Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Fast & Easy Fingerless Mitts, v.2 - Circular


I've been getting a lot of questions recently about my Fast & Easy Fingerless Mitts pattern from people who want to do them in the round. I made them that way myself recently, so I was able to write up a circular version of the pattern. Now you can do them either way -- flat or in the round! If you have any questions about the pattern, feel free to e-mail me at fibernymph AT comcast DOT net, or leave your question in the comments.

And a big thank you to test knitter Cindy Neff on this version of the pattern! :)

Fast & Easy Fingerless Mitts v2 - Circular

This pattern is written to use either the Magic Loop method or two circular needles, as the pattern will refer to Needle #1 and Needle #2. If your preferred circular method involves DPNs, I'd recommend dividing the stitches designated for Needle #1 between two DPN's and using a third for the stitches designated for Needle #2.

Unlike the original pattern, which was worked differently for the left and right mitts, this circular version allows you to work both mitts using the same instructions.

Yarn: 50g of your favorite worsted weight (I use 50g instead of yardage as every pair of these I've made, I have gotten a pair from a 50g ball with a little yarn left over). Mitts shown here were made from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi.

Needles: US7, either one 32" circular for Magic Loop or two 24" circulars.

Gauge: 4 - 4.5 stitches per inch

Size: This pattern will make a mitt that will fit an average woman's hand. Feel free to adjust the length of the cuff, thumb and finger portions to meet your needs. (Adding to the size may require more than one ball of yarn.)

Directions:

Cast on 34 stitches. Divide stitches so that there are 21 stitches on Needle #1 (the front needle) and 13 stitches on Needle #2 (the back needle).

Taking care not to twist stitches, join to knit in the round, working K1, P1 ribbing for 18 rounds.

Work 4 rounds of stockinette.

To form thumb gusset:

On Needle #1: K17, M1, K3, M1, K1 (total 23 stitches)

K all stitches on Needle #2.

K all stitches on both needles for next three rounds.

Repeat these three thumb gusset steps twice more for a total of 27 stitches on Needle #1.

Do one more increase round -- for a total of 29 stitches on Needle #1 -- followed by one round of stockinette. You will now have a total of 42 stitches on both needles.

Setting aside thumb stitches:

On Needle #1, K17, slip the next 11 stitches onto a small stitch holder or waste yarn, K1.

K all stitches on Needle #2.

Continue to work remaining 31 hand stitches in stockinette until you reach the desired length minus 1". (When joining stitches on Needle 1 where thumb gusset stitches have been taken off, be sure to tightly snug up the yarn to avoid a large gap.)

Finish hand section by working 1" of K1, P1 ribbing. On first round of ribbing, you will need to P2tog the last two stitches of the round, so you have a total of 30 stitches. Bind off loosely.

Work the thumb:

Divide the 11 saved thumb gusset stitches between two needles and work in K1, P1 rib. When you get to the gap where the thumb meets the hand stitches, pick up 3 additional stitches to close the gap. Work them into the K1, P1 pattern on the following round. Work the thumb for 1" or desired length. Cast off loosely.

Weave in all ends.

7 comments:

Amy Anderson said...

Woot! I finished my first one at lunch today. I used sock yarn so I cast on 50 stitches (and could actually stand to cast on a few more for the next one) and adjusted everything else accordingly (as best i could) and it turned out great. Thanks!

Lauren Smith said...

I love these mitts! I'm very close to the end of the first one, but I am confused by the instruction to "pick up 3 additional stitches to close the gap" to make the thumb. Could someone give more specific instructions as to how to do this?

Lisa B. said...

Lauren, I'm glad you're enjoying the pattern! About your question...essentially, you need to add an extra 3 stitches to the thumb so that you don't end up with a hole where it meets the main part of the mitt. To do this, when you've knit around the thumb and come to the spot where it meets the hand, you will insert your needle into the fabric of the hand, about 1 stitch in from the edge, and wrap your working yarn around the tip of your needle and pull it back through and onto the needle. Basically, you are creating new stitches attached to the hand portion of the mitt instead of knitting live stitches. You will do this three times, spaced evenly across that gap. Then you will go on and continue knitting the thumb stitches that were already there. I hope this helps!

Lisa B. said...

Lauren, I found this little video on YouTube that shows exactly what I was trying to describe. There isn't any audio in it (at least there wasn't for me) but it's a great demo of how to pick up stitches along the edge of a piece of knitted fabric. Hope this helps! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX4aWYWP9wA&feature=related

Anonymous said...

I completed this pattern as a gift for my mom & loved the result! Thanks for sharing it with us!
I wanted to use the same pattern idea, but make the mitts larger for my dad. Have you modified this pattern for larger hands?

Lisa B. said...

Thanks Donita! I'm glad you've enjoyed the pattern. Unfortunately, no, I've not upsized this pattern for larger/men's hands at this time. It's on my list of things to do, though that doesn't help you right now. I would suggest giving it a go by figuring out how many inches bigger the man's hand is you want it to fit (measuring around the palm without the thumb), then evenly distributing that many inches worth of stitches between the front and back of the mitt, and doing extra increases to make the thumb slightly larger as well. Sorry, I know that isn't very specific, but that's generally how I'd approach it. You might also want to check ravelry and see if anyone else has upsized the mitts (either this version or the original flat-knitted version) and see if they included any notes as to how they did it. Good luck and happy knitting! :)

MsWildflower said...

I came across this pattern today and I see the error notes; have they been incorporated into the pattern or do I need to make those changes to the pattern before I print it off?

Thanks! Sandy
wildflowersewing@aol.com