i do mittens all the time and i usually do like a ring the size of my wrist then do singles all the way up until its like a long wristband. so you get to the thumb and thats when you take one of the stiches and make a chain that goes around your thumb and connects back to the main piece. from there its a breeze, you just keep single stiching, and when u wanna start closing it up you skip stiches.