Ultimate Mittens: 28 Classic Patterns to Keep You Warm

I've got mixed feelings about this book. I love the diversity of mittens in this book, with their different ethnic and styling backgrounds. I enjoy reading the historical summaries behind each one. What I take issue is that so far I have found some of her pattern instructions utterly incomprehensible. Perhaps for someone with extensive knitting/mitten experience they would not be as lost as I am. I'm not sure if it is the way she words the technique that makes it seem overly complicated, or if its "me", but so far I have made two different mitt patterns from this book, and both times I began pulling out my hair when faced with building the thumb gussets. I've made mittens by other designers and didn't have this problem. I will continue to try and understand Robin Hansen's patterns in this book, as all these mittens are wonderful, but I do wish instructions were written more clearly.

It’s Hardcover, much better quality than her previous books. The book has a couple of beginner basic patterns, and the patterns are all rated for difficulty (one mitten for beginner, two mittens, up to 3 and 4 for a lot of work pattern!)The book has no index, only a table of contents. There is a section of techniques & terms but the pictures are too small to be useful. I thought that the drawings in “Flying Geese..” were much better.Patterns can be a bit difficult to follow, as in her other books there’s some page turning.Many of the patterns are duplicates from her other books.I’ve been working on the Candle lit Windows mitten pattern, and had a little difficulty with the thumb gusset Placement… ripping it out several times. Finally got it… its gorgeous ! Well worth the trouble. But it wasn’t easy, peasy… I will make more of these.I’m happy with my purchase.

fabulous details, wonderful patterns, the author's obsession w/ mittens shines off of every page. And I share that obsession... although I am just getting started on my own mitten journey. I'm on my third pair now, with the goal of making each of these lovely and unique mittens eventually. They are the perfect projects to hone your skills - small, portable, easy to personalize thru your yarn choices. Plus, the knitter can decide just how involved they want to get - a super easy thumbie mitten, or a more difficult Woolly Bear to work on when one is snowed in for a couple of days! I love this book, start to finish.

Now this is a mitten book!!! This book contains tested patterns from all over New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces where fishing in cold weather is a way of life. You get both their pattern and the story of how they came to be. I'm particularly interested in the "stuffed" mittens--those with bits of roving or fleece caught behind the stitches to add warmth. There are mittens with carried color in the Nordic tradition, and a pair of fingerless as well as regular gloves, but though many are lovely items, these are patterns for working and warmth more than fashion. There are no heavily cabled mittens or opera gloves in this volume. However, if functionality is your goal, you'll be very happy with this excellent book.

Designer Robin Hansen is already the author of two famous, classic collections of mitten patterns:  Fox and Geese and Fences: A Collection of Traditional Maine Mittens , and  Flying Geese and Partridge Feet: More Mittens from Up North and Down East  (which were later combined, in revised and updated format, into  Favorite Mittens ). In ULTIMATE MITTENS, Hansen presents another wonderful collection of new mitten patterns in a big, coffee-table-sized book with beautiful photos, schematic drawings, and charts.The mitten patterns are grouped by type: (1) Bumpy textured ("Lithuanian Ribby Knit"); (2) Stuffed with fleece for warmth ("Hearty Alternative"; "Secret Fleece"; "Uncle Chubbs"; "Windblock"; "Kennebunk Woolly Bear"); (3) Two-Color stranded knitting ("Candlelit Windows"; "Pine Needles"; "Crow's Feet With Gumption"); (4) Newfoundland patterns ("Shetland Ladders"; "Eyunsstovu Slants"); (5) Pulled-Up knitting that adds texture to stranded knitting ("Newfoundland Rickrack Stripes"; "Hadelands"); (6) Twined knitting that twists the stranded knitting yarns ("Maine Fisherman's Double-Knit Wet"; "Norwegian Purl-Side-Out"; "Stripes and Zigzags Twined Wristers"); (7) Other viewpoints in hand coverings ("Inuit and Aroostook Sewn"; "Polish Basketmaker's"; "Boston Street Vendor's Afghan Gloves"; "Gershwin Fingerless Gloves"); and (8) Other purpose ("Scrubby Bath Mitts").The book includes diagrams for reinforcing mittens and gloves with leather palms, thumbs, and fingers as appropriate for driving, skiing, and riding. It also has a chapter on repairing and caring for mittens and gloves. Finally, it has a terrific illustrated glossary of knitting terms and techniques used in the book (for example, step-by-step photos of the "twisted long-tail cast on"; drawings of the "spit splice"; and charts for the "universal thumb gore for 2-colored knitting").This book would make a great gift for any knitter who doesn't already own it! Mittens are quick-knit projects, and are not difficult to knit, but are interesting because of the shaping needed for cuff, thumb gussets, and finishing the top of the hand. They also allow wide latitude for adding fun decorative patterns (as this book illustrates).

Robin Hansen's directions are clear and comprehensive and I love her previous book, Favorite Mittens. I felt that the selection of mittens in this book were not particularly exciting. These mittens will be good mittens if you knit them, but perhaps not many people will want to knit many of the designs. There is a problem in the information section at the end where poor editing has led to illustrations being placed with the wrong text.

Just the right combination of research into tradition, adaptation, and originality -- great book, lovely illustrations. Haven't tried them out yet but am itching to ...

In my search for the warmest mittens known to man, I bought the Kindle version of this to read on my iPad. It's got a lovely variety of patterns with some interesting mitten information as well. I think my search ends here!

I thought I had more than enough mitten books, but clearly I did not! This book introduced me to a plethora of mittens I had no idea existed, and filled me with an urgent need to get some on them on the needles as soon as possible.I thoroughly enjoyed the regional history and world-wide comparisons that were included with each type of mitt.This book explains everything in the clearest, friendliest way, from fulling to shagging to correct I-cord application, from the basic beginners mitts to mitts that aren't even knit but also deserve serious consideration.The instructions are charted, not written out line by line, but the photos and charts for each mitten are large and clear and there is a detailed explanation for any special construction. Most have size charts from childrens to adult XL.

Great photos and ideas for mittens but the knitting instructions are dreadful. Inconsistent and not user friendly. After trying 2 different patterns I gave up and gave the book to the local thrift store.