It’s time for my annual post showcasing my favourite mitt and mitten patterns for the year.

Welsh Triads Collection by Sarah Monroe

These seven gorgeous mitten patterns are based on characters found in the Malbigoni, prose literature written in the 12th and 13th centuries in Middle Welsh. Having a daughter who is obsessed with early medieval Welsh history, these called out to me right away. I would also not be surprised if I am persuaded to knit one or more of these. I find them absolutely stunning.

Flora by Wenche Roald

I love this pattern; they are so cheerful. I can picture any young woman from a fairy tale wearing these while out taking a basket of goodies to grandma or gathering wood for the fire. I warn you: the pattern is written in Norwegian. But what experienced knitter couldn’t have a little fun and learn something new by reading a pattern in a different language? And if you already speak Norwegian, then you are ahead of the game!

Gran by Kajsa Vuorela Fredriksson

I love this simple but effective graphic design of spruce trees by Swedish designer Kajsa Vuorela Fredriksson. Gran means spruce in Swedish. Come on: you know you want a pair!

Wisp by Kerri Blumer

Sometimes, you need super warm and cozy mittens. These mittens are knitted with a strand of mohair held together with a DK weight yarn, to make a nice, fluffy fabric. There are so many combinations of yarns and colours that could be used to whip up a pair of these; I bet you have some sitting in your stash right now!

Frón by Kristin Ornolfsdottir

I’ve already shown you mittens from Norway and Sweden; here’s a pair from Iceland by designer Kristin Ornolfsdottir. She says: “Frón is the fifth of five mitten patterns where the inspiration comes from Icelandic cross-stitch patterns from 15th to 18th century.” I have a real thing for graphic mittens in black and white; if you go through my earlier mitten posts (see links below) there are quite a few other examples.

Noggin Cove by Jennifer Beale

Jennifer Beale does the most fantastic designs combining different styles and techniques in eye-catching ways. She is the knitting equivalent of fusion cooking. I am always excited to see a new design of hers. Note the traditional Shetland lace pattern which goes up the side of the thumb. These mittens are part of a set of five patterns using panels of Fair Isle in creative ways. My favourite is the cowl; while it is shown in the above photo, you can get a clearer picture of the cowl pattern here.

Jinkies by Kate Davies

These are part of a set of patterns which Kate has recently released based on experimentations with twisted stitches inspired by Norah Gaughan’s book, Twisted Stitch Sourcebook. Kate has written a number of interesting posts on the design process, showing how she has used the book to inspire new designs; she also interviews Thea Coleman regarding her use of Twisted Stitches in some recent design work. Fascinating stuff. You can find her blog here. I love the texture and structure in these mitts, which are showcased well by the longer length.

Dì-Shiopaich by Liz Corke

I admit to being completely fascinated by the technique employed here. She writes: “Meaning unzip in Scottish Gaelic, Dì-Shiopaich has the gusset on the back of the hand rather than around the thumb. This creates a split in the lace pattern which looks like a half unzipped zip!” Amazing! It’s such a neat idea and looks fantastic.

I hope you like these patterns as much as I do, and perhaps have found something to cast on your needles as we head into cold weather (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere).

I have been writing a mitten post every year (two in 2015!) for a long time now. Here are links to the earlier posts, in case you want to check them out:

Merry Mittenmas! (2014)

A dozen great patterns for fingerless mitts (2015)

Mittens! (2015)

To gusset or not to gusset (2016)

It’s mitten time again! (2017)

A show of hands (2108)

Warm hands, warm heart (2019)

Mittens Redux (2020)