Easy-On Free Crochet Mittens Pattern

Easy-On Free Crochet Mittens Pattern is now available in more sizes! This post includes the Childrens Crochet Mittens Pattern, Adult Small Crochet Mittens Pattern, Adult Medium Crochet Mittens Pattern and the Adult Large Crochet Mittens Pattern. The small child (Darla’s Easy-On Mitts) and toddler (Drew’s Easy-On Mitts) patterns are also still available.

Since the day I released Darla’s Easy-On Mittens and Drew’s Easy-On Mitts you have been asking for this pattern to be available in Adult sizes. When Red Heart Yarns sent me their newest bulky weight yarn I immediately knew it was the perfect yarn for these mittens. It reminds me of a thicker version of Red Heart Soft Yarn – which has long been a long-time favorite of mine – in fact it is the yarn I used to design my Not Another Owl Hats patterns.

Easy-On Free Crochet Mittens Pattern

Soft Essentials Yarn is super soft and beautiful to work with. For more information on this new Red Heart Yarn: Soft Essentials Yarn please scroll to the end of this pattern – I have included the links to the free patterns available from Red Heart and designed with Soft Essentials Yarn and even a link to download a free copy of their Soft Essentials Look Book.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my Easy-On Mittens, these mittens have a wrist closure option which allows you to open and close the mitten at the wrist. I first designed these mittens for my son because he was so wiggly and I swear he had fingers sticking out all over the place – trying to get mittens on his hands was such a challenge and he always pulled them off as fast as I could get them on. These mittens open at the wrist so you can easily pop the hand into the mitten itself (not getting stuck on the narrower cuff part) and once the hand is inside you can button up the wrist closure and the hand stays inside the mitten 😉

You can wear the closure on the underside of your wrist (which is how I did Drew’s so he wouldn’t try to undo the buttons) or on top – which is how Darla liked to wear hers because she thought they looked ‘pretty’ that way. You can alternately whip stitch the cuff closed for a regular pair of mittens – this is totally up to you!

These mittens have been requested for many reasons – one of which is for individuals in Nursing Homes. The wrist closure allows caregivers to slide the mittens onto the resident’s hands more easily (and less painfully) and then the wrist closure can be button to ensure the mitten stays in place once on.

I hope you find this pattern helpful and as always feel free to message me with questions or corrections (if you find a typo!).

♥ Rhondda

Crochet Mittens Pattern

Supplies

• Yarn: Red Heart Soft Essentials Yarn [5] Bulky (5 oz / 141 g; 131 yds / 120 m; 100% acrylic yarn)
• Hook: 5.0 mm (H) or 5.5 mm (I) Clover Amour – Size is dependent upon which pattern you are making!
  
• Buttons (23 mm – silver example; wood toggle is 1″ inch length). Many sizes of buttons will work though – just be sure to make the magic ring tighten to the size you need it to be!
• Scissors, Yarn Needle, Stitch Marker (optional)

Difficulty Level

EASY

Finished Sizes

Child 7.75 inches long (fingertips to cuff), 4.5 inches wide (widest width – across palm), 3.5 inches wide above the thumb; 3.25 inches wide at the cuff (when assembled) and 2.5 inches tall (cuff only); Closure is 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Requires 1 ball of yarn to make one set of mittens.

Adult Small  8.5 inches long (fingertips to cuff), 4.5 inches wide (widest width – across palm), 3.5 inches wide above the thumb; 3.25 inches wide at the cuff (when assembled) and 2.5 inches tall (cuff only); Closure is 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Requires 1 ball of yarn to make one set of mittens.

Adult Medium 9.5 inches long (fingertips to cuff),5 inches wide (widest width – across palm), 4 inches wide above the thumb; 3.5 inches wide at the cuff (when assembled) and 2.75 inches tall (cuff only). Closure is 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Requires 1 ball of yarn to make one set of mittens.

