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In this tutorial we�re going to learn to knit these fingerless mitts, and I call them
Easy Fingerless Mitts because they are really easy.
I�ve designed them to be a good introduction to double-pointed knitting if you�ve never
done that before.
So, this pattern�s appropriate if you know how to both knit and purl, but maybe you haven�t
done any knitting on double-pointed needles.
These needles like this. These short needles with two points, a point on each end.
Um, if you�d like to get your free copy of this pattern to follow along, just follow
the link in the video description field, just below the video, that will take you to my
website.
I�ll also give you a link here on screen.
These gloves, like I said are very simple.
We�re using worsted weight yarn, which is also known as Aran or 10 ply yarn.
It�s knit on pretty decently big sized needles, so it�s not too difficult that way.
And if you end up buying a luxury yarn and spending a little bit more money than your
average price of yarn, you can still get two pair of these out of one 100 gram skein or
hank of yarn.
Which is a really good value if you�re giving away presents.
Next up, we�re going to start on the double pointed needles.
Before we get started on double pointed needles, I want to talk a bit about sizing and gauge.
And whenever you�re knitting something that actually has to fit your body, like a hat,
sweater, gloves.
You do want to make sure that you�re getting the correct number of stitches per inch.
And in this pattern, I have it listed as 5.5 stitches per inch.
And to make sure that your gauge is correct for the needles that you�re using, you want
to knit up a little sample, and then measure the number of stitches per inch that you�re
getting to make sure that your gauge matches.
If your tension doesn�t match 5.5 stitches per inch, as this pattern is written, you�re
going to end up with gloves that are much bigger or smaller than you�re trying to
get.
Before I show you how to check gauge on this, I do want to tell you that there are people
who notice a pretty dramatic difference between knitting a flat piece, and knitting in the
round.
They notice their gauge is quite different.
I don�t notice a difference between my gauge from knitting flat and knitting in the round.
Which is why I�m okay with knitting up a flat piece to check gauge on an item that
I�m going to be knitting in the round.
Regardless of how you do it, checking gauge is the same.
Let�s go ahead and take a look.
I have this bulky sample knit up, so I can show you what it looks like to check gauge.
And what I like to do is I like to use these little bamboo pins.
I�ll give you a link to where you can find these.
I like them because they�re easy to see, and they don�t split the stitches.
I�m going to go between two stitches, and the knit stitches look like Vs.
And this little sample piece is knit a row, purl a row, knit a row purl a row.
And that gives us stockinette, like this.
So I went between two stitches, I�m going to measure one inch and put in the other pin.
And then just count the stitches between the two pins.
And that�s the amount of stitches per inch that I�m getting.
If I�m getting too many stitches per inch, I need to go up a needle size, so that my
stitches are bigger, so that I get fewer per inch.
If I�m getting too few stitches per inch, I need to go down a needle size, so that my
stitches are smaller, so more of them fit in one inch.
Okay, that�s how you�re going to check gauge.
Should I just wear these gloves throughout the whole tutorial?
I should probably not wear them through the tutorial. [laughs]
Um, so to get started on double pointed needles, we�re going to cast on.
I�ve already done part of the casting on, I have a few more.
We�re going to cast on over three needles, and for the size that I�m demonstrating
here, I�m going to cast on 32 stitches, 12 on the first needle, 12 on the second needle,
8 on the third needle.
And it�s separated that way so that it works well with the 2x2 rib.
If you have never cast on to double pointed needles before, you can cast on all 32 stitches
on to one needle, and then transfer them over to the other two.
Or you can do as I�m doing here.
I�m going to finish up with one needle.
Make a loop with my thumb like I�m going to cast on to the next one.
But instead grabbing an empty needle, putting it into that loop.
Wrapping the empty needle, and pulling it through.
So it�s just like working on the same needle, like this, except we�re doing it with the
empty needle.
And if you need a review of the long tail cast on, I�ll give you a link right here.
So after you get that first one done and tightened up, the other ones are really easy.
