Uploaded July 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Visit knitfreedom.com/classes/how-to-knit-mittens to watch the entire video course and get more great tips to help you learn how to knit two-at-a-time mittens.
What is the secret to the ultimate mitten thumb? I've discovered two requirements:
First, the mitten thumb has to be offset about half an inch.
If your pattern ignores the natural position of the thumb, you'll end up having to hold your thumb right next to your hand - not very comfortable.
An added challenge: when designing for two-at-a-tine, the stitches have to be perfectly set up from the get-go: you can't adjust the stitches once you've started.
So to offset a thumb correctly, the trick is to figure out how many stitches you need for the offset, plan out where each stitch will go, and then divide the stitches correctly for Magic Loop right at the beginning.
Second, the thumb has to start wide and taper quickly.
For the perfect mitten thumb, you need to pick up and knit as many stitches as can possibly fit between the hand and the thumb, but be careful — the thicker your yarn, the fewer stitches you can pick up before things start getting unwieldy.
Then, in order to rapidly taper the hand into the thumb without any holes, you have to decrease many times in the same row, until the knitting matches the circumference of your thumb.
Today on the blog, practice your skills with two long-awaited free patterns: Worsted and Chunky-Weight Mittens for Magic Loop.
Download the patterns here: knitfreedom.com/techniques/ultimate-mitten-thumb
Learn to knit mittens at knitfreedom.com/how-to-knit-mittens
Sign up for the KNITFreedom newsletter and become a knitting superstar!
knitfreedom.com/newsletter
youtube.com/watch?v=uWTehyG38Ig
Visit knitfreedom.com/classes/how-to-knit-mittens to watch the entire video course and get more great tips to help you learn how to knit two-at-a-time mittens.
What is the secret to the ultimate mitten thumb? I've discovered two requirements:
First, the mitten thumb has to be offset about half an inch.
If your pattern ignores the natural position of the thumb, you'll end up having to hold your thumb right next to your hand - not very comfortable.
An added challenge: when designing for two-at-a-tine, the stitches have to be perfectly set up from the get-go: you can't adjust the stitches once you've started.
So to offset a thumb correctly, the trick is to figure out how many stitches you need for the offset, plan out where each stitch will go, and then divide the stitches correctly for Magic Loop right at the beginning.
Second, the thumb has to start wide and taper quickly.
For the perfect mitten thumb, you need to pick up and knit as many stitches as can possibly fit between the hand and the thumb, but be careful — the thicker your yarn, the fewer stitches you can pick up before things start getting unwieldy.
Then, in order to rapidly taper the hand into the thumb without any holes, you have to decrease many times in the same row, until the knitting matches the circumference of your thumb.
Today on the blog, practice your skills with two long-awaited free patterns: Worsted and Chunky-Weight Mittens for Magic Loop.
Download the patterns here: knitfreedom.com/techniques/ultimate-mitten-thumb
Learn to knit mittens at knitfreedom.com/how-to-knit-mittens
Sign up for the KNITFreedom newsletter and become a knitting superstar!
knitfreedom.com/newsletter
youtube.com/watch?v=uWTehyG38Ig
![[KnitFreedom] Demonstration Of knitCompanion Knitting Pattern App](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uohD0_Eh2sc/mqdefault.jpg "[KnitFreedom] Demonstration Of knitCompanion Knitting Pattern App
https://www.knitfreedom.com/knitting-video/demonstration-of-knitcompanion-knitting-pattern-app/
We are thrilled to have knitCompanion creator Sally Holt here to tell you about her amazing app! In this demonstration video, she will take you through the main features of this sophisticated tool using a pattern from KnitFreedom as her example.
KnitCompanion is a pattern-tracking app for knitters and fiber artists, which is designed to help you keep track of where you are in the pattern as you knit. Even if you put your knitting down mid-row, the app can mark the point where you stopped for you.
It also helps you keep important reference material at your fingertips. You can easily pull up the key while youre knitting, even if its on a different page. You can flip pages of the pattern within the app without losing your place. And you can link your favorite video tutorials for tricky stitches right into the app, so you can watch them in the app while you work the stitch.
The app has intelligent chart recognition, which means you can import the chart directly from your pattern. You then have a host of special features to help you navigate it, including reminders, one-tap markers, and magic markers (which help you count stitches).
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the app is its voice control function, which means you can track your place in the pattern without ever having to put down your needles.
KnitCompanion even connects to Ravelry, so you can easily import your patterns and view them within the app.")
![[KnitFreedom] Socks | Heel Stitches - Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wIlUOLJRWM8/mqdefault.jpg "[KnitFreedom] Socks | Heel Stitches - Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern
https://www.knitfreedom.com/knitting-video/slip-stitch-heel-pattern/
Read more about the Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern at the KnitFreedom Blog: https://www.knitfreedom.com/blog/slip-stitch-heel/
How to do the slipped-stitch heel:
The basic pattern for the Slip Stitch heel is:
Row 1 (RS): *(Sl 1, k1), repeat from * across, end k1.
Row 2 and all even rows: Sl 1, P rest of sts.
Add some texture to your heel flap with an easy slip-stitch heel.
Adding a textured heel flap is an easy way to make the socks more interesting AND to make the heel more durable at the same time.
The slip stitch heel adds texture and durability to knitted sock heels
The slip-stitch heel is super-easy, and it is also nice and stretchy — great if youre not sure how big the sock-recipients ankle is.
This video shows you not only how to work the slip-stitch heel flap, it also gives you tricks for keeping track of where you are (without writing anything down, of course) and for understanding what you are doing just by looking at your work.
Download a free Magic Loop sock pattern to use with this heel stitch at http://knitfreedom.com/magic-loop-sock-patterns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=wIlUOLJRWM8")
