Editing Mitten

{{short description|Type of handwear}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox clothing item
| image_file    = Southern Sami Mittens Norway.JPG
| caption       = [[Sami People|Saami]] mittens
| designer      = 
| year          = 
| type          = Hand protection
| material      = 
| on_display_at = 
}}
A '''mitten''' is a type of [[glove]] that covers the hand but does not have separate finger openings or sheaths. Generally, mittens still separate the thumb from the other four fingers. They have different colours and designs. Mittens provide greater [[thermal insulation]] than gloves as they have a smaller [[Surface-area-to-volume ratio|surface area]] exposed to the cold,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Extreme Cold |url=http://templatelab.com/extreme-cold-guide/ |access-date=21 September 2010 |publisher=Center for Disease control}}</ref> but have a trade-off in dexterity.

Mittens are associated with cold weather, children's clothing, comfort and various occupational uses. In the English-speaking world, they also have a cultural association with domestic cats, as in the "[[Three Little Kittens]]".

Mittens are a common sight on ski slopes, as they not only provide extra warmth but extra protection from injury.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Safety Tips: Skiing (for Teens) – Nemours KidsHealth |url=https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/safety-skiing.html |access-date=4 November 2020 |website=kidshealth.org}}</ref> They are also recommended as part of [[extreme cold weather clothing]]. [[Oven glove|Oven mitts]] are worn in the kitchen to protect the hands from hot objects.<ref name="Das2010">{{Cite book |last=Das |first=Subrata |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C2moDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA197 |title=Performance of Home Textiles |publisher=Woodhead Publishing India Pvt. Limited |year=2010 |isbn=978-93-85059-81-0}}</ref>{{rp|197}}

== History ==
Humans have likely used mittens for millennia, but wool and other materials used to construct clothing [[biodegradable|biodegrade]] quickly, which limits the amount of extant relics. From [[Ancient Egypt]] several depictions of mittens survive,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hallmann |first=Aleksandra |date=23 June 2017 |title=Clothing (non-royal), Pharaonic Egypt |journal=The Encyclopedia of Ancient History |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah30017|isbn=9781444338386 }}</ref> and some gloves found at Egyptian pyramids have been described as resembling mittens, with the collection of [[egyptologist]] [[Robert Hay (Egyptologist)|Robert Hay]] supposedly having contained a "linen sleeve and mitten in one piece."<ref name="London1873">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8JYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA18 |title=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London |publisher=Society of Antiquaries |year=1873 |series=Second Series |volume=V |location=London}}</ref>{{rp|18}}

Some of the earliest clearly identifiable mittens date to around 1000 A.D. in [[Latvia]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2006 |title=NATO Summit 2006 |url=http://www.rigasummit.lv/en/id/cats/nid/697/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221033328/http://www.rigasummit.lv/en/id/cats/nid/697/ |archive-date=21 December 2009 |publisher=Rigasummit.lv}}</ref> and mittens continue to be part of Latvian [[national costume]] today.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2015 |title=The Latvian Folk Dress |url=https://www.latvia.eu/traditions-culture/latvian-folk-dress |access-date=29 January 2021 |website=Latvia.eu |publisher=Latvian Institute |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia: National Costume |url=http://www.am.gov.lv/en/latvia/about/symbols/Costume/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121021352/http://www.mfa.gov.lv:80/en/latvia/about/symbols/Costume/ |archive-date=21 November 2010 |publisher=Am.gov.lv}}</ref> Another example is a specimen found during the excavations of the [[early medieval]] trading town of [[Dorestad]] in the Netherlands: In the harbour area a mitten of wool was discovered dating from the 8th or early 9th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brandenburgh |first=Chrystel |date=January 2010 |title=Textile Production and Trade in Dorestad |journal=Dorestad in an International Framework: New Research on Centres of Trade and Coinage in Carolingian Times |pages=83–88 |doi=10.1484/M.STMH-EB.3.2453|isbn=978-2-503-53401-5 }}</ref> Two left-handed leather mittens found on the [[Mary Rose]] are believed to have been used for [[falconry]], whereas in modern times [[Falconry training and technique#Gauntlets|gloves or gauntlets]] are used for this purpose.<ref>{{Cite web |website=The Mary Rose |publisher=The Mary Rose Trust |title=Falconry Mitten |url=http://www.maryrose.org/discover-our-collection/story-of-the-ship/image-galleries/nggallery/image/falconry-mitten |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016193245/http://www.maryrose.org:80/discover-our-collection/story-of-the-ship/image-galleries/nggallery/image/falconry-mitten |archive-date=16 October 2016 |access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref> From [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]] times, [[embroidery|embroidered]] "gauntlet mittens" survive which were made from crimson silk [[velvet]], [[satin]] and  [[sequin]]s, with the [[embroidery thread|thread and floss]] dyed in twelve different colours.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pair of Elizabethan gauntlet mittens at Dunham Massey, NT 934939 |url=http://www.nationaltrustimages.org.uk/image/73040 |access-date=31 January 2021 |publisher=[[National Trust]]}}</ref>

