How to Crochet Mittens: Easy Beginner Pattern for Adults

You will need worsted weight yarn (the video uses Drops Merino Extra Fine in off-white), a 4.5mm crochet hook, scissors, a tapestry needle, and a couple of stitch markers. One 50g ball is enough for a single mitten, so grab two balls if you want to finish the pair in one sitting.

Wool or a wool blend is the warmest choice for winter mittens, but a soft acrylic works fine if you are allergic to wool or want something machine washable. Pick a color you will actually wear - the project moves fast enough that you might make a second pair in a different shade.

Start with a slipknot on your hook. Then chain 45 by yarning over and pulling through the loop on your hook 45 times. Keep the chains relatively loose - you will be working into every single one in the next step, and tight chains are painful to crochet into.

Forty-five chains gives an average adult hand circumference once the ribbing stretches a little. If you have small hands or want a snug fit, drop to 40. For larger hands, add a few extra. This is the long edge that becomes the side of the mitten.

Skip the very first chain next to your hook. In the second chain, work a slip stitch by inserting the hook, yarning over, and pulling through both the chain and the loop on your hook. That is one slip stitch.

Keep going - one slip stitch in each of the next chains - until you have 10 slip stitches in total. In the 10th slip stitch, slide on a stitch marker so you know where the cuff ends. The 10 slip stitches are denser than single crochet and become the cuff edge of the mitten.

Right after the stitch marker, switch to single crochet for the middle section. Insert the hook in the next chain, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops. That is one single crochet. Work one in every chain until only three chains are left.

Those last three chains get slip stitches, just like the first 10 at the other end. Insert the hook, yarn over, pull through both. Three slip stitches close out the row. Chain one and turn your work.

From now on every row is the same: 10 back-loop slip stitches at the cuff end, back-loop single crochet across the middle, 3 back-loop slip stitches at the top end. Working only through the back loop is what creates the ribbed stretchy texture.

Look at the top of each stitch and you will see a small V made of two loops. Slide your hook under only the back loop (further from you) and ignore the front loop. Skip the turning chain at the start of each row and work your first stitch in the second stitch over. Use the stitch markers to remember where the slip stitch sections end and the single crochet begins.

Keep repeating the row pattern - chain one, turn, 10 back-loop slip stitches, back-loop single crochet across, 3 back-loop slip stitches - until the rectangle wraps comfortably around your hand. Diving Ducks Crochet works 42 rows total for an average adult fit.

Check the fit by wrapping it around your widest knuckle area. The fabric should stretch slightly to meet itself. If it feels tight, add another two rows. When you are done, cut the yarn leaving a tail at least a foot long - you need it for sewing in the next steps.

Thread the long tail onto a tapestry needle. Fold the rectangle in half so the short ends meet. The 3-slip-stitch edges at the top are now stacked on top of each other - that is where you will gather to close the top of the mitten.

Weave the needle in and out across the top edge, picking up about every other row. When you have gone across, pull the yarn gently to gather the fabric into a closed top. Do not yank - pull a little at a time so the yarn does not snap. Once the top is fully closed, run the needle through the same stitches three times to lock it.

With the rectangle still folded in half, sew the long side closed from the top down toward the cuff. Use a whip stitch or running stitch - pass the needle through both layers, then back through, working your way along the edge.

About a third of the way down, stop sewing and leave a 5cm gap. That gap is the thumb hole. Then continue sewing the rest of the seam down to the cuff. Secure the yarn with a few back-and-forth stitches and trim. Turn the mitten right-side out by reaching through the cuff opening.

Insert your hook into one of the stitches along the thumb gap. Grab the working yarn (from a new ball or what is left of the old one), pull up a loop, and tie a knot to anchor it. Tie a second knot for security.

Now single crochet all the way around the thumb opening. You want 15 single crochets total. If the gap gives you more than 15 stitches when you come back to the start, do a few decreases to bring the count down. Fewer than 15? Add an extra stitch by working twice into one spot.

Continue working single crochet around and around in a spiral - no joining, no chaining up. Just keep going into the next stitch each time. Working in the round this way creates a smooth tube without a visible seam.

Keep going until the thumb tube is almost as long as your own thumb. Try it on once or twice as you work. Stop about half a centimeter shorter than your thumb tip - you will close the top with a few decreases, and that adds the last bit of height.

Work decreases all the way around to close the top of the thumb. To decrease, insert the hook in the next stitch, pull up a loop, insert in the following stitch, pull up another loop, then yarn over and pull through all three loops. Keep decreasing until only a few stitches remain.

Cut the yarn with a 6-inch tail. Thread it on the tapestry needle, then stitch through the remaining loops and pull tight to close any final gap. Weave the tail through the inside of the thumb a few times, then trim. Do the same for any other tails. Make a second mitten the same way and your pair is ready to wear.