Rise Mitts Baby Mittens – Free Baby Mitten Knitting Pattern

The perfect baby shower or first Christmas gift the Rise Baby Mittens is a free baby mitten knitting pattern here on the blog!

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Read through why I designed these baby mittens, my inspiration behind the name or scroll down for the free pattern.

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Inspiration

I patterned these adorable little baby mittens after traditional Nordic mittens that have a pointed top. (Like these) If I’m being 100% honest, I used to think mittens that came to a triangular point at the top looked silly. Then I saw a knitting pattern for some teeny tiny baby ones and now I may be a bit obsessed.

Why mittens?

The idea to design mittens came while I was on my weekly Friday walk with baby Charlotte. It was a spring day that happened to be slightly chilly and a strong wind was blowing. I was wearing a light down jacket and my Melted Sea Shawl for warmth. Charlotte was in her stroller zipped up in her North Face coat, winter hat and a fuzzy blanket on top. We both were dressed for the weather, other than our hands.

Mine were forced to brave the elements while pushing the stroller and she wouldn’t keep hers under the blanket. That’s when I had the thought that light fingerless mittens would have been the perfect solution! They would keep the tops of my hands warm and protected from the wind, while allowing my fingers to be free and able to grasp the stroller handle. Of course, Charlotte needed mittens too! However, babies don’t exactly need fingerless mittens so I thought why not make a pair of the pointy mittens I had seen.

The name Rise.

I was listening to Rachel Hollis’s “Rise” Podcast while on my walk and just love the inspiration behind the simple word, rise. It felt like a great name for my new mittens. Then when I decided to add a single twisted rib stitch line up the front of the mitten it felt like the name fit perfect. That single stitch starts at the base of the mitten cuff and “rises” up to the top of the mitten.

How do I design something with multiple sizes?

This was my first time designing something with multiple sizes and I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy. I started with the baby mittens first. Partially because they were so cute and also because they were quick and easy. Next I designed a size for me. That way I could measure my own hand and try them on to make sure they fit.

I relied on a mitten sizing chart listed in my Vogue Knitting book. It has a great section in the end that discusses designing all sorts of knit items from shawls to hats to sweaters. It was really helpful when grading the mittens for other sizes and fits.

A mitten pattern… in the summer.

By the time I figured everything out it was summer and no one was wearing mittens! I still released the pattern because I just loved them so much and couldn’t wait to share it with others. My test knitters uploaded their projects to Ravelry so you can check out their mittens here. Tests were done for the child, adult S/M, and adult M/L sizes. The baby mitten is a little extra bonus. It can actually be knit using the remaining yarn after knitting up a different size of the mittens as they only require 30 yards of yarn.

Mommy and Me gifts.

When I created these mittens I envisioned them being knit as adorable “mommy and me” sets. They would make such a cute baby shower gift or first Christmas gift! You could also knit the adult, child and baby size for an entire family gift set.

I have included the baby mitten pattern for free below. If you want the matching child and adult sizes you can purchase the PDF pattern here.

Yarn Selection.

One day I was browsing Independent Yarn Dyers on Etsy and came across this gorgeous bulky weight yarn similar to this one. Knowing that this was a small batch dyer it was possible that the three skeins listed may be the only ones ever available. I immediately scooped up two skeins even though I had zero idea of what I was going to make with them! When my idea to design mittens came to me I knew right away that the beautiful speckled yarn from Dark Wave Fibers would be the perfect fit. Not too bulky but still enough to be warm and cozy.

My test knitters used a mix of hand-dyed yarn and yarn from larger suppliers. One particular test knit that I particularly loved used Lion Brand Yarn’s Color Made Easy. I loved her Rise Mitts so much that I went out and bought a skein of the exact yarn and color she used! You can find her project here.

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Baby Mittens Pattern

• Get the large print, ad-free, printable PDF pattern here.
• Pin this to your Pinterest boards for later here.
• Add this to your Ravelry Pattern queue here.

Supplies:

• Yarn: Approx. 30 yards of Bulky, weight 5 yarn
• Needles: US 9/5.5mm & US 10.5/6.5mm, 32” circular knitting needles for Magic Loop, or Double Pointed Needles. (This is my favorite interchangeable needle and cord set!)
• Notions: Tapestry Needle, 2 Stitch Markers (how cute are these!), Scissors (I need these for my project bag!)

Gauge:

• 4×4” / 10x10cm = 14 stitches x 20 rows in stockinette using US 10.5/6.5mm needles

Directions:

Cuff:

Using the magic loop method or DPNs (Double Pointed Needles) and US 9/5.5mm circular needles, CO 18 sts with the Twisted German Cast On and join in the round, be careful not to twist sts. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round (BOR).

Round 1: *K1tbl, P1tbl* repeat around.

Repeat {Round 1} 4 more times, or to desired length.

Here is my video of the twisted German cast-on:

Lower Hand:

Round 1: (set-up round): Switch to US 10.5/6.5mm needles, K3, PM, P1tbl, K1tbl, P1tbl, K around to the end.

Round 2: Knit to the marker, SM, P1tbl, K1tbl, P1tbl, K around to the end.

Repeat {Round 2} 8 more times.   

Decrease:

Round 1: SSK, K1, P1tbl, K1tbl, P1tbl, K1, K2tog, SSK, K5, K2tog. (14 sts)

Round 2: SSK, P1tbl, K1tbl, P1tbl, K2tog, SSK, K3, K2tog. (10 sts)

Round 3: SSK, K1tbl, K2tog, SSK, K1, K2tog. Cut yarn and thread through the remaining 6 sts, pulling tight to seal up the top. 

Finishing

Weave in the ends and block. To block your mittens, simply soak them in lukewarm water with your favorite wool wash for 15 minutes. (My favorite is Soak Wash). Then squeeze out the excess moisture with a towel and lay flat to dry.

For the baby mittens I like to connect them using a long piece of yarn attached to each cuff that can be threaded through a coat so that if the mittens fall off, they won’t get lost. 

Glossary

• ST(S) = Stitch(es)
• CO = Cast On
• K = Knit
• P = Purl
• Rep = Repeat
• PM = Place Marker
• SM = Slip Marker
• K1tbl = Knit 1 stitch through the back loop
• P1tbl = Purl 1 stitch through the back loop
• SSK = Slip, slip, knit (Decrease)
• K2Tog = Knit 2 together (Decrease)
• BO = Bind Off
• DPN = Double-pointed needles
• BOR = Beginning of round

I can’t wait to see all the adorable little babies rocking their Rise Mitts! Make sure to use #risemitts on Facebook and Instagram so I can see your finished mittens! If you tag me @whimsynorth I can also share your knitting in my stories.

• Get the large print, ad-free, printable PDF pattern here.
• Pin this to your Pinterest boards for later here.
• Add this to your Ravelry Pattern queue here.
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