How to Knit Mittens Video Tutorial

Torso and arms of a person wearing handknit mittens and cowl in matching colors of bright green, blue, pink, and red. There are fall leaves in the background. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio.

There are so many knitting skills you can learn in this how to knit mittens video. You’ll learn how to use circular knitting needles in the “magic loop” method, how to do a long tail cast on, how to knit ribbing, how to bind off, and more!

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What are you knitting in this video tutorial?

In this tutorial video I’m demonstrating how to knit the items in my Wanette Winter Set, which is a free pattern here on my site. The ear warmer and cowl of this easy set are both ribbing just like the cuff of the mittens, but bigger. So the first video below showing you how to knit the mitten cuff, will also teach you the needed skills for those pieces.

The second video takes you from the top of the cuff to the end of the fingertips. I’ll show you how to increase for the heel of the hand, how to bind off to make the thumbhole, how to knit the hand, and how to decrease at the fingertips.

The third video will show you how to pick up stitches around the thumbhole, knit the thumb, and decrease at the thumb tip.

This is my Wanette Winter Set. This is an easy knitting pattern for an earwarmer, cowl, and mittens in one adult size that fits most.

Young person wearing a gray winter coat, and a matched set of ear warmer, cowl, and mittens in various shades of green, red, pink, blue, and purple stripes. They stand in front of a brick wall. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio.

What supplies will I need to knit mittens?

You will need yarn and knitting needles. You can knit mittens with just about any yarn and needles of a size to go along with your yarn. You’ll want a somewhat dense fabric so that it will not have large holes in it, so within a range of knitting needle sizes that could work with your yarn, go for something on the smaller side of that range.

For the mittens I am knitting here, I used Plymouth Yarn Gina Chunky, which is a bulky/5 weight yarn made of 100% wool.

I also used two different sizes of needles. I used US 9 (5.5 mm) needles for the ribbed cuff and US 10 (6 mm) needles for the rest of the mitten.

You can use double pointed needles (DPNs) to make mittens or you can use circular needles with a long cord between them in the “magic loop” method as I did in this video.

In this video I used a set of Knitter’s Pride wooden needles that I really love.

Video 1: How to knit a ribbed mitten cuff

In this first how to knit mittens video I’ll show you the long tail cast on and how to set up your stitches for the magic loop method on long circular needles. Then I’ll show you how to knit and how to purl. Those two stitches are alternated to create ribbing, which is a very elastic knit stitch. It’s good and stretching out, but it’s also good at pulling back from that stretch, so it hugs your wrist as a mitten cuff.

In this mitten I’m making what’s called 1×1 ribbing. That means that I’m alternating 1 knit stitch and 1 purl stitch. You can make ribbing in different ways. You can make 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 ribbing. The numbers refer to the number of knit stitches, and then the number of purl stitches.

You can also make ribbing that doesn’t have equal numbers of the two stitches. You could do 2×1 ribbing, which has 2 knit stitches alternated with 1 purl stitch. And you can make just about any configuration you want, though the more knit or purl stitches you have before switching, the less elastic your fabric will be.

Let’s watch and see how to do these skills.

Video thumbnail showing the cuffs of a pair of mittens on a bed of fall leaves and grass. The mittens are green, blue, and pink. A white banner across the image has text that reads: How to knit mittens video ribbed cuff. Banana Moon Studio. A red and white play button is centered on the image. — Click to watch it on YouTube

Video 2: How to knit the hand of a mitten

In this second video I start right where I left off at the end of the first video. I have the ribbed cuff already made. I’ll start increasing to make room for the heel of the hand. Then I’ll have to bind off a few stitches to create a thumbhole.

After the thumbhole I will stitch the hand of the mitten, which is pretty simple, even knitting. Then I will show you how to decrease at the fingertips and how to bind off your last round of stitches.

So you will learn increases, a bind off, and decreases in this video.

Video thumbnail showing a pair of colorful knit mittens against tree bark. A white banner with text reads: How to knit a mitten: hand, thumbhole, and fingertip. Banana Moon Studio. A red and white play button is centered over the image. — Click to watch it on YouTube

Video 3: How to knit a mitten thumb

When you knit the hand of the mitten you leave a hole on one side for the thumb to go through. Chances are, you’re going to want your thumb covered when wearing mittens, so in this how to knit mittens video we have to learn how to create that thumb.

We start by picking up stitches around the thumbhole. This isn’t hard, but it may be a new concept if you haven’t done it before. After you pick up stitches it’s pretty easy. You knit around and around until you’ve made a tube as long as your thumb.

Then you’ll decrease a few stitches at the thumb tip. And last of all, you’ll need to bind off the remaining stitches and close the hole at the tip of the thumb.

I’ll show you how to do all of that in this third video of the series.

Video thumbnail showing a person wearing handknit mittens in colorful stripes, a gray winter coat, and a colorful, striped cowl. A white banner with text reads: How to knit the thumb of a mitten. Banana Moon Studio. — Click to watch it on YouTube

And that concludes this How to Knit Mittens Video tutorial. What did you learn? When you’ve made a pair of mittens I’d love to see them! Or if you are still in the process of knitting them and have questions, please ask them! You can comment here with questions. You can share pictures with me on Instagram by tagging me, or you can join my Facebook group and share photos and questions there.

Happy knitting!