Adult Large 10.25 inches long (fingertips to cuff), 5.5 inches wide (widest width – across palm), 4.25 inches wide above the thumb; 3.75 inches wide at the cuff (when assembled) and 3.25 inches tall (cuff only). Closure: 3.25 inches long by 1.75 inches wide. Requires 2 balls of yarn (NOTE: if you are not making the closure and just seaming up the wrist with a whipstitch you will only need 1 ball of yarn to make one set of mittens.)

Gauge

5 mm (G)

2.5 rounds/inch; 3 hdc/inch

5.5 mm (H)

2.33 rounds/inch; 3.33 hdc/inch

Abbreviations

US Terminology used

bl – back loop
ch – chain
hdc – half double crochet
hdc2tog – half double crochet 2 together
MR – magic ring, magic circle, adjustable loop
R – row/round
rem – remaining
rep – repeat
sc – single crochet
sk – skip
sl st – slip stitch
st/sts – stitch/stitches
* – Repeat the instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated. This repeat will contain of multiple instructions.
() – Repeat the instructions between the parentheses the number of times indicated.
[] – at the end of the row – the total number of stitches

Helpful Tutorials

Invisible Join

Stitch Anatomy

Simple Closing Method for Hats and Mittens

Whip Stitch

Video Tutorial Showing the Child Size Mitten from Start to Finish Coming Soon! 

Notes

The Third Loop or Back Bar of the Single Crochet Stitch

Some of my patterns will ask you to work in the “third” loop.  This is referring to the stitch located behind (and slightly to the left-side) of the back loop.  If you twist your stitches slightly you will see it hiding back there.  All stitches with a yarn over in them include this third loop (back bar). Please see this tutorial if you need help: How to Find the Third Loop

These mittens are worked from the cuff to the fingertips in one piece. The thumb is added after you finish the main mitten. We begin working in rows and then switch to continuous rounds (no slip stitch or chain stitch should be crocheted unless it is specifically written in the post.)

• Do not count chain stitches as stitches and do not work into them, unless specified.
• Do not count slip stitches as stitches and do not work into them, unless specified.
• For the initial chain row of the cuff we work into the back bump of the chain only (this gives it a bit more elasticity). If you need help please see this tutorial: Alternate Ways to Work into the Starting Chain

Easy-On Crochet Mittens Pattern Instructions

Childrens Crochet Mittens Pattern (7-10)

Hook: 5 mm (H)

Cuff

Row 1: Ch 9, beg in the 2nd ch from the hook and working in the back bump of each ch, work 1 sc in each ch across, ch 1, turn [8]
Row 2: 1 sc in both loops of the first st, 1 sc in bl of each of the next 6 sts, 1 sc in both loops of the last st, ch 1, turn [8]
Row 3-22: rep Row 2 [8]

Mitten

Thumb (both hands)

Adult Small Crochet Mittens Pattern

Hook: 5 mm (H)

Cuff

Row 1: Ch 9, beg in the 2nd ch from the hook and working in the back bump of each ch, work 1 sc in each ch across, ch 1, turn [8]
Row 2: 1 sc in both loops of the first st, 1 sc in bl of each of the next 6 sts, 1 sc in both loops of the last st, ch 1, turn [8]
Row 3-22: rep Row 2 [8]

Mitten

Thumb (both hands)

Adult Medium Crochet Mittens Pattern

Hook: 5.0 mm (H)

Cuff

Row 1: Ch 9, beg in the 2nd ch from the hook and working in the back bump of each ch, work 1 sc in each ch across, ch 1, turn [8]
Row 2: 1 sc in both loops of the first st, 1 sc in bl of each of the next 6 sts, 1 sc in both loops of the last st, ch 1, turn [8]
Row 3-22: rep Row 2 [8]

Fold the cuff in half to make the stitches of the first row and the stitches of the last row touch. Slip stitch into the row end of the first row to join the cuff together. You will now continue to work your mitten in rounds. I recommend you add a stitch marker after you make the first stitch of R1 below to mark your place.

