Graphic Moss Fingerless Gloves

These are a simple set of fingerless gloves that have a soft texture provided by a faux-moss stitch as well as a knitted look over the palm which also gives the opportunity to insert an image, if desired. If no graph is inserted then the back of the hand will have the same knit-like look as the palm does. I call this a faux-moss stitch because most moss-stitches involve including chains in your rows, and then crocheting into the chains. Instead I work in clusters of two (a simple increase) and then skip a stitch, creating a gap which I use for the subsequent rows. However the look and feel is very similar to the moss stitch. The knit-like section covering the palm is formed by a number of rows of split single crochet. This is a bulkier and firmer stitch, as each stitch is worked over more yarn than a regular crochet, and give the hand itself a little more protection. For the gloves in the picture I used a yarn that was largely cotton, making them a little stiffer, using an acrylic or a blend with more acrylic would leave them softer.

The graph section of the glove is from rows 7 – 20. I used different graphs for each hand. The graph for the right hand is the “Non-Compliant” logo from the amazing feminist comic book series Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick. (Go read it!) The graph for that logo was created by Kate Tanski for a knitted glove she created, which was shared in issue 7 of the comic, and is also available at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/non-compliance . Since this graph is only 8 stitches tall I chose to begin it on row 8. The pattern for the left hand, a raised fist, I created myself and is available at the end of the pattern. That graph is actually 17 stitches tall, but the bottom of the graph is simple and I was able to accommodate by including some color changes in row 21-23, the first faux-moss stitch rows.*

Yarn: Premiere Yarns Premiere Home Cotton (Cotton/Poly 85/15 blend);
Medium Weight (4) with a listed gauge of 18 sts x 24 rows = 4” x 4” using a 5mm hook; I did not check my gauge, but my first row of 30 fnd-hdc, using a 4.5mm hook, was 8” long
Hook: 4.5mm
Size: Adult Medium/Large; Change yarn size and hook gauge to increase or decrease. The yarn used I used is quite stiff, so a softer yarn would automatically work this pattern a little smaller with more stretch.