How to Knit Gloves Part 2

The photos above show my gloves at various stages of the construction.  I like to recommend that you avoid inflexible or heavy stitch holders during construction; it makes it more difficult to assess fit when trying on a partially completed glove. Stitches are less likely to pull or elongate using waste yarn as a holder. Choose a smooth yarn of the same or of a lighter weight to use. I use several different colours of markers to keep track of the start of round, the thumb gusset and any stitch pattern sections.

As it is not always possible to measure the recipient, glove pattern sources like Ann Budd’s book “The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns” are recommended. This book includes five gauges and seven sizes for knitters to work from.

Gloves can often be knit with the yarn leftover from other projects as they require approximately, 130 yards (120 m) to 250 yards (230 m) of yarn for gauges from 5 stitches to 9 stitches per inch, for a woman's medium size. The smaller the number of stitches per inch, the lower the number of yards or meters required.

Gloves are easy to customize while knitting, if the knitter is the intended wearer, because they can be tried on at every stage of construction.

To create a personalized pattern, place the hand down flat on a piece of paper and draw around all fingers and the thumb. Notice the little finger starts lower down on the hand than the other fingers. The thumb starts to protrude immediately above the wrist. Note each finger is generally a different length. Add measurements to the drawing of the hand. Measure each finger and the thumb around the base and record their lengths as well. Document the wrist measurement. Measure the palm straight across above the thumb, just below the knuckles to determine sizing when using patterns. Hand sizes and shapes vary much more between individuals than is generally thought. Finger length ratios in particular, vary widely among individuals and the variations are not all consistent with all fingers being longer or shorter.

Part 1 can be found here.
Part 3 can be found here.
Part 4 can be found here.
Part 5 can be found here.  

If you enjoy reading my blog, I'd really appreciate it if you would tell your knitting friends or share links to your favourite posts online with Twitter, Ravelry or Facebook. Word of mouth is really helping to grow my business as knitters respect the views of other members of our community. Thanks!