Infant Mittens
Teeny tiny infant hands, chubby and clenched in a fist, gently jerking about, they are nearly heartbreaking. Seeing those pudgy little fingers wrapped around one of mine, I am constantly amazed and delighted by the difference in scale. And then inevitably, I have the same thought… Little ones make me want to knit little things!
Everything looks cuter in miniature, doesn’t it!?! Plus, with the holiday season just around the corner, knitting little things is more appealing than ever. These Infant Mittens are this season’s go-to project for new moms.
I knit these little gems out of Jade Sapphire’s 2 ply Cashmere, which is unparalleled in softness and loft, plus I doubled it for extra warmth and decadence. The sumptuous cashmere is playfully paired with vibrant hand-dyed Koigu Premium Merino Needlepoint Yarn.
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
To knit up some of these super simple, super sweet, itty bitty mittens for your favorite itty bitty person, you can find the full pattern, just below. -Laura
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoInfantMittens. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Main Color (MC): 1 skein of Jade Sapphire’s 2 Ply Cashmere, 100% Mongolian Cashmere. I used the color Ivory. (One skein of Jade Sapphire 2 Ply is enough for 4 pairs of Infant Mittens.)
- Contrast Colors (CC1 and CC2): 2 skeins of Koigu’s KPM Needlepoint Yarn, 100% Merino Wool. For the Pink version I used 1155 (CC1) and 1209 (CC2); for the Yellow version, 2100 (CC1) and 2335 (CC2); and for the Teal version, 1500 (CC1) and 3011 (CC2).
- A set of US 2 (3 mm) double pointed needles
- A set of US 3 (3.25 mm) double pointed needles
Shop our wonderful collection of fingering-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
Gauge
28 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, using MC doubled on larger needles
Size
To fit most 3 to 9 month olds
- Finished Length from Cuff to Tip: 4 inches long
- Finished Palm Circumference: 4¾ inches circumference
- Finished I-Cord Length: 22 to 24-inches long
Notes
For the Main Color, you will use the 2 Ply Cashmere doubled. The best way to do this is to pull one strand from the inside of the ball and one strand from the outside. If you don’t have a swift and ball winder to wind a center-pull ball, never fear, you can do it by hand! Click here for a great video that shows you how! Otherwise, wind your skein into two as-even-as possible balls!
Pattern
Begin with the Cuff
With the first Contrast Color (CC1) and smaller needles, cast on 32 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Cut yarn. Change to MC (doubled!).
Knit one round.
Next Round: *K1 through the back loop (tbl), p1, repeat from * to end.
Repeat previous round 11 more times.
Knit the Body of the Mitten
Change to larger needles and knit evenly for 15 rounds.
Next Round: With CC1, knit one round. Cut CC1 yarn.
Next Round: With MC, knit one round.
Next Round: With CC2, knit one round. Cut CC2 yarn.
Next Round: With MC, knit 3 rounds.
Shape the Mitten Top
Decrease Round: K5, ssk, k1, k2tog, k11, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to end. (28 stitches)
Decrease Round: K4, ssk, k1, k2tog, k9, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to end. (24 stitches)
Decrease Round: K3, ssk, k1, k2tog, k7, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to end. (20 stitches)
Decrease Round: K2, ssk, k1, k2tog, k5, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to end. (16 stitches)
Decrease Round: K1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k3, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to end. (12 stitches)
Decrease Round: Ssk, k1, k2tog, k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit last stitch. (8 stitches)
Thread working yarn through remaining stitches.
Do it Again
Make a second mitten.
Connect the Mittens
With the larger needles and MC, pick up three stitches from the inside of the cuff. Work an I-cord for 22 to 26 inches, depending on how lanky your little one’s limbs are.
Bind off. Cut yarn leaving a 6-inch tail and thread it through the remaining stitch. Use the tail to sew the I-cord to the inside of the second mitten.
Weave in your ends and you’re finished!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
These are the sweetest!!
I have a lot of fingering weight yarn and thanks to your lovely wee mitten pattern I now have motivation to use up this yarn. Thank you so much
these are adorable, I'm casting on now!
Another beautiful, thoughtful exquisite gem from Laura… Your work is as grand as your heartfelt sharing and talents. Thank you… Again!
These are incredibly cute. I would love to knit them for my friend who is having twin girls and lives in cold country. I, however, am not from cold country and I'm having a hard time reconciling the strings and how safe they are. I probably just don't understand how they work. Do the strings run inside the clothing with the mittens coming out the sleeves so as not to get lost if they fall off?
Mandi, that’s exactly what they do….run up the arm and behind the neck and down the other arm, inside the jacket. Very safe…keeps mittens safe too!
beautiful! thank you for such wonderful projects!
Q: do you think this pattern would produce similar sized results using jade sapphire 4-ply (not doubled) instead of the doubled 2-ply?
Can these be knitted on circular needles? Like the small ones used for socks? Would love to knit them but dont like using double points. Thank you.
Hi Mandi-
The string threads through the back of the baby's coat and along the back of each sleeve to keep the mittens from falling off and getting lost. It's a very traditional way to keep track of both mittens. As always babies should not be left unsupervised when wearing anything with a string on it. And you are also welcome to knit a pair without the string.
