Gauntlets!

I moved last month from Dela-fuckingboring-ware to Amherst, Massachusetts, where I now attend college. Yay college! (it's a lot of fun, I highly recommend it.) To make a little extra cash on the side I've been whoring my knitting skills out to those who just want something fun. And I've got some wacky requests, including two stuffed daleks. (the pattern is actually easy to follow -- you can find it here). But the point of all of this is that my friend Shannon and I went into Faces, this great little shop in Northampton, where we saw these gauntlets. Yes, I know manufacturing makes all knitted stuff a shit ton more, but I basically turned to her and said "I can make this for you for less." So I did. Here's my pattern.

Shannon's Gauntlets

required skills: working in the round on double-pointed needles, backwards loop cast on (you can use regular cast on, but it won't be as elastic and may be harder to put on)

Materials:

Worsted weight Yarn (Shannon picked out Plymouth's Encore Colorspun, which looks pretty and knits up nicely, but you might want to try something with a little more wool so it's warmer. I used about half the ball.)

set of 5 double pointed needles, US size 4

Tapestry needle

Using backwards loop cast on, CO 44 sts. Divide the stitches so you have 7 stitches on the first needle, 15 on the second, 15 on the third, and 7 on the fourth. Join, taking care not to twist the stitches (as always).

Round 1: 3x2 rib to last 4 sts, k2, p2.

Continue in this pattern until the gauntlet is 6.25 inches long (or as long as you want the sleeve).

Next round: k all sts. Repeat this round 13 times for a total of 14 rounds in stockinette st.

Using the first and fourth needles ONLY, work in the round in stockinette stitch for 10 rounds (14 sts per round). Bind off and cut yarn, leaving a long tail.

Do the same thing for the second and third needles (30 sts per round). You don't need to leave a long tail.

You'll notice you have a big hole between the thumb and the fingers. Here's how to fix it:

Using the long tail from the thumb hole, weave the end down and around the inside of the thumb hole until you are at the offending hole in between. (you might want to turn it inside out so you can weave in better). Stitch through all of the stitches around the hole, cinch shut, and then weave in any other adjustments. Mine isn't totally scientific, I just played with it until the hole was shut and everything looked OK.

Weave in all other ends.

Repeat these directions if you want a pair and voila! You just made gauntlets. Congratulations.