Basic Fingerless Mitts
A simple fingerless glove, which can be endlessly adjusted for style - see some of the suggestions at the end. Knit in the round means there's no seaming - my least favourite part of knitting. Magic loop is fantastic for ease of knitting, and lack of gaps around the stiches, while knitting two-at-a-time ensures the gloves are even. I had a horrific experience when I knitted a pair gloves for my brother, and the stitch and row counts were perfect, but the sizing was quite different!
Materials:
DK (8-ply) yarn (50 gr is plenty) 4mm circular needles Skills and abbreviations: K (knit), P (purl), kfb (knit into front and back of same stitch) Long-tail cast on: tutorial here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN9cNEozOLc Magic loop, two-at-a-time: tutorial here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCwfbiZd7dI
Method:
Using long-tail cast on, cast on 40 stitches per glove and join to knit in the round. Row 1-10: K2, P2 rib. Lett glove Row 11: k to last 4 sts, PM, kfb, k1,kfb, k1. Row 12: k to last [6] sts, SM, k to end. Row 13: k to last [6] sts, SM, kfb, k[3], kfb, k1. Row 14: k to last [8] sts, SM, k to end. Repeat rows 13 &14 until 20 sts after marker Row 27: k to last 20 sts, SM, purl 20. Row 28: k to last 20 sts, SM, purl 20. Row 29: k to last 20 sts, remove M, cast off 20. (A reasonably tight form of cast off is fine here.) Row 30: k to end, pick up first 2 and last 2 cast off sts. (40 sts.)
Basic Fingerless Mitts
Row 11: kfb, k1,kfb, k1, PM, k to end. Row 12: k [6] sts, SM, k to end. Row 13: kfb, k[3], kfb, k1, SM, k to end. Row 14: k [8] sts, SM, k to end. Repeat rows 13 &14 until 20 sts before marker Row 27: purl 20, SM, k to end. Row 28: purl 20, SM, k end. Row 29: cast off 20st, remove M, k to end. (A reasonably tight form of cast off is fine here.) Row 30: pick up first 2 and last 2 cast off sts, k to end. (40 sts.) You should be back to 40 sts per glove. Row 31- 36: k to end. (Try on at this point. The knitted section should come up to the beginning of your fingers. If it's not long enough yet, keep knitting and trying On.) Row 37 (or more): k2, p2 rib to end. Repeat row 37 4 more times (5 rows of ribbing) Cast off: either normal, or use suspended cast-off for a bit more wriggle-room.
VARIATIONS
1) Rib for 20-30 rows at the beginning, for longer gloves and better coverage between your hands and the ends of sleeves! 2) Knit them longer after the thumb castoff, or have a longer rib section at the top, for warmer fingers. 3) Personalise them by knitting patterns into the backs of the gloves (opposite half to the thumb-shaping).
Happy knitting, and keep those fingers warm! Kiwi Medievalist
