This article will go over how to make a pair of wind shell mittens. Technically they are “half mittens” as they only cover the fingers and are designed to be used in conjunction with a pair of liner gloves.

As someone who is cursed with perpetually cold hands, I have always carried a pair of lightweight liner gloves with me when backpacking. They generally do a good job keeping my hands warm around camp on a chilly morning. But I've found that when using trekking poles in cold weather, the liner gloves just don’t do the trick, especially if the wind is blowing. These ultralight “mitts” block the wind and add a surprising amount of warmth. The idea comes from the design of some running gloves that have a pull out wind shell which can be deployed to cover the fingers when needed. But rather than being attached to the gloves, these mitts are separate and can be used with any liner gloves. This greatly simplifies the construction and is more versatile, as they can be completely removed when not needed.

The design of the mitt has a double layer of fabric on the back of the hand where it is needed the most, and an elastic wristband holds everything in place. The mitt can be pulled off the fingers and tucked under the elastic when not in use, as shown below.

A breathable, but wind blocking fabric should be used for these mitts. In fact, it is a great way to use up any leftover fabric from a quilt project, as the lightweight and breathable fabrics used on quilts are perfect for these as well. You’ll also need some 1/4” wide flat elastic for the wrists.

One advantage to making these mitts yourself is that they can be custom fit to your hand and the particular glove you plan to use them with. A custom fit means your hand is less likely to slide around inside the mitt. The first part of these instructions will go over how to draw up a custom pattern. The second part will cover making the mitts.

Drawing the pattern:

First, put the glove on your non-dominant hand. Place your hand palm down in the center of a sheet of paper with your thumb extended. Trace the shape of your hand, starting below the wrist. Draw a curve that touches the top of each finger.

Before moving your hand, mark the location of your wrist bone on either side of your wrist as shown.

Find the lowest mark for the wrist and measure down from it ¼” and draw a straight line across the wrist as shown below. This is the bottom edge of the pattern.

Draw a line that continues straight down from the index finger to the bottom of the pattern as shown.

Find the lowest point in the transition from index finger to thumb and measure up ½” and make a mark. On the side of the hand opposite the thumb, measure up 2-½” from the wrist mark, and make another mark as shown. Draw a line connecting this mark and the previous mark as shown below.

Draw a line that is offset from the original traced line by ⅝”. The line should follow the new vertical line that continues past the thumb as shown below.

Extend the diagonal line that was previously drawn so that it meets the new outer line as shown. The outermost red lines shown below constitute the outer part of the mitt.

Use a second piece of paper to trace the part of the pattern shown in red below. This will become the inner part of the mitt.

On the traced part, draw a line ⅜” from the bottom edge. Draw a second line ⅜” from the first as shown below.

On the lower end of the line, extend the edge of the mitt straight down as shown. On the upper end draw a line that matches the angle as shown.

You now have your pattern parts drawn. The smaller part is the inside of the mitt, and the larger part is the outside. Cut them out of the paper.

Note: The pattern as described will give you a very good starting point, and may result in a perfect fit for some people, while others may need to make adjustments to the pattern to obtain the desired fit. Plan on making a prototype mitt to check the fit and making adjustments to the pattern if necessary.

Assembling the Mitts:

Use the pattern pieces as guides to cut out the fabric. You will need 1 palm part and 2 back parts per mitt. The back parts should be mirror images of each other. Be sure to cut out parts for a left and right mitt as shown below.

Fold a ⅜” double fold hem on the bottom edge of the inner part. (Fold toward wrong side of fabric.) Stitch the hem in place with two rows of stitching as shown. Trim any protuding fabric from the hem flush with the edge of the part.

Place the inner part between the two outer parts. The outer parts should be arranged so that they are right sides together. Pin the three parts together with the edges aligned.

Stitch the three parts together with a ⅜” seam allowance around the perimeter as shown. Leave the bottom edge open.

Turn the parts right side out, so that the wrong sides of the outer parts are together and the inner part is also right side out. Flatten the seam in the area between the bottom of the mitt and where the inner part starts, and topstitch right next to the edge as shown below.

Fold a ⅜” double fold hem on the bottom edge of the mitt, folding toward the inside of the mitt as shown below. Stitch the hem in place, stitching right next to the edge of the hem as shown.

Cut a piece of ¼” flat elastic that is long enough to wrap your gloved wrist and overlap itself by about 1”. Thread the elastic through the hem in the mitt as shown below

Determine how tight you want the elastic to be by using pins or clips to hold it in place around your wrist. The elastic should be snug around the wrist when wearing the glove but loose enough that it can still be pulled over the hand. Stitch the elastic in place as shown below. Now is a good time to double check the fit of the elastic by pulling it over the gloved hand. Adjust the length of the elastic, by redoing the previous stitching, if necessary.

Slide the elastic so that the seam is inside the hem of the mitt. Stitch the ends of the hem closed on either end, stitching the elastic in place as shown below.