorwork through the use of contrasting colors, allowing for decorative striping or patterning. Shaping techniques are employed to create the fitted mitten form, with stitch holders used to manage stitches during construction and stitch markers to track pattern repeats and shaping points.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The foundation stitch, worked by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows to create a smooth, uniform fabric surface
• Stitch Markers: Used to denote pattern sections and shaping locations throughout the mitten construction
• Stitch Holders: Employed to temporarily hold stitches, likely for thumb or cuff sections, allowing the knitter to work other areas before returning to complete these sections

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn in a main color, with yardage requirements varying by size: Child's Small requires 115 yards (105 meters), Child's Medium requires 140 yards (128 meters), Child's Large requires 165 yards (150 meters), and Women's size requires 190 yards (175 meters). All sizes need 30 yards (27 meters) of contrasting color yarn for decorative elements. The pattern also accommodates DK weight yarn as an alternative option for knitters preferring a lighter yarn.

Needles and Notions: Knitters will need US #5 (3¾ mm) and US #6 (4 mm) straight needles, with the option to adjust needle sizes as needed to achieve proper gauge. The pattern also requires 2 small stitch holders and 2 stitch markers to manage stitches and track pattern placement during construction.

Gauge Information

Proper gauge is essential for achieving correctly sized mittens. The pattern specifies a gauge of 5½ stitches per 1 inch (22 stitches per 4 inches or 22 stitches per 10 centimeters) when worked in stockinette stitch on US #6 needles. Knitters should check their gauge by casting on 22 stitches with the larger needles, working in stockinette stitch for 4 inches (10 centimeters), then measuring the finished piece. If the gauge swatch measures larger than 4 inches across, a smaller needle size should be used; if smaller, a larger needle size is required. Remaking the gauge swatch ensures mittens will fit properly across all four size options.