Thanks so much for writing in!
Molly
MERCI BEAUCOUP pour ce tres joli modele !!!!
Je commande et je commence 🙂
Oh, sounds like it would make a wonderful “kit” for sale! Have two mommies in mind for these as gifts.
Though these are super cute, the only thing I could think when I saw them was “never use white for baby things!”. Maybe a nice earthy taupe instead? lol.
These mittens are so gosh darn adorable. Just finished a pair for a gift. Plus it knitted up quite quickly, even for a very slow knitter like myself. Thank you for sharing this pattern.
Lindsay,
Great question. Yes. 4ply would be perfect for these.
Laura
Hi bbade,
Theoretically, yes, these can be knit on very short circular needles. The finished circumference is shy of 5-inches, so the needles would have to less than that length. We don't sell circulars that are shorter than 8-inches and I'm not sure anything shorter exists.
Laura
When using The magical loop technique you can use any length of circulair needles. I always do it line that, it’s really easy, just google for a video
Pretty nice mittens! Thank you for sharing with us! I will surely try to knit them soon 🙂
Is it terrible that I'm totally making one of these for the ice-cold knob of my car's gear shifter? (Then I'll probably make a passel for all the tiny tots in my life, since it seems that everyone had or is having a baby this year!…but first, my own comfort!!)
Just finished my first set! I learned a TON from this project! I'm working on the i-cord now and it says, “Work an I-cord for 22 to 26 stitches”. Do you mean 22-26 inches? I'm assuming so, but just wanted to check! Thanks!
Hi Tiffany.
You are totally correct! It should read “…22 to 26 inches.” I have fixed the pattern. Thank you so much for writing in.
Laura
just responding to Mandi's concerns about the strings–i've knitted a pair of infant mittens for my little guy, and instead of attaching the string directly (permanently) to the mittens, i made little yarn loops for them and sewed buttons on both ends of the i-cord. i button the string on when we're out and about, and leave them unbuttoned when we're at home. (of course, you could also put a little buttonhole in the cuff instead of yarn loops!) best of both worlds.
I love these mittens and have made three pair. However, I had trouble making the join for the color stripes and nothing I tried made the stripes go around smoothly without a jog and mostly losing the the white stripe at the middle point. What is the correct way to do this? Thank you so much for inspiration!
Hi Beth,
Unfortunately, when working stripes in the round, there will always be a jog.
A good way to hide it, is to do the decreases in line with the color change, this will put the color change on the side of the mitten, rather in the center. The Decrease Rows would go as follows:
Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k11, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to last two, ssk. (28 stitches)
Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k9, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to last two, ssk. (24 stitches)
Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k7, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to last two, ssk. (20 stitches)
Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k5, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to last two, ssk. (16 stitches)
Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k3, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to last two, ssk. (12 stitches)
Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, knit last two, ssk. (8 stitches)
Beth, please let me know if you have any more questions! I am thrilled to hear you have made so many pairs.
Laura
To bblade: you could probably use the magic loop method to work this pattern on circulars 🙂
I'm doing them right now, and i'm having a very bad time knitting with dpn !!! First time and i'm between intermediate / expert level in general knitting. The double pointed needles keep falling and i'm loosing stitches every round, however i knitt very tight. So stressful grr
Would a k1 p1 work for the sleeve instead of k1tbl p1?
Hi Amanda Allyn,
K1, p1 would would just fine for the cuff of the mitten!
The tbl just makes the knit ridge a bit more pronounced.
Thanks.
Laura
Are the stripes in the body knit with the yarn doubled as well?
Hi Lisa,
Great question. The stripes in the body are NOT knit with the yarn doubled.
Hope you enjoy the pattern.
Laura
Hi love the mittens!!! However I need to make them for a big handed 1 year old and a 15 month old. I used bigger needles size four and size five. Then I tried increasing to 36 stitches bit the decrease never lines up I started with knit 6 ssk1 k1 k2tog knit 13 ssk k1 k k2togetr knit to end then continued with your decreases. That should have worked right?
Love these cute mittens! I have made a pair for my future niece and they are to die for!
I just did these 2 at a time on 40 inch circulars. (I never ever do mittens or socks 1 at a time, as I hate having to ensure that they will match exactly.). Very nice pattern!
Hi there,
How many Stitches would I need to cast on for a 12-18 month old please? and how many rows would I need to knit?
Thank you!
Hi HT,
Thanks for your interest in the pattern. Right now we only have this pattern written for the one size. I am not sure, but I believe a 32-stitch cast on would do the trick. If this seems too small, then 36! The decreases are done in sets of four, so just be sure to take that into consideration when you’re modifying the pattern.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for writing in.
Laura
They are adorable – and so easy and quick to knit.
I made them for my 4 month old daughter:
http://zauberflink.blogspot.de/2014/12/raglan-cardigan-and-mittens.html
Thank you!
Lena
On cuff, after knit 1 round, “K1 through the back loop,p1” …can you explain how to do this?
Hi Ethel Mae.
Thanks for writing in.
