 |
| Photos above © tbears99 |
 |
| The photo above © Manicmaiden |
Bike Mittens by Charlotte L / Charlov. Photo © Charlotte L.
Bike Mittens by Charlotte L are a clever cold-weather knitting project designed to keep your hands warmer while cycling. Instead of wearing these mittens on your hands, the finished pieces fit over the bicycle handlebars, creating cozy covers that you can slip your hands into while riding.
The design is surprisingly simple. Each mitten is essentially built from straightforward ribbing and stockinette, then seamed to create openings for the handlebar and your hand.
The original tutorial is written in French, but Charlotte provides helpful photographs of the construction, and the project uses basic knitting techniques. The original tutorial is still available free on the designer's website.
Bike mittens are knitted covers that stay on the bicycle rather than ordinary mittens that stay on your hands.
Each cover fits around one side of the handlebars and leaves an opening where the cyclist can insert a hand.
Once your hands are inside, you can continue holding the handlebar and operating the controls while the knitted fabric provides an extra layer between your hands and cold air.
Cold wind can make winter cycling uncomfortable even when the temperature itself does not seem extreme.
Hands are particularly exposed because they remain forward on the handlebars throughout the ride.
Handlebar mittens provide a simple knitted barrier around this exposed area and can be used together with whatever hand protection is appropriate for your weather and riding conditions.
Charlotte originally created the mittens for her friend Claire, who traveled frequently by bicycle and was moving somewhere colder.
That practical origin makes this an unusual handmade gift idea for someone who commutes or regularly travels by bicycle during cooler weather.
Unlike another scarf or hat, it is a project specifically connected to the recipient's cycling routine.
Despite their unusual purpose, these bicycle mittens do not require complicated three-dimensional mitten shaping.
The pieces are knitted flat, beginning with ribbing and continuing in stockinette.
After knitting, strategic seaming transforms the flat fabric into the handlebar cover.
This makes the project approachable for knitters who are comfortable knitting flat but do not want to work traditional mittens in the round.
The design begins with 1×1 ribbing.
Alternating knit and purl stitches creates an elastic section that can flex more easily than plain stockinette.
Ribbing is particularly useful around openings because it can help the knitted fabric sit more neatly while still allowing some stretch.
After the ribbed section, the project continues in stockinette stitch.
This keeps the knitting straightforward and allows the very thick yarn to do much of the visual work.
Because the original yarn and needles are so large, the stitches create a substantial fabric suitable for this type of cold-weather accessory.
Charlotte designed the mittens using very thick yarn.
The original project used a teal yarn from We Are Knitters, and the designer notes that another suitably thick yarn can be substituted.
Thick yarn has two obvious advantages for this project: it creates a substantial fabric and allows the pieces to grow quickly on large needles.
You do not need the exact original yarn to make a useful pair of Bike Mittens.
If substituting, look for a yarn that produces a thick, stable fabric suitable for the intended handlebar fit.
Consider:
Remember that a bicycle accessory may encounter more dirt and moisture than a scarf worn indoors.
If you do not have yarn as thick as the original, combining strands may be an option.
Charlotte suggested this possibility when a reader asked about using thinner yarn.
However, the important consideration is the resulting fabric rather than simply the number of strands. Your finished knitting still needs to have suitable thickness and dimensions for your bicycle.
The original tutorial uses very large needles to match the thick yarn.
Charlotte begins the ribbing with approximately 12–13 mm needles and then uses 15 mm needles for the stockinette section.
If you substitute yarn, choose needles that create an appropriate fabric rather than assuming that the original needle sizes will work with every yarn.
One particularly useful lesson from the designer's comments is that bicycle handlebars are not all identical.
Charlotte told a reader that she had taken measurements directly from a bicycle when making the original mittens.
That is a sensible approach if your yarn, gauge or handlebar setup differs from the original.
Check the space around your grips, brake levers and other controls before deciding whether any adjustment is needed.
The finished mitten needs openings for two different purposes.
One opening allows the cover to fit around the handlebar. The other allows your hand to enter the mitten so you can hold the grip and access the brake.
Charlotte specifically confirmed this arrangement when a reader asked whether the design still allowed access to the brakes.
This is the most important practical consideration when fitting any handmade cover around bicycle controls.
After installing the finished mittens, make sure your hands can enter and leave easily and that you can operate the brakes and any essential controls without obstruction.
Test the fit carefully before using the covers during normal riding.
The project requires two matching knitted pieces—one for each side of the handlebars.
Because the construction is straightforward, completing the first mitten also gives you a useful opportunity to check the fit before finishing the second.
If an adjustment is necessary, make notes so the second piece can be made consistently.
Once the flat pieces are knitted, the final shape is created through seaming.
The original tutorial includes photographs showing where Charlotte closes the fabric and where the openings remain.
Those photographs are especially useful because the instructions are in French and the construction is easier to understand visually once you see how the flat piece becomes a handlebar mitten.
The knitting itself is quite approachable.
If you already know how to:
then the main knitting techniques should feel familiar.
The less conventional part is understanding the final seaming and fitting the finished covers safely around your particular handlebars.
Charlotte's original Moufles de vélo tutorial is written in French.
The page includes construction photographs, which can make the project easier to understand even if French is not your first language.
Modern browsers can also translate webpages automatically, but always compare translated knitting terminology with the photographs and original text when something seems unclear.
Amazing Knitting does not reproduce Charlotte's complete row-by-row instructions.
Instead, this guide explains the design, construction, materials and practical considerations so that you can decide whether the project is right for you.
The complete knitting instructions and Charlotte's original construction photographs remain on her own website.
Knitted Bike Mittens are textile accessories, so their performance will depend heavily on the yarn you choose and the conditions in which they are used.
A fiber that feels wonderfully warm when dry may behave differently when repeatedly exposed to rain, snow or road spray.
Check the care instructions for your yarn and allow wet knitted items to dry thoroughly before storing them.
The good news is that Charlotte's original Moufles de vélo / Bike Mittens tutorial is still publicly available on the Charlov website.
It includes the designer's materials, knitting directions, seaming instructions and photographs showing how the finished covers are constructed.
Get the Free Bike Mittens Tutorial from Charlov →
Bike Mittens / Moufles de vélo are designed by Charlotte L / Charlov. Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designer's complete copyrighted tutorial. Please visit the original Charlov page for the full instructions and construction photographs.
 |
| Photos above © Gülümseten Marifetler |
 |
| The photo above © tricoemaistrico |
 |
| Pictured projects by binel, ina, and irmi-M. |
 |
| The photo above © Curious |
 |
| Photos above © Athena Forbes |
 |
| The photo above © Mirella Moments |
 |
| Photos above © LoneStarNeedler |
 |
| Photos above © Churchmouse Yarns and Teas |
 |
| Photos above © Yarnspirations & © Chrisandra |