Something Pink

Audrey
Pattern: My Own
Materials: Knitpicks Shine (60% Pima Cotton/40% Modal, 110 yards). Exactly 2 skeins in Blush. Size US4 Addi Turbo circulars, 24" and 32".
Gauge: 27 sts and 40 rounds = 4x4" in stockinette st
Finished Size: 6 inches around hand, 9 inches around widest part of forearm, about 13 inches from tip to cuff

Started: February 7, 2006
Finished: February 17, 2006

Pattern
Cast on 38 sts using long tail method, divide between two circular needles and join in the round being careful not to twist. Cast on for second glove and work simultaneously from here. All sts on Needle 1 will be worked in St st and will be considered the palm side.

Beginning with a purl round, work 4 rounds in garter stitch. Knit across 19 sts of needle 1 and then K1 on needle 2, work across chart, K1. Continue in this manner for 2 pattern repeats. On last row of chart for glove 2 on needle 2, work across chart, pm, then cast on 10 sts using backwards loop technique.

Thumb gusset shaping
Knit across needle 1 for glove 1, pm, then cast on 10 sts using backwards loop technique. Cast on an additional 10 sts on glove 2 (a total of 20 sts, including those cast on at the end of the last round), then knit across. Continue on Needle 2 glove 2: k1, work next row of chart, k1, sl marker, knit to end. For glove 1, cast on an additional 10 sts, pm, k1, work next row of chart, k1.

The cast on sts between the two markers on either glove form the thumb gusset. Continue working the hand sts in stockinette on the palm side and in chart pattern on the back of hand as before. Work the thumb sts in stockinette on even rounds, and decrease on odd rounds as follows: after working hand sts, sl marker, SSK, knit to 2 sts before marker, K2tog. When 2 thumb sts remain between markers, on next decrease round consume 1 hand st on either side for the decreases.

Wrist shaping
Continue working hand sts as before for one more pattern repeat. Continue working the chart, but switch palm side sts to 1x1 ribbing for two more pattern repeats. Switching back to st st on the palm side, work to row 4 of chart.

Forearm shaping
Next row palm side: k1, m1, knit to within 1 st of end of palm sts, m1, k1. Continue working from chart for sts on needle 2. Work this increase row 2 more times every 8 rows, then every 4 rows 6 times.

Border
Finish working chart, then work row 1 of chart one more time. Work in st st all the way around glove for 6 more rounds. Switch to garter st for 5 rounds. Bind off with picot bind off as follows: BO 2 sts, *return st on R needle to left, cast on 2 sts using cable cast on technique, BO 4 sts repeat from * to end of round. Weave in ends and close gap between thumb gusset and hand sts.

Discussion
I started off making these because I wanted to make use of some gift yarn and I wanted to keep my hands warm while sitting in front of my drafty window at the computer all day. That definitely called for fingerless gloves if I'm going to be able to type at the same time.

I have never worked with Shine before, so originally I thought that a cute grapevine cable pattern would dress up an otherwise plain tube. The Make Bobbles though, about drove me crazy so that idea was abandoned. I then tried a lace panel going up the back of the hand, and I'm not sure if it's me or what, but I tried 3 different lace motifs and all of them looked terrible. Maybe it's the Shine, but I finally settled on a simple knit and purl motif you see here. Maybe it was the subliminal messaging from reading all about Eunny's adventures in argyle that did it. Who knows.

These gloves could have easily taken only 1 ball of Shine for the pair if I had stopped at the ribbing for the wrist, but I decided to just continue until I ran out of yarn frankly because I had no other plans for what would have been a leftover single ball of Shine. The result, practically elbow length gloves harking back to Breakfast at Tiffany's.

They're totally impractical because let's face it, who wears elbow length fingerless gloves anyway, but I still think they're fun. And well, they only vaguely match the pajamas I tend to wear all day while working at my computer...