Mitten

R1: 1 sc in each row end, around the top of the cuff [22]

R2: 1 sc in bl of each of the next 17 sts; 1 sc in third loop of each of the next 5 sts [22]

R3: 1 sc in third loop of each of the next 17 sts, 1 sc in both loops (normal crochet) of each of the next 5 sts [22]

R4: *1 hdc in each of the next 3 sts, 2 hdc in the next st**. Rep from * to ** five times.  1 hdc in each of the next 2 sts [27]

R5-7: 1 hdc in each st around [27]

Please make one mitten following the “Left Hand” instructions and one mitten following the “Right Hand” instructions below. The stitches you SKIP in R8 will become the thumbhole.

NOTE the sl st for R8 counts as a stitch and you will work into it as a stitch in R9: 

Left Hand

R8: 1 hdc in each of the next 6 sts, sk the next 7 sts, 1 sl st and 1 hdc in the next st (14^th st), 1 hdc in each of the next 13 sts [21]

Right Hand

R8: 1 hdc in each of the next 20 sts, sk the next 7 sts, 1 sl st in the first stitch of the next row to join [21]

Continue the mittens for both hands as follows:

R 9-14: 1 hdc in each st around [21]

R15: 1 hdc in the first st, hdc2tog the rem sts around [11]

R16: sc2tog around, 1 sc in the last st [6]

Finish off leaving a long tail. Close the top of the mitten by weaving the yarn end through the front loop of the remaining stitches of R16. For help please see this tutorial: Simple Closing Method for Mittens and Hats

Thumb (both hands)

With the thumb opening on the left-hand side of your work, join the yarn with a slip stitch to the stitch just to the left of the palm of the mitten. Please note, you have already worked into this stitch once, for the main mitten!

R1: 1 hdc in the same st as you sl st to; 1 hdc in each remaining st around [8 hdc]

R2: 1 sl st to the first hdc of R1. 1 hdc in each rem st around (except the one you sl st into) [7 hdc]

R3: 1 sl st to the first hdc of R2. 1 hdc in each rem st around (except the one you sl st into) [6 hdc]

R4: 1 sc in each st around [6 sc].

Finish off leaving a long tail. Close the top of the thumb by weaving the yarn end through the front loop of the remaining stitches of R4. For help please see this tutorial: Simple Closing Method for Mittens and Hats

You may either seam your mitten cuffs closed using a whip stitch seam OR you can create a wrist closure to use to hold the cuff closed when you are wearing them.

Wrist Closure

R1: MR: 12 hdc (IMPORTANT: find your button and make sure it fits into the center-hole created by the 12 hdc in the MR – you can tighten your loop but ensure you do not tighten it so much that your button no longer fits through!!)

Row 2: You will count and work into the chain stitches in this row. Ch 1, 1 sc once into the first hdc of R1, ch 1, turn [3]

R3: 1 sc in the sc, 1 sc in the ch 1 and 1 sc in the next hdc (from R1), ch 1, turn [3]

R4-5: Rep R3
Round 6: 1 sc in each row end and st around the entire closure [22].  Sl st to the initial sc of Round 6. Do not finish off.

Attachment of Closures

Line the closure up with the bottom of the cuff and secure it along 3 sides by sewing it with your yarn and needle. Attach the button so it will line up with the hole left in the wrist closure. Secure the button.

Adult Large Crochet Mittens Pattern

Hook: 5.5 mm (I)

Note: Want a narrower cuff? Simply chain less stitches for Row 1 below! 

Cuff

Row 1: Ch 11, beg in the 2nd ch from the hook and working in the back bump of each ch, work 1 sc in each ch across, ch 1, turn [10]
Row 2: 1 sc in both loops of the first st, 1 sc in bl of each of the next 8 sts, 1 sc in both loops of the last st, ch 1, turn [10]
Row 3-26: rep Row 2 [10]

Fold the cuff in half to make the stitches of the first row and the stitches of the last row touch. Slip stitch into the row end of the first row to join the cuff together. You will now continue to work your mitten in rounds. I recommend you add a stitch marker after you make the first stitch of R1 below to mark your place.

Mitten

Thumb (both hands)