Thistle Gauntlets are knitted in the round using a two-colour stranded technique in natural shades of pure wool, creating a cosy, bouncy texture and a bold geometric design.
The stitch patterns are inspired by an historic engraving of a thistle stalk viewed under a microscope by the pioneering botanist Nehemiah Grew. In the late 1600s he was one of the first people to record and study the deceptively simple, rhythmic and organised beauty of plant cells. The Thistle pattern is designed to reflect those qualities and evoke the almost crystalline structures that he saw.
The long. simple construction helps to avoid draughty gaps up the sleeves and keep most of the hand warm without the complication of thumb shaping.

Suggested Yarn
I used West Yorkshire Spinners Fleece Jacob DK Any DK would work for this pattern but natural wool suits stranded knitting very well due to its fuzzy quality and tendency for the fibres to mesh into the fabric.

Approximate yardage for both sizes, smaller first Main Colour: 50-56m ( 55-62 yards) Contrast Colour: 82-90m (90-96 yards)