Knitting, Crochet and Crafts

Mitten Knitting Patterns

My picks for the best mitten knitting pattern books
My picks for the best mitten knitting pattern books

Want to knit a pair of mittens for yourself or anyone you know? If so, these mitten knitting patterns will be of interest. The following are the best mitten knitting patterns I’m currently aware of:

1.Selbu Mittens: Discover the Rich History of a Norwegian Knitting Tradition with Over 500 Charts and 35 Classic Patterns

Selbu Mittens: Discover the Rich History of a Norwegian Knitting Tradition with Over 500 Charts and 35 Classic Patterns
Selbu Mittens: Discover the Rich History of a Norwegian Knitting Tradition with Over 500 Charts and 35 Classic Patterns

If you’re hoping to find a massive book filled with mitten knitting patterns, plus historical information about European mitten design — specifically, about the historic pattern designs native to Norway’s Selbu region — this is the book for you.


The authors of Selbu Mittens decided to create a thorough and exhaustive reference book on the topic of Selbu mittens, and they did an impressive job of achieving this goal. They interviewed countless people, pursued numerous leads, and dug through records and mitten samples that had long been buried in museum archives.


They spent a mind-boggling amount of time and effort putting this book together.


So the book ended up being a sizable, hefty volume of mitten motif patterns and historic information on both the techniques and history of mitten knitting — and, by extension, knitting in general — in Norway’s Selbu region.


This didn’t end up being a dull, dry history book, though. There are 500+!!!! charted-out motif patterns for knitting stars, borders, flowers and other designs, and the book also includes helpful, relevant technical information about how mittens are constructed. If you’re either a knitting pattern designer, or an aspiring knitting pattern designer, you will probably find this book invaluable, because there are NO other books I know of that devote so much effort in communicating historic methods of mitten construction. AND, not only that, you also get 35 ready-made mitten knitting patterns designed by some of Norway’s most talented knitters and designers.


If you’re interested in knitting mittens, or in learning about the history of knitting, or in Scandinavian history, you’re likely to enjoy this book.


Learn More About Selbu Mittens:

2. Maja’s Swedish Mittens

Maja's Swedish Mittens, a Knitting Pattern Book Published By Trafalgar Square Books
Maja’s Swedish Mittens, a Knitting Pattern Book Published By Trafalgar Square Books

If you’re hoping to knit new mittens, you have a tough choice ahead of you — because there are mind-boggling numbers of amazing mitten knitting patterns available. Maja’s Swedish Mittens offers you some truly outstanding options to consider. You’ll get the best value from this book if you’re well-versed in the stranded colorwork technique, or you’re willing to learn it. Many, but not all, of the mittens in this book are stranded colorwork designs. There are also patterns for knitting plain mittens, lace mittens, cabled mittens, striped mittens and fingerless gloves.

3. Winter Knits From Scandinavia: 24 Patterns for Hats, Mittens and Socks

Winter Knits From Scandinavia by Jenny Alderbrant (Also Known as JennyPenny), published by Trafalgar Square Books.
Winter Knits From Scandinavia by Jenny Alderbrant (Also Known as JennyPenny), published by Trafalgar Square Books.

This book includes patterns for knitting mittens, socks, and hats, but most of the patterns are mitten knitting patterns. All together, you get patterns for knitting 13 different pairs of adult-sized mittens, and two different patterns for knitting child-sized mittens, if you buy this book.


The designs you’ll find in the book are all knit using the two-color stranded color knitting technique. This is basically the same type of technique as Fair Isle knitting. To knit these projects, you’ll work in stockinette stitch, changing colors multiple times per row to create the lovely Scandinavian-style pattern designs.


This author also occasionally adds additional duplicate stitch details in other colors. For example, included in the book, there’s an intriguing pair of mittens meant to look like a fox. The fox is mostly orange on a white background. You can add yellow eyes plus black details to the fox’s nose and eyes using duplicate stitch. This approach minimizes the numbers of colors you have to deal with while you’re knitting the mittens.


Design themes presented in the book include animals, butterflies, flower motifs, traditional Scandinavian motifs and others. There are designs suitable for women, men and children.


Beyond just the gorgeous patterns, this book is really beautiful to look at. I really enjoyed the photography presented in the book, too.


Learn More About This Book:

4. Jorid Linvik’s Big Book of Knitted Mittens

Jorid Linvik's Big Book of Knitted Mittens: 45 Distinctive Scandinavian Knitting Patterns
Jorid Linvik's Big Book of Knitted Mittens: 45 Distinctive Scandinavian Knitting Patterns

If you want to knit mittens with “personality” for yourself and everyone you know, this is the book for you. Mittens are the sole focus of this stunning hardcover knitting pattern book. The intricate designs presented in this book would all make for impressive, extraordinary gifts for your loved ones.


Learn More About This Book:

5. and 6. Wild Mittens & Unruly Socks 2 and 3

If you are interested in knitting unique, wildly colorful, patterned socks and mittens, check out Wild Mittens & Unruly Socks 2 and Wild Mittens & Unruly Socks 3 by Lumi Karmitsa.

So there you have it: Those are my current recommendations for best mitten knitting patterns in 2024. I hope you found this roundup helpful, and that you found some amazing mitten patterns to add to your pattern stash.

Related Resources:

Hats Scarves & Mittens for the Family, a Crochet Pattern Book Published by Annie's Crochet
Hats Scarves & Mittens for the Family, a Crochet Pattern Book Published by Annie’s Crochet

Posted By: Amy Solovay


This page was last updated on 9-29-2024.