One happy hooker…

Because of my fibro, my hands and feet get WICKED cold. But since I’m all about the technology, gloves just don’t do it for me. (I know about the new capacitative touch gloves, but too cheap to spend that kind of money, plus they’d still screw with my typing.)

I posted my status update on Facebook this morning and mentioned my blue crocheted fingerless gloves, and realized maybe I should share this from the response I received. LOL

These are SUPER easy to crochet. You can use ANY yarn you want (well, except that damn really hugely chunky stuff). The yarn you use will help determine the feel of them and the hook you use.

Lion Brand Homespun is what I used for the ones in the pictures. (I also make a matching beret and narrow scarf, and that usually takes up the better part of two skeins.)

Okay, so I’m not an expert in writing crochet patterns, and this will probably throw you OCDers into a panic, but here goes. (These are American crochet terms, I know UK stitchers use different terms, so adjust as necessary.)

Gauge – doesn’t matter. Pick the yarn you want to use, and the size hook to get the “feel” you want. I usually use a G or H (I think), but the larger the hook, the looser and lighter the feel. If you want heavy and thick, use a smaller hook. Be warned that if you use a really fuzzy yarn, the smaller the hook you use, the harder a time you’ll have with it.

These are worked in rounds, back and forth. NOT continuous rounds. But you turn it at the end of every round. They’re worked in one piece, so no joining or seaming or sewing required.

Once you decide your yarn and hook size, make a chain long enough to go around your hand/arm. (If you’re going to wear these over long sleeves, take that into account.

Join the chain with a slip stitch. Chain 3, and skip the chain close to the hook and HDC (or DC, if you prefer). *Chain 1, skip a space, and HDC*. Repeat from * – * all the way around until you get to the end, join with a slip stitch to the beginning of the row, ch 2, turn. Repeat to make it as long as you want from cuff until the bottom of your thumb.

That’s where you do something different. Keep making the rounds, but for at least two rows, do NOT join with a slip stitch at the end of the row. Just turn and make your rows. (I say at least two rows, because that’s what works for me. If making them for larger hands, or if your rows are narrow, do as many rows without the slip stitch as you need to make the thumb opening wide enough.)

When the thumb opening is long enough, use the sl to join at the top. HOWEVER, before you go on, use SC around the thumb hole opening (you might have to use slip stitches to get to where you want to be), then do either HDC or DC around for 1 or 2 (or however many you want to make it long enough) rows, joining each row with a slip stitch and turning. When you make the thumb as long as you want it, use a series of slip stitches to work your way back to the main work, then continue however many rows you want to use to make it the length from the top of the thumb opening. I usually make 2 more rows.

I know this isn’t an exacting pattern, but they’re fast to make, EASY to make, and totally adjustable for nearly any yarn, hook, and hand size. Make them out of lightweight sport or baby yarn for dressier-looking ones, or chunky homespun for thinker, fluffier, warmer ones. If you want them stiffer or thicker, then instead of using the HDC, chain and skip, then just do every stitch. They’ll be thicker. Or you could even use SC if you want, but they’ll take longer to make. If you want them lacier, use TS and thinner yarn combined with a larger hook. Do a test square to find what works best for you. If you were really enterprising and wanted to make them heavier, you could use two strands of yarn held together to make them, especially if they’re two different colors. (Or use two strands of thinner yarn to make the texture you want.) I’ve made a pair that goes all the way past my elbows too, that I can wear with a T-shirt or tank top, to keep my hands and arms warm without making the rest of me too hot.

Two skeins of Lion Homespun gives me a set of fingerless gloves (sometimes called “gauntlets” if you’re looking for a pattern), a beret, and a narrow scarf (done in the HDC, skip one method). Ravelry.com has a ton of patterns free and for sale, and you can find patterns for free all over the internet. Check the yarn manufacturers like Lion and Bernat, because they usually have a ton of free patterns on their sites.

If you knit, use the same basic principle, except you might have to make the thumb separately and sew it on.