KNITTING PATTERN FOR CHILDNREN'S FINGERLESS GLOVES WITH COLOURED WORK

These 'gloves'.. more like 'mittens'.... are knitted from a pattern taken from my mother-in-law's Paton's Woolcraft knitting book, 18th edition, [June 1967]. Cost 2/5 shillings.  Details below.

This is record of what I did as a test piece to teach myself how to do coloured yarn work (Shetland style knitting roughly speaking) where you carry the yarn(s) in the back.  It is not perfect but I would do it again!

Child’s Fingerless Mittens

Adapted from  Paton’s ‘Woodcraft’ book, page 79 called ‘Child’s Gloves’

William Morris DK pomegranate yarn, No 9 needles.

CO 40 st. 

K2 P 2 rib for 16 rows

Follow pattern (para 2) so you end up with 44 stitches.  

Do the 4 increases so that Row 4 ends up with 46 stitches with 7 between the P stitches; Row 8 has 48 stitches with 9 stitches between the 2 purl stitches; Row 12 has 50 with 11 between; Row 16 has  52 with 13 between the 2 P stitches  

Work 4 more rounds keeping the 2 P stitches in place.

Shape thumb gusset as per pattern ending with 13 gusset stitches placed on a piece of wool.  

CO 3 stitches for the wee extension.  Therefore it is  52 - 13 = 39 plus the cast on 3 = 42.  Should be 44 ..... I added 2.  (Should I have done another increase??? This is OK as fitted the hand OK.)

K 9 rounds.  

Start colour work using tail yarn as the ‘Start’ of the rows.  

Stitches are placed on 3 needles first.  I knitted one K row here.

The following colour work was done (as my test piece)  

Needle 1: 2,2,2,2 and 4 (3CO+1K from previous) = 12;     Or AA,BB,AA,BB,AA,BB,AA,BB, THEN AA,BB.

Needle 2: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2 = 14;     AND SO ON.

Needle 3: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 = 18. ENDING WITH BB TO START AGAIN.

Equals 44.  The colour work is tighter and thicker.  

Finish work off with a rib K2 P2 using much smaller needles, e.g. 13.  Then COff/bind off.

I managed to get the tension right. One way is to keep 'stretching' or adjusting the knitted stitches as you go along.