As you can see I�m using much bulkier yarn and bigger needles than the pattern calls
for, to make it easier for you to see.
I�m going to trim the tail so I don�t accidentally knit with it.
Now to get started with the double pointed needles, I like to start in this H shape.
All of the knots are on the inside of the H, and the working yarn is over here on the
needle on the right.
This is how I line everything up to make sure that nothing�s twisted.
Then I turn the H on it�s side like this, so the working yarn�s coming from the top
needle.
And I slide those stitches close to the tip.
I�m also going to center this a little better.
I�m going to take an empty needle in my right hand.
And the reason I�m doing it this way on the table is so that I don�t twist anything
up.
Empty needle in my right hand.
I�m going to put it into the first stitch here, as if to knit.
Don�t pick anything up off the table yet!
Grab the working yarn, make sure it�s not the tail end.
Wrap that needle, and then you can pick it up, and pull it through like a knit stitch.
I made it look really easy, it may take you a couple of tries, but that�s how you�re
going to get started.
And then we�re going to knit the second stitch as well.
This cuff is worked in a knit two, purl two rib, so I�m going to go to purling now.
I�m going to yarn forward between the two needles, and work two purl stitches.
I�m going to put the yarn back between the two needles, and work two knit stitches.
Yarn forward, two purl stitches.
Yarn back, two knit stitches.
And I give you instructions for how to arrange the stitches on the needles, so you always
end with purl two at the end of one needle, and start with knit two on the next needle.
Okay.
Now, when working with double pointed needles, after you finish with one needle, your working
yarn will be coming from the needle on the right hand side, so your next stitch is always
to the left of the working yarn.
I have an empty needle in my right hand, here�s my working yarn, here�s my next stitch,
and I start working on the next needle with the empty needle in my right hand.
I�m going to start with knit two.
Then yarn forward and purl two.
And if you�re successfully working the first round on double pointed needles, if you haven�t
done this before, congratulations! It only gets easier from here.
The first round, into the cast on, is always the toughest to work.
Okay.
So I finished with this needle.
I have an empty needle in my right hand.
My working yarn is here, so my next stitch is always to the left of my working yarn.
And I always start with knit two.
I have you starting with knit two at the beginning of each needle, just because it�s much easier
to work two knit stitches at the beginning of a double pointed needle than to work two
purl stitches.
Okay, I�ve finished one round! I�ve gone all the way around, and the way that I know
I�ve gone all the way around is because I�m back to where my tail end is.
So that�s one round.
You�re going to need to count the rounds that you do, so you can use a row counter
to click off rounds, and you can always just watch out for the tail to know when you get
to the beginning of the round.
Or you can use a little marker like this, and clip it to the space between the first
and third needle, where the tail is hanging, if you need another visual to help you keep
track of where the beginning of the round is.
You�re going to follow the pattern to knit as many rounds of the 2x2 rib that you need
to knit, and then you�re going to switch to plain stockinette.
When you�re knitting in the round, stockinette is worked by knitting every row.
No purling at all.
You�ll follow the instructions and count the number of rows, because next up we�re
going to learn how to work the thumb.
If you�ve been happily knitting around on your double pointed needles and you�ve followed
the instructions for the ribbing and for the stockinette part, you�re ready to start
the thumb.
And the thumb on these is very simple.
It is really worked exactly the same way as a buttonhole.
So if you learn how to do this, you actually know how to make a buttonhole as well!
Let�s go ahead and take a look.
Here is a very, very bulky sample.
I�m not sure even who this could possibly fit.
But I want you to be able to see what I�m doing.
Here�s my tail end.
If I follow this up, I�m at the beginning of the round here.
And the instructions tell me, for the size that I�m knitting, to knit two, and then
bind off seven.
Okay, so I�ve got those knit two.
To start the bind off, I�m going to knit two, and then I count the bind off as I pull
one stitch over the other.
I knit another one, and that�s two bound off.
Knit another one, that�s three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
So when you�re finished, you�ll have these stitches all bound off.
