Saturday, February 22, 2014

Cloverleaf Eyelet Fingerless Gloves

Cloverleaf Eyelet Fingerless Gloves

I recently received a lovely email suggesting that I make a pair of lacy, fingerless gloves. And I was immediately on board - I've been plotting fingerless gloves for a while now, other projects just keep getting in the way. Unfortunately, I didn't have any good yarn for a particularly lacy project, so I ended up with these kind of starter-lace gloves instead, which use a little bit of eyeletted ribbing, but are a fairly straightforward pattern. Now that I've patterned my first pair, however, expect to see more in the near future - and of a lacier variety!

The pattern. A cloverleaf, if you look closely.
Sizes: smaller (for a hand roughly 7 1/2" - 8" in circumference at the base of the thumb) and larger (for a hand roughly 8 1/2" - 9" in circumference at the base of the thumb) - directions for larger size will follow those for the smaller size in parentheses

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (100% Superwash Wool; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #821 Daffodil – one skein (both sizes)

Needles: one set of double-pointed needles in size 6, one set of double-pointed needles in size 4

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches on size 6 needles

First and foremost: since these fingerless gloves have a pattern that's intended to be in different places on the two gloves (left of the thumb on the left side, right of the thumb on the right), we'll have to knit the right and left gloves with slightly different patterns. So let's begin with the left, and when that bad boy's done, we'll move on to the right!

Using your size 4 needles, cast on 42 (48) stitches loosely and then divide among your double-pointed needles as follows: place 19 (21) stitches on first needle, 11 (14) stitches on second needle, and 12 (13) stitches on third needle. Join in round. Next, work four rows in a * k1, p1 * ribbing. And then it's time to switch to your size 6 needles and begin the pattern, which incorporates a strip of Cloverleaf Eyelet Rib from page 170 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. So here goes:

Row 1, and all odd rows: (k5, p1) three times, knit until end of round (for larger size: k7, p1, (k5, p1) twice, knit until end of round)

Row 2: k5, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (for larger size: k7, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round)

Row 4: k5, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (for larger size: k7, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round)

Row 6: same as row 1 and odd rows

Knit rows 1 - 6 four times, and then we'll begin gusseting in the thumb. So now, we'll be knitting like so:

Row 1, and all odd rows: knit until you have 18 stitches left on your first needle, kfb, k3, p1, (k5, p1) two times, k1, knit across second needle, and then knit 11 stitches on your third needle, kfb, and knit until end of round (the first time you knit this row, you won't have any stitches after that final kfb) (for larger size: knit until you have 20 stitches left on your first needle, kfb, (k5, p1) three times, k1, knit across second needle, and then knit 12 stitches on your third needle, kfb, and knit until end of round)

Row 2: knit until you have fourteen stitches left on your first needle, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 4: knit until you have fourteen stitches left on your first needle, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 6: knit until you have fourteen stitches left on your first needle, p1, (k5, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

For both sizes: Knit rows 1 - 6 twice. On your next row, knit across first 8 stitches and then thread these stitches and the final six stitches from needle 3 onto a scrap of yarn, to work later as thumb. And now we'll resume our original pattern, with a slight variation since we've moved two stitches into our thumb. Or in terms of the pattern, here's what we'll do next:

Row 1, and all odd rows: k3, p1, (k5, p1) twice, knit until end of round (for larger size: (k5, p1) three times, knit until end of round)

Row 2: k3, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (for larger size: k5, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round)

Row 4: k3, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (for larger size: k5, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round)

Row 6: same as row 1 and odd rows

Knit rows 1 - 6 twice, knit row 1 once more, and then switch to your size 4 dpns and complete four rounds in a * k1, p1 * ribbing. Bind off loosely in pattern. Next, transfer your thumb stitches to your size 6 dpns, making sure to place stitches from before and after the break on a single needle (the break being where you rejoined the glove in a round after working your thumb gusset). Knit around, picking up two extra stitches at the break when you get there. Knit four rows around in total, and then switch to your size 4 needles and knit two more rows in a * k1, p1 * ribbing. Bind off loosely in pattern, and tuck in ends.

And now, for the right glove!

