Handspan by Jeny Staiman

Handspan

Knitting
January 2021
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
32 stitches and 44 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette stitch
US 1 - 2.25 mm
200 - 275 yards (183 - 251 m)
S [M, L]
English
This pattern is available for free.

I’ve been mulling over this design for at least 5 years. I took a hiatus from designing for awhile, but these have stayed with me during my time away, and I’m thrilled to be able to share them with you now. This is my second glove pattern this season, and I’m so grateful to Knitty for publishing both my patterns in back-to-back issues! Love you guys!!

This pattern makes use of the Single Strand Glove Technique (SSGT), a technique I created which lets you make a glove with fully articulated fingers without breaking the working strand. It is simply a matter of feeding the yarn through the inside when you start each finger, so that you can pull it back down and start the next finger without breaking the working strand. This technique was introduced in my pattern Continuity and you will find illustrations there. Here is a link to a video demo: https://youtu.be/enwT4v6Evdw

I have noticed from early-adopter comments that the long cuffs are not loved by everyone. I totally get it, guys. An earlier iteration of this design had short cuffs. If you want short cuffs, then you can start with 6 rounds of stockinette (or garter, if you prefer) with the number of sts cast on in the pattern for your size, then reduce by 2 sts on the thumb side 4x over 16 rounds (total of 8 sts reduced), then begin the thumb gusset as written in the knitty pattern. The last picture attached to this pattern shows what short rolled cuffs look like and approximately how long they are. I find the length completely fine, but bear in mind I live in Seattle where it never gets all that cold.

All of that said… I think this pattern is perfect when worked in a self-striping yarn in which the color family is consistent from start to finish (as opposed to Uneek Sock, which I love, but because the color family changes several times throughout the skein, the fingers can clash with the hand). Twisted Fiber Arts has been my favorite self striping yarn for years, but alas they have just closed their shop, so I’m exploring others. A variety of indie dyers can be found on Etsy.