by Kirsten Hipsky

I avoided knitting gloves for the longest time, assuming that they were fiddly, complicated, and impossible to fit to my hands if they were knit from a pattern. And it's true sometimes: if the stitch pattern is big and complicated, it really limits your options in terms of size, but if the fabric is just a single color in plain stockinette, they're rarely any warmer than the thin, cheap gloves you can buy at the pharmacy. But when I discovered the incredibly simple, warm and durable Salt and Pepper stitch pattern and worked through some traditional glove patterns from Maine, I discovered a match made heaven (i.e. a sushi bar in a cold New England winter).

Salt and Pepper is one of the oldest and simplest colorwork patterns -- being just a checkerboard of single knit stitches in two colors. One round goes A, B, A, B, the next goes B, A, B, A, and that's it! An odd number of stitches enables you to just keep working A, B, A, B, around and around without interruption (and without any apparent jog), and the two colors make a double-thick, sturdy fabric that really keeps out the chill. I think it's great for a new colorwork knitter -- you'll definitely have your preferred techniques down patt by the end of glove one. It's so simple that it's usually used as a "filler" pattern for more complicated designs, but I think it can have its own unqiue, complex appearance when it's worked with one hand-dyed sock yarn and one solid sock yarn like this.

Given that the colors I had were pink and green, the stitch pattern name was based on condiments, and that the gloves are so supple you could even use chopsticks while wearing them, well, Ginger and Wasabi just fit like a glove.

What else does this pattern have going on? How about a purl-free pseudo ribbing that flows right into the main stitch pattern? And versatile, easily modified directions that let you see what the heck's going on with all those little stitches? You bet! Fingers and parts that can be made to any length to fit your beautifully unique hands? It wouldn't be worth making gloves otherwise!

SIZE
Women's Small[Women's Medium/ Men's Small, Women's Large/Men's Medium]
shown in size Women's Small

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Palm circumference: 7.5[8.25, 9] inches
Cuff length: 2.5 inches
Finger length: adjustable to fit.

MATERIALS
Yarn
[A] Valley Yarns Franklin [75% Wool/25% Nylon; 450yds/411m per 100g skein]; color: Frog in a Party Dress; 1 skein
[B] Valley Yarns Huntington [75% Superwash Merino Wool/25% Nylon; 218yds/200m per 50g skein]; color: 0980 Moss Green; 1[1, 2] skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
US #1.5/2.5mm needles

Notions
stitch markers
yarn needle
scrap yarn to be used as stitch holders

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Inc AB (makes 2 sts in 1): knit both colors A and B in the front loop of one stitch. On the next round, knit each of those two strands like a separate stitch

When working a two-color pattern like this, one color held will dominate slightly over the other. I've found that the yarn held underneath (sometimes called "carried ahead"), in my left hand, is the dominant color. You can use your swatch to experiment with holding the colors in either hand to see for yourself which dominates. However you decide to hold your yarn, be sure to do it consistently throughout and to make the darker, solid color the dominant one. This will make the brighter hand-dyed color appear to glow and flicker from behind the darker color.

Salt and Pepper pattern (Odd number of sts, worked in the round):
Rnd 1: K1 A, [k1 B, k1 A] to end.
Rnd 2: K1 B, [k1 A, k1 B to end.

To cast on in the color pattern, such as over the thumb gusset, I recommend a simple backwards loop cast on method. If the last color you knit was color B, cast on 1 st with color A, then cast on 1 st with color B, then A, then B, and so on until you have the correct number of stitches.

The decreases at the tops of the fingers are designed to be completely carefree. You can make each finger exactly as long as you want it with no guesswork about how much length the decreasing will take because it'll all be done in just one round! You can work the double decreases with alternating A and B colors like I did, or you can work them all in one color to make a little star shape at the top.

This same general method applies to the quick double decreases between the fingers just above the cast on stitches. It's not critical to get them in any particular spot, as long as it's over those cast on stitches. Because the pattern is only a multiple of two stitches, the double decreases can be worked in pattern without missing a beat. So if the last color you knit was color B, you can work the double decrease with color A, then go back to knitting B, A, B, A, and so on.

DIRECTIONS

Lower Hand and Thumb gusset:
Rnd 1: Inc AB, [k1 A, k1 B] 17[19, 21] times, inc AB, inc AB, [k1 A, k1 B] to last st, k1 A. 75[83, 91] sts. Salt and Pepper pattern established.
Rnd 2: K1 B, inc AB, inc AB, PM, [k1 A, k1 B] to end. 2 sts increased for thumb gusset.
Rnds 3 and 5: K1 A, [k1 B, k1 A] to end.
Rnd 4: K1 B, [k1 A, k1 B] to end.
Rnd 6: K1 B, inc AB, inc AB, [k1 A, k1 B] to 2 sts before marker, inc AB, inc AB, SM, [k1 A, k1 B] to end. 4 sts increased in thumb gusset.