For knitting through the back loop rather than putting the tip of the right needle into the front of the stitch, insert it into the back of the stitch and then wrap the yarn around the right needle and pull it through the stitch.
Sadly we don’t have a video of this. It may be more useful to google the technique to find a video!
Hope this helps!!
Laura
Hi! I love these mittens and am actually knitting a second pair with an afterthought thumb for my 9 month old. Thank you so much for the pattern. I am having trouble this time though with the beginning CC. I cast on with the CC, then join the MC for a round of knitting, then begin the ribbing. When i start to knit, I realize that the MC was added on the right side and the MC “stripe” can be seen through the CC. How do I prevent this?
Hi Brianna.
These mittens with the afterthought thumb sound great! I love that idea.
As for your CC/MC situation… The MC should be added on the right side, so that sounds good. As for seeing the MC through the CC cast on… Is the CC lighter than the MC? What kind of cast on did you do? You could always work your first round of ribbing in the CC and then switch to the MC. The CC will be broader, but you may avoid this issue. The CC I used is a bit thicker and much darker than my MC, and I didn’t have this problem. I’m wondering if your color / yarn choices may be contributing?! I’m not entirely sure without seeing them in person. I’m sorry.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m curious about the solution.
Thanks for writing in.
Laura
Hi. I’m so excited to knit these mitts – love your projects! Quick question…if I cast on to a straight needle (the double pointed needles as suggested), how am I connecting to work in the round? Do I knit the initial cast on and put 8 stitches on 4 different needles? Thanks!
Hi Sonia.
Are you familiar with double pointed needles? Have you seen our tutorial… it might be a good jumping off point: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/07/25/double-pointed-needles/
For this pattern, you can cast all of your stitches onto one needle and then distribute them evenly (or evenly-ish) across three needles and then use the fourth double pointed needle to work across them.
I hope this helps!
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Laura
HI-
Would like to make these to go with the heirloom newborn hats! Can I use the line weight yarn?
thanks!
Hi Darcy!
Great question. Yes! Line Weight would be a lovely substitution.
Let us know how it goes.
Laura
Love the mittens but is this a choking hazard? The long string makes me think it can get caught around the neck.
Hello, Jen!
Thank you for writing in! Sorry for the delayed response! This is an important concern! The string is designed to be thread through the back of the baby’s coat and along the back of each sleeve to keep the mittens from falling off and getting lost. It’s a very traditional way to keep track of both mittens. As always babies should not be left unsupervised when wearing anything with a string on it. And you are also welcome to knit a pair without the string.
If you have further questions please let us know!
Best,
Kumeko
When I try to “preview” before printing, the screen shows double text on text. Hope you solved the problem by now.
Hi Beatrice,
I hope you aren’t still experiencing this problem. I would try downloading the file and printing it after saving it to your computer. I hope this helps!
Best,
Adam
I love this adorable pattern! I knit it without the contrast stripes in a fingering weight yarn from Anzula and then knit the baby bonnet pattern in the same yarn held double. A matching set and machine washable! Thanks for providing such wonderful free patterns.
Can these mitten be worked with regulate knit like red heart yarn? thank you
Hi Frances,
Thanks for writing in! These delightful infant mittens can be knit using any yarn that comes in at the same gauge. The gauge that we are getting for this project is 7 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch. This corresponds to a fingering weight. We have a wide variety of fingering weight yarns that are less expensive than the cashmere that we used. A list can be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/yarn.html?yarn_stitches_per_inch_filter=968
If you would like to use another, just be sure that you are getting 7 stitches per inch and you will be good to go!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
I love your patterns. The mitts are so cute, but there are no thumbs. Here is my problem: I have 2 almost 2-year old grandbabies, and they need their thumbs. Every “toddler” pattern I find makes mittens that are twice the size of their little hands. Infant sized patterns are invariably thumbless. Have you ever considered adding thumb directions to this pattern? Have you ever seen a pattern with thumbs for 1-2 year olds? They seem to be the forgotten size babies.
Thanks for any help you might be able to give me.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for the question! I haven’t found many infant mitten patterns with thumbs either, but you can easily add one. If you knit to one stitch before the halfway point of the mitten, you can place markers on either side of this stitch and do a small gusset by increasing after the first marker and before the second. You’ll probably only need to increase four to six stitches total for their little thumbs. After doing this you’ll put the stitches in between the markers on scrap yarn and continue in the round for the rest of the hand. At the end you’ll pick up the thumb stitches again and knit a tiny tube in the round for the thumb, decreasing just before you get your desired length. I hope this helps!
-Adam
Thank you so much for this pattern. I love these! Knitted up two pairs so far (with letters in stead of stripes, so they make the best personalized maternity gift).
The link to the 2ply doesn’t work. The amount of yardage for 1 pair of mittens is missing. Please fix these errors.
Hi George,
Thanks for reaching out! The links to Jade Sapphire 2-Ply Cashmere have been corrected above, and you can also find it by clicking right here if that’s more convenient! You can knit four pairs of mittens from a single skein of 2-Ply Cashmere, so each pair of mittens takes 100 yards.
Happy knitting!
Julianna