Using your size 4 needles, cast on 42 (48) stitches loosely and then divide among your double-pointed needles as follows: place 12 (13) stitches on first needle, 12 (15) stitches on second needle, and 18 (20) stitches on third needle. Join in round. Next, work four rows in a * k1, p1 * ribbing. And then it's time to switch to your size 6 needles and begin the pattern, which will go like so:

Row 1, and all odd rows: knit across first two needles, k1, p1, (k5, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 2: knit across first two needles, k1, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 4: knit across first two needles, k1, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 6: same as row 1 and odd rows

Knit rows 1 - 6 four times, and then we'll begin gusseting in the thumb. So now, we'll be knitting like so:

Row 1, and all odd rows: knit until you have 12 stitches left on your first needle, kfb, and knit the rest of your stitches on your first and second needles (on your first repetition of this row, that means you'll kfb on your first stitch of the round). Once you reach your third needle, k1, p1, (k5, p1) two times, k2, kfb, and knit until end of round. (For larger size: knit until you have 13 stitches left on your first needle, kfb, and knit the rest of your stitches on your first and second needles. Once you reach your third needle, k1, p1, (k5, p1) twice, k4, kfb, and knit until end of round)

Row 2: knit all of the stitches on your first and second needles; then, k1, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, and knit until end or round (both sizes)

Row 4: knit all of the stitches on your first and second needles; then, k1, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, and knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 6: knit all of the stitches on your first and second needles; then, k1, p1, (k5, p1) twice, and knit until end of round (both sizes)

For both sizes: Knit rows 1 - 6 twice. On your next row, knit across first 7 stitches and then thread these stitches and the final 7 stitches from needle 3 onto a scrap of yarn, to work later as thumb. And now we'll resume our original pattern, which, for this glove, we don't need to modify. Here's a reminder of how it goes, then:

Row 1, and all odd rows: knit across first two needles, k1, p1, (k5, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 2: knit across first two needles, k1, p1, (k1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 4: knit across first two needles, k1, p1, (k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1) twice, knit until end of round (both sizes)

Row 6: same as row 1 and odd rows

Knit rows 1 - 6 twice, knit row 1 once more, and then switch to your size 4 dpns and complete four rounds in a * p1, k1 * ribbing (notice that this isn't the * k1, p1 * we used before). Bind off loosely in pattern. Next, transfer your thumb stitches to your size 6 dpns, making sure to place stitches from before and after the break on a single needle (the break being where you rejoined the glove in a round after working your thumb gusset). Knit around, picking up two extra stitches at the break when you get there. Knit four rows around in total, and then switch to your size 4 needles and knit two more rows in a * k1, p1 * ribbing. Bind off loosely in pattern, and tuck in ends. And congrats - you're done!!!





12 comments:

  1. Very nice and I love the pattern!

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    1. Thank you! I think they turned out well, for my first pair.

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  2. I'm am starting the gusseting. For the larger size there are 21 stitches on the first needle. The pattern says to knit unto you have stitches remaining. Then kfb (19 stitches reading) then k5, p1 twice. That leaves one stitch left on the first needle which is not accounted for in the pattern. I assume I just knit it and then go on with the pattern.

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    1. Hi Vickie! You are totally correct on this, and thanks for the catch! I will fix it in the pattern. Please let me know if you have any other questions! :)

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    2. WOW! Thanks for the quick response. Where should I find the correction?

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    3. Hi Vickie! I added a "k1" in Row 1 of the left-hand mitt, after the (k5, p1) bits. I think that's the only place there's a problem, although I could be wrong... And please let me know if I am!

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  3. Hi. I finished the left glove and now I'm on the right one. The pattern instructions for the pattern section in rows 1-3 have me starting each round knitting the underside of the glove, but when I get to row 4, the instructions say to start with the lace pattern, then to knit the remainder of the round. That would put the lace on the bottom of the glove. I used the pattern instructions from the area that included the thumb stitches, but I just wanted to point that out. So far, what I have finished is beautiful. Thank you for the pattern!

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    1. Thank you so much for the heads up! Obviously I try to error check everything, but things do occasionally slip through. I'll look into this. Thank again :)

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  4. Gretchen, I like the looks of these fingerless gloves to be knitted using the sailor's ribbed pattern. How could the palm side be knitted to be sturdier to handle the ropes? Deborah Prather - prather.deborah@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Deborah!

      I am going to reply to all of your comments on the Sailor's Rib Cowl. Just letting you know! :)

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  5. Thank you for this pattern, especially the fact that is in PDF format.

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    1. Glad you like it! And I dislike printing webpages as much as the next person, so I was very happy to add the PrintFriendly capabilities to mine. :)

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