In my “real” life, as a photographer, I usually can’t wear gloves when shooting outside in the winter. So, I recently knit up a pair of fingerless gloves, which are perfect for me. They’re warm, cute, and I still have all the freedom and dexterity I need for shooting!
Diana’s Fingerless “Photographer’s Gloves” Knitting Pattern
Supplies:
- 2 skeins of Caron Simply Soft yarn, in two different colors (or 1 skein if you knit these in 1 color)
- Size 7 double pointed needles (4 needles total)
- Darning needle for weaving in ends
Size:
I made these gloves to fit my hands snugly, which I would guess are a women’s size small.
Abbreviations:
k=knit, p=purl, MC=main color, CC=contrasting color, and k1f&b=knit 1 through the front and back (increase stitch)
Instructions:
1. Cast on 32 stitches with MC (main color) onto one needle, and then move a third of the stitches to the second needle, and a third of the stitches to your third needle.
2. Making sure not to twist any stitches, join your stitches in the round, using the fourth needle. Using MC, work in 1×1 ribbing (knit 1, purl 1) for about 13 rows, or roughly 2 inches.
3. Switch to CC (contrasting yarn), and switch to stockinette stitch (knitting every stitch). For the rest of the pattern (until you get to the top cuff), switch between MC and CC every 2 rows. Continue like this for 22 rows, or 11 stripes. You’ll notice that when you get to the end of every other row, the last stitch from the row before will seem a little lose. Make sure to pull from the yarn you aren’t currently using, to make sure it stays tight.
4. Next, you’ll start increasing for the thumb gusset. After you’ve completed 11 stripes, follow this pattern for the next 10 rows:
- Row 1: k1, k1f&b, k1, k1f&b, and k until the end of the row
- Row 2: k all stitches
- Row 3: k 1, k1f&b, k3, k1f&b, and k until end of the row
- Row 4: k all stitches
- Row 5: k1, k1f&b, k5, k1f&b, and k until end of the row
- Row 6: k all stitches
- Row 7: k1, k1f&b, k7, k1f&b, and k until end of row
- Row 8: k all stitches
- Row 9: k1, k1f&b, k9, k1f&b, and k until end of row
- Row 10: k all stitches
At this point, you should have 42 stitches in total.
5. On the next row, k1, and then using a darning needle, put the next 12 stitches onto a piece of scrap yarn and tie the yarn to make sure the stitches don’t fall off. You’ll come back to these later to finish the thumb. k the rest of the stitches of that row, and continue in the stockinette stitch and stripes for 5 more stripes, or 10 more rows.
6. After you’ve knit 5 more stripes (10 more rows), ending on a CC stripe, switch back to your MC and begin ribbing again for the top cuff (k1, p1). Continue in ribbing for 7 rows, and then bind off loosely.
7. Your main section of the glove is complete. Now, using your needles, pick up the stitches from the thumb that are on scrap yarn. Separate them over the three needles, and pick up one stitch from the inside part of the thumb. You should have 13 stitches total. Continue in the stockinette stitch, switching colors every 2 rows, for as long as you’d like your thumb to be (I did 2 stripes), making sure to end on a CC stripe. Switch back to MC and work in 1×1 ribbing (k1, p1), for 4 rows. Bind off loosely. Your glove is finished! Make 2 if you’d like a full pair, or stick with one if you’d like to wear it Michael Jackson-style 
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love your mittens, will knit a pair for my daughter. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
So glad you like them! I’d love to see a photo of the gloves you make for your daughter!
Hi
I love your blog… the same two things i love: knitting and baking.
I’m not very good at knitting and can only knit mufflers – striaght through ! haha
I love your glove and hope to be able to knit it. I dont quite understand how to knit the k1f&b instruction though = (
Blessings
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much! Here’s a youtube video that explains the k1f&b increase: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILcTB5hc0XM
Hope that helps!
Diana
stockinette stitch is alternating rows of knit and purl. Did you mean garter stitch (just knitting row after row)?
Hi Bee,
When you’re knitting in the round, like in this pattern, stockinette stitch is knitting every row.
Knitting every row would create the garter stitch if you’re knitting on straight needles, back and forth.
Cheers,
Diana
I really like reading news about knittingpattern. Thanks for that informative post! Best wishes, Nadine.
This pattern looks really cool! Where did you get your needles and yarn?
Thanks! I usually get my yarn from A.C. Moore or Michael’s, but if I feel like splurging, I go to Purl in NYC
All my best!
also, what does this mean?
“Making sure not to twist any stitches, join your stitches in the round, using the fourth needle.”
It means to begin knitting in the round with your double pointed needles, making sure to keep all the stitches straight (not twisted), so that your piece knits up in a tube, and not a twisty thing
Hope this helps!
thanks for the pattern! simple quick knit, love it
Thanks for checking it out! Please do post a photo of your cowl on the facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/knitandbake
Oh my gosh, I whipped one of these up in a few hours to see how it would fit, and its PERFECT! Its such a simple pattern, I will definitely be making a few pairs of these for Christmas presents, I hope you don’t mind!
That’s awesome!! So glad you like the pattern! Please do post photos of your gloves on the facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/knitandbake
This is my favorite pattern! I’ve only been knitting for two months, and I thought gloves would be impossible, but after seeing this pattern, I’ve knitted five gloves in a week! Thanks for such an incredible pattern!
I’m so glad you like the pattern!! Aren’t they fun to make? Please post a photo of your finished work on the facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/knitandbake
I love these and am excited about making them. However I have never used double pointed needles before. Could this be done with circular needles? I would like to not have to buy new needles.
Hi there! I think it would be easier to make these with double pointed needles, but it’s possible there’s a way to knit these with a few sets of circular needles, but I’ve never done it before, so I can’t say for sure.
[...] got the pattern from Knit and Bake here. I followed the instructions pretty exactly (even using the right size needles, which is something [...]
I love these! I hope to knit a pair soon! I am going to try it out on some size 8 needles. I am hoping they wont be too big. Good practice on the pattern if they are!
I’m a bit obsessed with knitting fingerless mitts right now. I’ll have to add these to my queue – love the stripes!
Awesome! If you knit up a pair, please do post a photo of your work on facebook.com/knitandbake !