Do you HATE taking off your gloves to answer your phone when
it is freezing out? I do!
Last winter my hubby hounded
me until I ordered some conductive thread to try
out….
And oh my goodness, it really works! No more peeling
off your gloves while your phone rings and rings, and your fingers
freeze.
Of course I needed to design some colorwork gloves
to show off this technological advance! Worked with
a two-color tubular cast on, ribbing and a dot matrix design
these gloves will fly off your needles.
MATERIALS
Yarn [MC]
Spud and Chloe Fine [80% SUPERWASH
wool, 20% silk; 248 yd/227 m per 65g skein]; color: Hippo; 1 skein [CC]
Schoppell Wolle Crazy Zauberball [75%
SUPERWASH wool, 25% nylon; 459 yd/420
m per 100g skein]; color: 1660 Flussbett;
1 skein
Recommended needle size [always use a needle
size that gives you the gauge
listed below -- every knitter's
gauge is unique] US
#0/2mm needles for
working in the round US
#1.5/2.5mm needles for
working in the round
Notions yarn needle 5
yards Conductive
thread several lengths of scrap yarn for provisional cast on and for use as stitch
holders stitch markers
GAUGE
34 sts/ 38 rounds= 4 inches
in colorwork pattern, in the round, after blocking.
PATTERN NOTES [Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]
What is Conductive Thread and WHY use it? When you use a touchscreen
with your finger, your skin acts as
a conductor to send a low voltage message
to your device that tells it what to
do. If you are wearing gloves,
the conductive property of your skin
is masked and then your touchscreen
can’t complete the circuit with
your finger! Enter conductive
thread, a material that
conducts electricity at a low voltage.
If you incorporate this into your knit
fabric then you can use your phone
and NOT take off your glove/mitten
to do it!
Using Conductive Thread in this pattern: When you are about a half
inch shorter than the desired length
of your conductive finger (for most
people this is your index finger, and
possibly your thumb) begin to knit
the remaining rounds of the pattern
with the conductive thread held together
with your yarn. Leave a 10-inch
tail at the beginning and end, this
is IMPORTANT! Then weave in your
ends taking care to sew across the
stitches on the pad of your finger. This
will ensure that there is a higher
density of conductive thread right
where you need it.
Cast-on Notes:
If you don’t wish to use the cast on method specified,
just use MC and a long tail cast on for 64 sts.
Provisional Cast-on
This project uses a provisional cast
on. Use your preferred provisional
cast on technique; directions for one
technique may be found here.
M1L: Insert left needle, from front to back,
under strand of yarn which runs between last stitch on left needle
and first stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through back
loop. 1 stitch increased.
M1R: Insert left needle, from back to front,
under strand of yarn which runs between last stitch on left needle
and first stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through front
loop. 1 stitch increased.
Working Thumb: If your color work gauge becomes
tighter on the thumb you can help this by turning your work inside
out and working the thumb chart backwards OR using needles one
size larger.
Charts The charts for this pattern are very large
and fit on a letter-sized page.
Click here and print the resulting
page.
DIRECTIONS
2 –Color Tubular Cast On:
On larger needles and with scrap yarn, provisionally cast on 32 sts.
Join CC and knit 1 row, purl 1 row.
Join MC, knit 1 row, purl 1 row.
Carefully undo provisional cast on and slip resulting 32 sts to a spare
needle. Fold in half so that spare ndl is to back of work.
Ribbing setup row: Using MC, k2 from front ndl, with
CC p2 from spare ndl, rep across until all sts have been worked.
64 sts.
Change to smaller needles, distributing stitches as you prefer,
and join for working in the round. Place marker if required
for start of round. Ribbing round: [Using MC,
k2, using CC, p2] around.
Work ribbing as set for 3 inches.
Change to larger needles. Increase round: Using MC, K31, kfb twice, k31. 66 sts.
Shaping the Thumb Gusset Round 1: Work Hand Chart row
1 four times, pm, Work Thumb Gusset
Chart row 1, pm, work Hand Chart row
1 to end of round. Round 2: Work Hand Chart row
2 four times to marker, work
Thumb Gusset Chart row 2 to second
marker, work Hand Chart row 2 to end
of round.
Continue as set until 27 rows of charts
are complete. At this point you will have 20 thumb gusset
sts.
Next round: Work Hand Chart as set to marker, slip
20 sts to scrap yarn or holder, work
Hand Chart again to end of round. 64
sts.
