Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Easy Mitten Knitting Pattern

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I recently shared a post all about mitts and mittens to knit using sock yarn leftovers. I know using sock yarn for mittens makes it sound like they will take forever, and maybe not even be that warm because the yarn is so thin.

I can tell you that mittens and gloves made with fine yarn are warm because they stay close to your skin, but it is true they can take a long time to knit.

If you want to go in the other direction in terms of yarn weight and speed, you can’t go wrong with some bulky yarn. And using heavier weight yarn is a great way to learn how to knit mittens because you’ll get all the techniques down in a jiffy.

Leelee Knits has a great free pattern for a pair of two-color chunky mittens worked using the magic loop method, which she prefers because she doesn’t like working with double pointed needles (I don’t mind double points but magic loop is a great technique to know — I’m actually knitting a sock using it right now!).

The contrasting color is fun, and great for using up stash, but of course you can make them a solid color if you like. Or go the other way and make them striped. No judgement here.

You’ll work a simple gusset for the thumb, and there is shaping at the top of the mitten and the top of the thumb, but it’s all really easy and these are a great first mitten project, or even a first knitting in the round project if you haven’t tackled that skill before. 

And once you’ve got the pattern down, you just might want to knit mittens for everyone on your holiday list. Which is good because everyone can use warmer hands in the winter!

Get the free pattern from Leelee Knits.

[Photo: Leelee Knits]

Free Knitting Pattern – Seedless Columns Mittens

Mighty Mittens: A Choose Your Own Mitten Adventure

Have you read?

Add Mushrooms to Your Knits with these Fun Knitting Patterns

A few years ago I wrote a post that was full of patterns for knit mushrooms, but I don’t think I ever did a post that was knitting patterns with mushrooms on them, so today’s the day. 

I love the Fungi Beanie from Jacki Bean, which calls for worsted weight yarn and uses duplicate stitch to add the mushrooms and other details. I think the colors she used for the design are tonal/multicolor so it doesn’t use as many colors as it looks like, but you can use whatever red, green, brown and white yarn you have in your stash for those details. 

How about some mushroom socks? The Magic Toadstool sock form Stone Knits includes a ring of mushrooms around the leg, contrasting heel and toe and a little more colorwork at the toe for extra cuteness. As shown it uses four colors and comes in three sizes. 

Or there’s the Fairy Ring Socks from Katie Green, which have mushrooms of two sizes on the legs, plus a bit of wavy grass. They have a contrasting cuff, heel and toe and some colorwork flecks in the body of the sock as well. This one is available in eight sizes to fit everyone from a baby to an XL adult. 

This trippy cowl from Hunt Hand Knits looks like a lot of fun to knit. The Fungus Among Us Cowl is shown using four colors of DK weight yarn, though you can do it with as few as two if you’d rather. 

Stitch some mushroom mittens with this cute pattern from Holly C Watson. This design uses three colors, and it’s shown with a self-striping yarn on the mushroom caps, which makes the colors change without you having to do any work. The pattern is charted but it’s a pretty easy repeat. The mittens are one size. 

If you don’t feel like knitting mushrooms but still want to give your project a touch of the forest, the Toadstools Cardigan from Julie Taylor may be what you’re looking for. It’s stitched as a plain cardigan worked in DK weight yarn and sized for newborns up to 4 years old. The mushrooms are added with embroidery and the pattern includes the design, which you can trace onto water soluble stabilizer to stitch the mushrooms onto your sweater. Or anything else you want. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.