Repeat Rnds 3-6 until there are 21[21, 25] sts before the marker, 93[103, 113] sts total.

Size M only:
Work Rnds 3-5 once more.
Final round: K1 B, inc AB, inc AB [k1 A, k1 B] to 2 sts before marker, SM, [k1 A, k1 B] to end. 23 sts in thumb gusset. 103 sts total.

All sizes continue:
Work even in Salt and Pepper pattern until palm measures 2.25[2.5, 2.75] inches from top of cuff, or until work reaches where thumb separates from hand.

Separate the pinky sts:
Work 30[33, 36] sts in pattern, slip the next 16[18, 20] sts to scrap yarn, cast on 4 sts in pattern to close the gap, work even to end of round. 63[69, 75] sts.

Work even in pattern for 3 more rounds.

Separate the ring finger sts:
Work 22[24, 26] sts in pattern, slip the next 20[22, 24] sts to scrap yarn, cast on 4 sts in pattern to close the gap, work even to end of round.
Work even in pattern for 1 more round.

Separate the middle finger sts:
Work 13[14, 15] sts in pattern, slip the next 22[24, 26] sts to scrap yarn, cast on 4 sts in pattern to close the gap, work remaining 12[13, 14] sts in pattern.

Index finger:
Work in pattern on rem 29[31, 33] sts until finger measures 2.25[2.5, 2.75] inches or until work clears the top of your index finger.

Note: See details in Pattern Notes about the Finger decreases

Decrease round: In color pattern, [Sl1-k2tog-psso] to the last 2[1, 0] sts, ssk 1[0, 0] times, k0[1, 0].
Cut both colors and draw through the sts.

Middle finger:
Secure both colors on the inside of the glove with a tapestry needle, sewing them in like you would sew in the loose ends when the knitting is done, so that you are positioned to work across the 22[24, 26] held sts of the middle finger. This makes fewer ends to sew in later and it secures the yarn for easier knitting.

Return sts to needle, and work in pattern across the 22[24, 26] held middle finger sts, then pick up and knit 7 sts in pattern along the cast on edge - 5 from the cast on edge itself and 2 from the corners between the held sts and the cast on edge to eliminate any gaps.

Next Round: Work in pattern to the 7 cast on sts, work 2 sts, sl1-k2tog-psso, work 2 sts.
27[29, 31] sts.

Work even in pattern until finger measures 2.5[2.75, 3] inches or until work clears the top of your middle finger.
Decrease round: [Sl1-k2tog-psso] to the last 0[2, 1] sts, ssk 0[1, 0] times, k0[0, 1].
Cut both colors and draw through the sts.

Work even in pattern until finger measures 2.25[2.5,2.75] inches or until work clears the top of your ring finger.

Decrease round: [Sl1-k2tog-psso] to the last 1[0, 2] sts, ssk 0[0, 1] times, k1[0, 0].
Cut both colors and draw through the sts.

Pinky finger:
Secure both colors as before, positioned to work across Pinky finger sts. Return sts to needle, and work in pattern across the 16[18, 20] held pinky finger sts, then pick up and knit 7 sts in pattern along the cast on edge.

Next Round: Work in pattern to the 7 cast on sts, work 2 sts, sl1-k2tog-psso, work 2 sts. 21[23, 25] sts

Work even in pattern until finger measures 2[2.25, 2.5] inches or until work clears the top of your pinky finger.

Decrease round: [Sl1-k2tog-psso] to the last 0[2, 1] sts, ssk 0[1, 0] times, k0[0, 1].
Cut both colors and draw through sts.

Thumb:
Secure both colors, as before, positioned to work across Thumb sts. Return sts to needle, and work in pattern across the 23[25, 27] held thumb sts, then pick up and knit 8 sts in pattern along the cast on edge.

Next Round: Work in pattern to the 8 cast on sts, work 3 sts, sl1-k2tog-psso, work 2 sts. 29[31, 33] sts
Work even in pattern until thumb measures 2.25[2.5, 2.75] inches or until work clears the top of your thumb.

Decrease round: [Sl1-k2tog-psso] to the last 2[1, 0] sts, ssk 1[0, 0] times, k0[1, 0].
Cut both colors and draw through sts.

FINISHING
Block and weave in all ends.

Kirsten Hipsky is the design manager for WEBS, where she designs, writes, edits, knits and crochets patterns for their house brand Valley Yarns.

In her spare time, she spins, weaves, covers her house, body and loved ones in even more yarn, religiously tends her vegetable gardens scattered hither and yon, practices the art of intergalactic peacekeeping on her Xbox, tweets, hikes and laughs at silly things on the internet with her companion Kyle.