butch hands pattern

posted on February 13th, 2023 by Lee Cattarin

Hands wearing a pair of pink and grey gloves with convertable mitten tops.

This pattern is a Work in Progress and will be updated with more information as I make a second pair of these.

Authorship and attribution

  • Created: 12 March 2021
  • Last updated: 13 February 2023

This pattern was built on the Podster Gloves pattern by Glenna C. on Ravelry. I highly recommend reading and following that pattern to fill in gaps with this one.

Materials and tools

  • bulky yarn
  • fingering yarn
  • Needles: size 8 DPNs, size 1.5 DPNs

Outline

These gloves are built in two parts: bulky yarn section, then fingering. First, with bulky yarn and larger needles, the ribbed cuff is knit in the round. From the cuff we build the back of the hand by working a portion of the stitches flat in stockinette. The back of the hand then forms the mitten top by making additional stitches and joining to work in the round again, then knitting until a taper and grafting the ends with Kitchener stitch.

With fingering yarn and smaller needles, we work from the leftover cuff stitches up to build the palm, using decreases to connect the edges of the bulky and fingering sections. A thumb gusset is built with increases, then put onto waste yarn to work later. When the palm is knit to the point it aligns with the start of the mitten top, we pick up stitches from the inside edge of the mitten top and join to knit the rest of the hand and fingers in the round. Finally, we split off fingers and work each separately, including returning to finish the thumb.

Directions

Cuff

With larger needles and bulky yarn, CO 28 (N) stitches and join to work in the round, placing a BOR marker. Work in k1p1 rib or your preferred rib until desired length of cuff is reached, then stop at BOR.

Back of hand

Remove BOR marker. Turn to work WS.

p15 (N/2 + 1) stitches. Place a locking stitch marker into the first and last stitches of this row for a reference point later. Turn to work RS.

Back of hand repeat:

  • RS: k15
  • WS: p15

Repeat until work sits just below the knuckles, ending with a RS row.

Thread a piece of waste yarn through all back of hand stitches. This is used as a reference point later to pick up stitches for the hand.

Mitten top

At the end of a RS row, place a BOR marker, then make 13 (N/2 -1) stitches using the backwards loop cast on or your preferred method. Join to work in the round.

Establish a ribbed cuff on the palm side of the mitten top while leaving the back of the hand in stockinette:

  • (k1, p1) x7, k1 (15 stitches in rib)
  • k13

Repeat for 4 rows or your desired length.

Knit in stockinette until work is about level with the end of the pinky finger.

Mitten top decreases:

  • Row 1: (k1, ssk, k7, k2tog, k1) x2 (4 stitches decreased, 22 stitches remaining)
  • Row 2: k all stitches
  • Row 3: (k1, ssk, k5, k2tog, k1) x2 (4 stitches decreased, 18 stitches remaining)
  • Row 4: k all stitches
  • Row 5: (k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1) x2 (4 stitches decreased, 14 stitches remaining)

Place first 7 stitches onto one needle and second 7 stitches on to another. Graft together using Kitchener stitch or your preferred method.

You can alternately begin the decreases on the pinky side of the hand earlier than on the pointer side - this will make the mitten top fit the hand closer.

Establishing the palm

You will now start to work with the other stitches left by the cuff, on the RS. Use smaller needles and fingering weight yarn.

Start by making 1 from the yarn between the back of hand (BOH) stitches and your first stitch. Then kfb (or your preferred increase) across all remaining cuff stitches. Make 1 more stitch from the yarn between your stitches and the BOH. You should have 28 (N) stitches.

At the end of your RS row, pick up the selvedge stich below the stitch we marked earlier. Then turn your work.

k2tog - the selvedge stitch and your last stitch. purl across to the last stitch in the row, then ssk that stitch together with, again, the selvedge stitch below the marked stitch. Turn your work.

Palm repeat:

  • RS: sl1 wyif, knit to last stitch, sl1 wyif, pick up next selvedge stitch
  • WS: k2tog (selvedge stitch and last stitch), purl to last stitch, ssk (last stitch and picked up selvedge stitch)

You only need to do this one or two times before starting the thumb gusset.

Thumb gusset

I diverge slightly from the Podster Gloves pattern here in that there is only one line of increases going up this thumb, and so we increase more frequently.

Follow right or left hand instructions accordingly until you have added 16-20 stitches depending on thumb size.

Right hand thumb

  • RS: sl1 wyif, k2, knit all added gusset stitches, m1R, knit to end according to Palm
  • WS: follow Palm instructions

If you would like to place a marker for the increases, I recommend setting that up as follows:

  • RS: sl1 wyif, k2, [knit 0 gusset stitches,] m1R, k1, place marker, …

and then on future RS:

  • RS: sl1 wyif, knit to one stitch before marker, m1R, k1, slip marker, …

This ensures that you are not doing your make ones with a marker in the way. But I generally don’t use the marker and just knit all the “new” stitches before doing the m1R.

Left hand thumb

To be continued…

category: reference

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