How often do you find a pair of warm mittens for sale that are 100 percent wool and fit you properly? It was just this problem that started me on my knitting journey forty-nine(!) years ago. I was in college in Maine (which really was colder then, I swear), and in the school’s Outing Club where I had finally found my people. Fall hikes and canoe adventures soon led to winter snowshoe treks and even a bit of cross-country skiing, but by then my hand coverings were not up to the task. The mittens and gloves I could find were either acrylic blends or leather covered and far from warm, or so bulky they had to be removed to do just about anything.

My mother was an occasional knitter, so on winter break I got her to show me how to knit, then begin to make mittens. I won’t go into all the mistakes I made, but fortunately I had a friend back at school who could knit, and she bailed me out a few times. I finished those mittens, and I have been designing and making mittens for myself and my extended family and friends ever since.

Firmly knit woolen mittens keep your loved ones’ hands comfy and cozy while out walking, stacking wood, or gripping a cold steering wheel. I call this design Philia, after the Greek word for one of many kinds of love: specifically, brotherly love and love of family. This pattern includes three sizes to fit a range of hand dimensions and ages, including child through adult. You can achieve even more sizes by adjusting the yarn weight and needle size: for example, an aran-weight yarn and maybe US 8 (5.0mm) needles for an extra-large size, or fingering-weight yarn and US 3 (3.25mm) needles for an extra-small size.

Only two skeins of yarn are needed for this design—one main color and one contrasting color—but any number of contrast colors can be used if desired, and I have included charts for up to three contrasting colors. However many you use, I do advise keeping to one main color. The pattern includes an optional loop to add if you anticipate hanging the mittens to dry or to help clip the mittens to the edges of jacket sleeves.

I hope you enjoy placing the warmth of brotherly love in the hands of your dear ones!

SIZES
1 (2, 3) fitting — Child (Adult Average, Adult Large)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS:
Circumference: 6.9 (8, 8.7) inches around
Length: 8.5 (10, 11.5) inches long (cuff to tip)
Changes to gauge or yarn weight, or adding length, may require extra yarn

GAUGE: (over blocked colorwork pattern)
Size 1: 28 sts and 32 rnds = 4 inches/10 cm
Size 2: 24 sts and 28 rnds = 4 inches/10 cm
Size 3: 22 sts and 24 rnds = 4 inches/10 cm

NEEDLES:
Size 1: US 5 (3.75mm), Size 2: US 6 (4mm), Size 3: US 7 (4.5mm) needle(s) (or size needed to obtain gauge)
ALSO
Size 1: US 4 (3.5mm), Size 2: US 5 (3.75mm), Size 3: US 6 (4mm) needle(s) (or one size smaller than gauge needle)

If making the optional loops—2 double-pointed needles in smallest size being used are needed.

Use your preferred method for working small circumferences in the round.

YARN:
Sport Weight wool yarn (size 1), MC 100 yards, CCs 100 yards
Worsted Weight wool yarn (sizes 2 and 3), MC 120-140 yards, CCs 120-140 yards
NOTIONS: 2 stitch markers, length of smooth waste yarn for a holder and a tapestry needle
SKILLS USED: working in the round, decreases (k2tog, ssk), increases (M1L, M1R), using a chart, 2-color colorwork, picking up stitches

I sourced some of this lovely yarn (Retrosaria Vovo and Making Tracks DK) here in the US at The Woolly Thistle, an on-line shop specializing in woolly wool. This is an affiliate link which generates a small commission for me at no additional cost to you!

Thank you for supporting my work by using this link to purchase your yarn, and for choosing one of my designs!