I started making Selbu mittens last year and several people asked if I could make a comprehensive selbu mitten knitting tutorial, so here it is!  It’s still in the 90s outside, but if you want to make these for yourself or to give as gifts, it’s nice to get a headstart.  Since it’s a process with several steps, I will break this tutorial up into a series of videos and blog posts.  These mittens take me about 6-8 hours to make, but I am not a very fast knitter.  People who have more streamlined mechanics can probably crank these out faster!

If you’re new to knitting Selbu (Norweigian/Scandinavian) Mittens, I would suggest checking out this post as a resource before you get started – Making Selbu Mittens |Tips for Beginners.

I’ll reiterate some tips and encouragement here, though.  First of all, making mittens might seem intimidating and these selbu mittens specifically look complicated, but I consider myself a beginner/intermediate knitter and it really is just a matter of breaking it down into steps.  The mittens only use a knit stitch, purl stitch, increases, decreases, and colorwork.  A project like this is a great opportunity to learn or improve those basic knitting skills.

The best advice I would give to a mitten first-timer is to just make one practice mitten.  It can have mistakes and you can test out how the size turns out with your style of knitting.  Even though these are a perfect size for my hands, they might be too small or too large if you knit tighter or looser than I do.  A practice mitten takes the pressure off and allows you to focus on learning.  When you feel confident, then make a pair of mittens.

So, are you ready to do some knitting with me?  Here’s what you’ll need…

selbu mitten knitting tutorial | supplies needed

• Rauma Strikkegard Yarn in two colors (two skeins of white or cream and two in a preferred contrasting color.) I buy my yarn from Ingebretsens HERE.  The colors used in this tutorial are 101 (off-white) and 146 (gold.)  You can look at the details of this yarn and find something comparable, but this is a traditional Scandinavian wool yarn that is perfect for mittens.
• Size 2 (2.75mm) knitting needles.  I use .
• Scissors
• Low-tack artist tape ( is my favorite.)
• 1 large safety pin (I like because they are a neutral color and classic design.)
• for weaving in ends
• And here are two great pattern books, which are optional – and .  The pattern that I’m using for the mittens in the video is from pg 138 of the book Mittens from Around Norway.  You can use any selbu mitten pattern, though, that is 60 stitches across the starting row of the pattern to line up

selbu mitten knitting tutorial | video tutorial part 1

In this first video of the Selbu mitten knitting tutorial, we will…

• Review the materials and pattern (minutes 0.00 – 6.47)
• Learn to cast on and work on double-pointed needles (minutes 6.47 – 14.14)
• Get the first two rows of the mitten cuff started (minutes 14:14 – end)

You can also make the cuffs in a solid color if you want, but I like the stripes and using two colors helps me easily keep track of how many rows I’m doing so that I can make two identical cuffs.

selbu mitten knitting tutorial | printable pattern for the cuff

Now, I need to put it right out there that this isn’t going to be a traditional knitting pattern.  This is an I’ll-walk-you-through-how-to-do-it sort of pattern.  I hope it makes sense, but veteran knitters will certainly know a better way to format the pattern.  Honestly, I get bogged down in the details of symbols of a pattern and my brain works best trying to simplify it into instructions that are easier to follow.  That’s just me, though.

Classic Selbu Mitten Knitted Cuff

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

• 2 skeins white or cream yarn (I use Rauma Strikkegard yarn)
• 2 Skeins contrasting colored yarn
• 1 set of five double-pointed knitting needles size 2 (2.75mm)
• scissors
• low-tack tape
• large safety pin
• blunt needle

Instructions

 

• With cream or white yarn, cast on 56 stitches and distribute across four double-pointed needles (size 2/2.75mm) so there are 14 stitches per needle.
• Knit, knit, purl, purl (kkpp) pattern in cream/white to make 6 rows
• Pick up second yarn color and kkpp pattern two rows pick up white/cream yarn and kkpp pattern for two more rows
• Repeat until there are five colored stripes Finish cuff with six more rows in white/cream of kkpp pattern
• Finish the cuff with one more row of white/cream yarn in a knit stitch. 7 stitches into each needle, increase 1 stitch. With four stitches added in that row (one on each needle), there will be a total of 60 stitches and you're ready to start the mitten pattern or your choosing.

Part two will be coming soon! We will finish the cuff and start the pattern. I would suggest practicing and mastering casting on, distributing the yarn between four needles, and knitting the cuff, so you’re ready to move on when the next video drops.

You can find more knitting and crochet tutorials and patterns HERE.

Here is the rest of the Selbu Mitten tutorial series…

Selbu Mitten Tutorial Part 1 | Materials, Working on Double Pointed Needles, Casting On, & Starting the Cuff

Selbu Mitten Tutorial Part 2 | Knitting in Two Colors

Selbu Mitten Tutorial Part 3 | Making the Thumb Hole