When knitting became more popular in England in the 16th century, mittens were produced at home from wool. One of the earliest known mittens for children survives from this period.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mitten |url=http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/medieval/objects/record.htm?type=object&id=90608 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090311220635/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Permanent/medieval/objects/record.htm?type=object&id=90608 |archive-date=11 March 2009 |publisher=[[Museum of London]]}}</ref> The is a form of [[circular knitting]], and modern knitters often use a circular needle.

Many people around the [[Arctic Circle]] have used mittens, including other [[Balts|Baltic peoples]], [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Native Americans]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Native American Mittens & Gloves |url=http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/mittens/ |access-date=16 March 2010 |publisher=NativeTech}}</ref> and [[Viking]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Viking Garment Construction |url=http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikgarment.html |access-date=16 March 2010 |publisher=Cs.vassar.edu}}</ref>

== Types ==
[[File:Fold mitten Klappfäustling 2 in 1 Handschuh 07.JPG|thumb|Hybrid glove / mitten]]
Mittens are made from several materials, including wool, leather and fur. From the late 18th century, [[knitting pattern]]s were published which allowed to inscribe poems on knitted mittens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Knitted Mittens |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1094270 |access-date=31 January 2021 |website=National Museum of American History |language=en}}</ref>

Special types of mittens include:
[[File:Hestra Index-Finger Ski Gloves.jpg|thumb|alt=A one-finger ski mitten, providing the warmth of a mitten, but offering more dexterity in gripping things.|A pair of one-finger ski mittens, providing the warmth of a mitten, but offering more dexterity in gripping things. The attached wristbands prevent loss when removing the mittens.]]
'''Hunter's mittens''' – In the 1930s, special woolen mittens were introduced that had a flap located in the palm of the mitten so a hunter could have his finger free to fire his weapon.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Magazines |first=Hearst |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_qOIDAAAAMBAJ |title=Popular Mechanics |date=18 December 1930 |publisher=Hearst Magazines |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_qOIDAAAAMBAJ/page/n170 977] |access-date=18 July 2019 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

'''Scratch mitts''' do not separate the thumb, and are designed to prevent babies{{snd}}who do not yet have fine [[motor control]]{{snd}}from scratching their faces.<ref name="Clegg2014">{{Cite book |last=Clegg |first=Lisa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WS9KAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT48 |title=The Blissful Baby Expert |date=6 February 2014 |publisher=Ebury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4735-0153-9}}</ref> However, they are usually not recommended anymore as they can prevent the newborn's natural behaviour of sucking on its hand and gaining tactile experience.<ref name="Modell2020">{{Cite book |last=Modell |first=Stephanie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fb_hDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |title=100 Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep: Practical Advice to Establish Good Sleeping Habits |date=14 May 2020 |publisher=Summersdale Publishers Limited |isbn=978-1-78783-789-8}}</ref><ref name="Fitz-Desorgher2017">{{Cite book |last=Fitz-Desorgher |first=Rachel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvfkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT35 |title=Your Baby Skin to Skin: Learn to trust your baby's instincts in the first year |date=3 April 2017 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=978-1-910336-32-8}}</ref>

'''Corded mittens''' are two mittens connected by a length of yarn, string or lace, threaded through the sleeves of a coat. This arrangement is typically provided for small children to prevent the mittens becoming discarded and lost; when removed, the mittens simply dangle from the string just beyond the cuff of the sleeve.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=idiot mittens definition – Dictionary – MSN Encarta |publisher=Encarta.msn.com |url=http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561547270/idiot_mittens.html |access-date=16 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312163225/http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561547270/idiot_mittens.html |archive-date=12 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=idiot string |url=https://www.dchp.ca/dchp2/Entries/view/idiot%252520string |access-date=1 February 2021 |website=A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The [[West and East Mitten Buttes]], two rock formations in [[Monument Valley]], Arizona, are popularly known as "The Mittens" because when viewed from the south, the buttes appear to be two giant mittens with their thumbs facing inwards. The [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan]] is nicknamed "The Mitten" due to its cartographic shape, and includes [[The Thumb]].