Continue to work chart through row 30 of chart. Work should
measure approx. 3.5 inches from end of rib section.
Yarn will be placed to begin pinky finger.
PINKY FINGER
Change to smaller needles.
Setup: With MC k8, slip next 50 sts to scrap yarn or holder,
CO 2 sts using backward loop over gap, work rem sts. 16 sts.
Distribute sts as you prefer and join
for working in the round.
Knit even until work measures 2 inches
from base of finger or until desired length.
Decrease round: K2tog around. 8 sts.
Work Decrease round once more. 4 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a 4-inch tail, thread
tail through rem sts, and pull tight.
SET UP FOR REMAINING FINGERS Next round: Return 50 held sts
to larger needles. Using MC, and leaving
a long tail pick up and k4 sts along
CO edge of pinky finger, work around
to picked up sts as per Upper Hand chart,
k2tog twice in pattern. 52 sts.
Work 2 rounds even in Upper Hand chart.
RING FINGER
Change to smaller needles.
Setup: With MC k8, slip next 35 sts to scrap yarn or holder,
CO 1 st over gap, work rem 9 sts. 18 sts.
Distribute sts as you prefer and join
for working in the round.
Knit even until work measures 2.5 inches
from base of finger or until desired length. Decrease round: K2tog around. 9 sts. Last round: K2tog 4 times, k1. 5 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a 4-inch tail, thread
tail through rem sts, and pull tight.
MIDDLE FINGER
Continue with smaller needles.
Setup: Using MC, and leaving a long tail pick up and k2 sts
along CO edge of ring finger, k8 from holder, leave next 17 sts on holder,
CO 1 st over gap, k last 10 sts from holder, join for working in the
round, k2tog. 20 sts.
Distribute sts as you prefer.
Knit even until work measures 2.75 inches
from base of finger or until desired length.
Decrease round: K2tog around. 8 sts.
Work Decrease round once more. 4 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a 4 inch tail, thread
tail through rem sts, and pull tight.
INDEX FINGER
Continue with smaller needles.
You will
be working with last 17 sts from holder.
Using MC and leaving a long tail, pick
up and k3 sts along CO edge of middle finger, k16, join for working
in the round, k2tog twice. 18 sts.
Distribute sts as you prefer.
OPTIONAL CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT: When finger
measures 2 inches from base of finger or.5 inches shorter than
desired length knit rest of sts with conductive thread. See notes.
Knit even until work measures 2.5 inches
from base of finger or until desired length.
Decrease round: K2tog around. 9 sts. Last round: K2tog 4 times, k1. 5 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a 4 inch tail, thread
tail through rem sts, and pull tight.
THUMB
Return the 20 held thumb gusset sts to
larger needles.
Using MC and leaving
a long tail, pick up and k1 along gap between
thumb and hand, work Round 1 of Thumb Chart. (K2tog at end
of chart is worked over last of gusset sts and the picked up
st.) 20 sts.
Distribute sts as you prefer.
Work Thumb Chart until round 8 is complete.
OPTIONAL CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT: On round
9 of chart begin to knit rest of sts with conductive thread.
(See Notes.)
Complete all rounds of thumb chart adding
on a few rounds of MC at the top if necessary until work reaches
top of thumb. Cut other strands when chart is complete.
Thumb is completed in MC only.
Decrease round: K2tog around. 8 sts.
Work Decrease round once more. 4 sts.
Break yarn, leaving a 4-inch tail, thread
tail through rem sts, and pull tight.
FINISHING
Weave in all ends, making sure to close up gaps at the base
of fingers and the thumb. Block if desired.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Laura lives in upstate NY where the sunny
season is short and there is plenty of
time to wear gloves. Laura is currently enamored with lace, and
incorporating beads into knitted jewelry, so most of her designs
lean in this direction. Laura travels often to teach these techniques
and more at workshops around the country and on-line at Craftsy.com. Besides
being a prolific self-publisher, her designs
have been published in a multitude of print
and on-line publications including Interweave, Knitty.com, Schaefer
Yarn Company, Webs and Creative Knitting.
When Laura is not designing or knitting, she is whipping up
yummy feasts with her family, riding
her bike, skiing, and taking time to
play! You can follow
Laura (and her design exploits) on her
blog,
twitter,
facebook,
and in her Ravelry
group.
