For starting to make knitted mittens, worsted weight yarn used with two strands held together is often a good, economical option. Intermediate and advanced knitters can use small knitting projects such as mittens to try out interesting patterns such as cables and Intarsia. For one-of-a-kind mittens, yarn scraps may be used to create multi-colored striped patterns.
Knitting mittens with two different variegated yarn strands held together creates a detailed, multi-colored effect that can look rich and interesting as well as unique. This is one of the best tips for creating knitted mittens from scrap materials since less material of one yarn type will be needed per mitten. A solid color and a variegated one may be used to knit mittens that look attractive, but the effect won't be quite as detailed.
Knitted mittens, with their clear shape and thumb section, may look daunting to many beginner knitters, but they are actually fairly easy to make as long as basic knit, purl, increase and decrease techniques are mastered. Being able to knit to the gauge specified on the pattern is also important or the mittens are likely to be the wrong size. A great tip for helping to ensure a good fit is for the knitter to outline the wearer's hand on paper with a pen or pencil. After measuring the outline in inches or centimeters, it should be clearer which size mentioned in the pattern is likely to be the best choice. If the knitter does make the wrong size of mitten, it's usually fine to unravel the work and start again with the same yarn.
While intermediate or advanced knitters may experiment with different stitches, beginners should make mittens using a stockinette stitch of alternating knit and purl rows. Patterns that contain techniques other than knitting, purling and simple increasing and decreasing should be avoided by beginners unless they have mastered these stitches. Making stripes of colored yarn scraps is a technique that beginners may want to use to make their mittens stylish.
For more experienced knitters, Intarsia, in which different colors are used to make designs, can make the tops of the mittens interesting. When using Intarsia techniques on mittens, winding different colored yarns on small bobbins is usually a good idea since the project isn't large. Using cable needles on the tops of knitted mittens can give them a classic, sophisticated look.