''[[The Mitten (folk tale)|The Mitten]]'' is a popular Ukrainian folktale that has been translated into other languages.

"[[Mittens (song)|Mittens]]" is a Christmas song by [[Carly Rae Jepsen]] that reached number 26 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart in 2010.

During the [[inauguration of Joe Biden]] on 20 January 2021, a photograph of Vermont senator and former presidential candidate [[Bernie Sanders]] was taken by [[Agence France-Presse]] photographer Brendan Smialowski, depicting a masked Sanders sitting on a folding chair wearing winter clothing, most noticeably a large, fluffy pair of mittens, which were made by Vermont elementary school teacher Jen Ellis. The photograph became [[Bernie Sanders mittens meme|a popular internet meme]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 April 2021 |title=Bernie Sanders' mittens, memes help raise $1.8M for charity |url=https://apnews.com/article/bernie-sanders-mittens-memes-charity-3f8afd8e8a5a0b8b9709dd6d4d30ec13 |access-date=26 August 2022 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

=== Domestic cats === 
A nursery rhyme "[[Three Little Kittens]]", attributed to [[Mother Goose]], narrates a woeful tale of childhood mitten loss through the fanciful title characters:

<poem>The three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
  And they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear,
  That we have lost our mittens."
"What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
  Then you shall have no pie."<ref>{{Cite web |title="The three little kittens, they lost their mittens" |url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46968/the-three-little-kittens-they-lost-their-mittens |access-date=2 February 2021 |website=Poetry Foundation}}</ref></poem>

In the English-speaking world "Mittens" is a [[Popular cat names|popular name for a cat]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Room |first=Adrian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jc8pAQAAMAAJ |title=The Naming of Animals: An Appellative Reference to Domestic, Work, and Show Animals, Real and Fictional |date=1993 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-89950-795-8 |page=21 |language=en}}</ref> – whether because of the nursery rhyme, or because some cats' fur patterns create [[Bicolor cat|contrasting colours]] on their feet, creating the impression they are "wearing mittens".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stephens |first=Gloria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JhdZCoQpP64C&pg=PP24 |title=Legacy of the Cat |date=2001 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-0-8118-2910-6 |language=en}}</ref> In the 1907 children's book ''[[The Tale of Tom Kitten]]'' by [[Beatrix Potter]], the title character has a sister named Mittens.

The 1959 [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] song "[[My Favorite Things (song)|My Favorite Things]]", from the musical ''[[The Sound of Music]]'', includes the lyrics: "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens/Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens".

[[Mittens (cat)|Mittens]] is a domestic cat in Wellington, New Zealand, who wanders the city's central business district and is fondly regarded by locals and tourists.

In the 2008 Disney animated film ''[[Bolt (2008 film)|Bolt]]'', Mittens (voiced by [[Susie Essman]]) is a feral cat who helps the title character, a white shepherd dog voiced by [[John Travolta]], find his way home.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Vårfiske på Vardø - L0049 770Fo30141609280058.jpg|Norwegian cod fisherman using mittens (1955)
File:Want van leer met gekleurde en geborduurde kappen, BK-KOG-981-A.jpg|Leather mittens with colored and embroidered caps, Western Europe (1600–1650)
File:Greenland Inuit mitts with depilated palms and cord.jpg|Men's seal fur mittens with [[sealskin]] palm and trim. East [[Greenlandic Inuit|Greenland Inuit]], Amassalik distrikt, [[Tasiilaq|Tasiilak]]
File:Bybyhandschuhe 2011 PD 05.JPG|Corded mittens reduce loss, childwear
File:Baking glove.jpg|[[Oven glove|Oven mitt]], protective wear
File:ATLNZ 11714.jpeg|Members of the [[Discovery Expedition]] wearing thick fur mittens (1902)
File:Mittens, Naskapi, collected in the early 20th century - Native American collection - Native American collection - Peabody Museum, Harvard University - DSC05828.jpg|[[Naskapi]] leather mittens
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Glove]]
* [[Muff (handwarmer)]]

== References ==
{{commons category|Mittens}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Protective gear]]
[[Category:Gloves]]
[[Category:Winter clothes]]