You�ll still have two stitches at the beginning.
Because you knit two, and before you do the first bind off, in order to be able to work
the first bind off, you have to knit two, and bind one off.
So in the size that I�m knitting, I have two stitches here, and three stitches here.
I�m going to knit those.
So this is just like a buttonhole, it�s very cool.
I�m going to knit around the rest of the stitches, to get back to that big gap that
I made.
Okay, I�m back at the beginning of the round, and I need to deal with this big gap.
So I�m going to knit two, and then I�m going to cast on seven. Because I bound off
seven.
And to do this, I�m going to use the backwards loop cast on.
Which is the way we do it when we�re casting on stitches in the middle of our work, and
we only have one strand of yarn to work with.
So, set all this down.
Grab the needle with the working yarn coming out of it, and have the working yarn in your
left hand.
Have your thumb on the yarn like this, and flip.
Slide the needle into that loop, and tighten up.
Thumb on the yarn, flip, slide the needle into that loop, and tighten up.
This is the backwards loop cast on.
I have cast on four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Okay, now I�ve got that. The stitches that were bound off are now back!
I can just finish this round.
And after I work all the way around and get back to the beginning of my round, those cast
on stitches I work just like any other stitches, and it�s going to close up the top of the
buttonhole thumb loop.
And here is the example of that closed up.
Perfect for a thumb.
So go ahead and follow the pattern.
You have a few more rows of plain knitting and then you go back to 2x2 rib.
Next up we�re going to talk about finishing work and binding off in pattern.
If you�ve made it all the way to the bind off of the gloves, or the fingerless mitts,
then you�ll see that I tell you to bind off in pattern.
I�m going to show you how to do that.
But the reason that I have you do it is because it gives you, it�s a less stiff edge, here
at the top of the mitt.
And it�s less stiff looking.
It kind of matches up with the 2x2 rib that you were knitting before the bind off.
I�m going to show you how to do that.
I�m also going to show you how to nice finishing work in weaving in the ends.
Let�s go ahead and take a look.
Okay, this piece is flat, but it�s still the same for binding off in pattern.
I have 2x2 rib here on this chunky sample.
What I�m going to do is I�m going to knit the knits and purl the purls, and bind them
off as I go.
So the first two stitches are knit two, so I just knit them.
And now I bind one stitch off.
And here I am on the purls.
So I yarn forward and purl one, and bind that off.
The next stitch is also a purl, so I�ll yarn forward and purl one and bind that off.
The next two are knits, so I�m going to knit them as I bind them off.
And the next two are purls, so I�ll purl them as I bind them off.
And that�s the way you�re going to work across, and it gives you a nice edge to the
top of your mitt.
A little bit stretchier than just a knit bind off.
Okay, you�re going to have two ends to weave in when you�re finished with these.
From the cast on, and the bind off rows.
And whenever you�re knitting in the round, you�ll end up with this jog.
Especially at the top.
You�ll see it at the bottom, too.
And you�ll deal with both, the cast on and the bind off, the same way.
The jog is because knitting in the round is really just knitting in a giant spiral.
So the very end of your work is going to be half a step up from the beginning of that
round. The bind off round.
There is an easy way to fix it to make it look really good.
And this is done in stockinette stitch. It�s the same for ribbing or stockinette.
You need a tapestry needle, and you thread the end into that tapestry needle.
We�re going to jump across this gap to close it up.
And you see that the bind off row is made of all these Vs.
You�re going to go under both legs of the first V you see on the other side of the jog.
Pull that through, and then go back down into the same hole that the tail end of the yarn
is coming out of.
And when you do that, you�ll see that you just made a V.
So it really just lines up perfectly with everything else, and it gives you a smooth
edge on both the cast on and the bind off row for the mitts.
Just one more step in making them look good.
And that�s it, very easy fingerless mitts.
Here at VeryPink we release a new video every week. To make sure you never miss one, it�s
a good idea to subscribe to my channel.
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