If you’ve been knitting your custom-fitted gloves along with us, you have your fingers and thumb joined and it’s really starting to look and fit like a glove. If you are joining us a bit late, you can read about the knit along, get the pattern, see what we did previously, and knit along! From this point on, the knitting gets much easier.
Knit on for a few rounds as directed in the pattern. We’ll be decreasing for the thumb gusset in just a moment, but you need a few straight rounds to encompass the entire width of the hand, including the thumb. Don’t hesitate to do a few more rounds than directed in the pattern if you want a bit looser thumb connection. I’m thinking I should add a round or two to the directions. Let me know what you think when you get to that point.
Knitting the Gusset
I got so excited that it was time to decrease that I forgot to pause my binging on Midsomer Murders to take pictures. What you see here is a close-up of the finished glove gusset. You are working decreases between the markers until you get down to a few stitches between the markers. The decrease rate I’ve given seems to work best for most people, but feel free to add another plain round between the decrease rounds if you think you have a wide thumb base.
Don’t forget to take notes on the worksheet, especially if you’ve made any changes to the pattern. For example, if you’ve changed the decrease rate on the gusset, you’ll want to do that on the second glove.
Knitting the Rest of the Glove
Now it’s smooth sailing! Knit until the glove is as long as you want it to be, then do some ribbing for as long as you like. Remember that the glove will change shape as you wear it, so be sure to try it on every now and then. If you live in a cold climate, make that ribbing nice and long so the ribbing goes up your forearms.
Knitting the Second Glove
You took good notes, right? Unless your hands are very different shapes and sizes, you can probably just use those notes to knit a second glove. If you aren’t sure that your hands are symmetrical enough, you can always try on the second glove as you work.
Fingerless Glove Variation
As I was knitting along on the first glove, I was thinking about what one of our knit-alongers asked me about fingerless gloves. I mentioned this adaptation earlier, but as I started Glove #2, I decided that I’d leave the fingertips off the Index Finger and Thumb to make for easier touch-pad use.
Since this was the second glove, I already knew how many stitches I’d need for the Index Finger, so I just cast on that number and started knitting straight until it was long enough from my first knuckle to the base of the index finger. I did the same on the thumb, and it worked out fine, as long as I don’t mind having non-identical gloves. Which I don’t.
Now my fingers will stay warm as I shovel the snow, but I can still control that all-important snow-shoveling music playing on my phone.
A Final Note to Knit Along Participants
I’d love to incorporate your feedback in the updated and revised pattern. Either leave your comments below, or email me. You have a few weeks to finish, but don’t wait too long! My goal is to have the new pattern ready before the end of February, so get those needles clicking and share your thoughts. You’ll get the revised pattern when it is published. Thanks for knitting along with me!
Previous Knit Along posts can be found here:
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