Koi Pond: A Free Knitting Pattern for Fingerless Gloves

Like most people my age, I have an impulse control problem. Couple that with an intense love for yarn and an inexplicable need to spend money on pretty, new, shiny things, and you get a dangerous cocktail of traits that make going to yarn conventions... challenging.

Last April, I went to YarnCon in Chicago with a few of my coworkers (and a very patient, very yarn-apathetic fiancé). I definitely told myself it was an important networking opportunity for my job (which, to be fair, does revolve around knitting), but I'm not going to lie to you and say it wasn't at least partially selfish.

I left, at least $90 poorer, with three gorgeous, hand-dyed skeins of yarn from three different independent yarn retailers, but make no mistake: I could have spent thousands there. It's very important for me to limit myself to maintain some semblance of control over my own life, and to still be able to afford my mortgage each month.

Enter one particularly tricky skein of yarn: a OOAK (that means one-of-a-kind, for you yarn plebeians) skein of Orange Jellyfish Dream Sock Yarn. The gorgeous combination of blues, oranges, and pinks reeled me in. It looks like a koi pond!

I'm a predictable creature when it comes to buying yarn: it's almost always fingering/sock-weight, it's almost always washable, and I almost never have any idea of what to do with it.

Having just knit my fiancé his next pair of Ugly Hanukkah Socks (it's not a thing, but I'm making it a thing), I wasn't really keen on the idea of knitting another pair of socks. So, instead, I chose to use the yarn to knit a bralette (see my finished projects and thoughts on my Ravelry page; I have a lot of feelings about this pattern).

Notice how far ~400 yards of yarn gets you. With so much of the skein left over, the next step was to come up with a way to use it.

Next important fact about me: I'm always cold. Freezing, in fact. No matter what weight I am, I'm just as cold. And, no, I don't have any vitamin deficiencies that I'm aware of. For the holidays this year, my fiancé bought me this atrocity and it changed my life. That said, I can't walk around looking like a human blanket at work.

Given my hands are the leading athletes in the race to freeze me death, I figured I could knit myself some fingerless gloves or mitts. Since I like to make things difficult on myself, fingerless gloves (which include separated fingers—there is a difference, and it matters) were the winner.

Sure, maybe my fingers are the part that actually get cold, but you can't type wearing gloveless fingers and we can't all be Josiah Bain.

Furthermore, I wanted to pick a stitch that showcased the cool color shifts in the yarn that wouldn't get lost in the business of those same shifts, and I don't have the patience to knit so much seed stitch, so double seed stitch it is.

I tried a slip stitch pattern. It did not go well. I don't want to talk about it.

Koi Pond Fingerless Gloves

Yarn: Less than 200 yards of weight 1 yarn (I used Orange Jellyfish Dream Sock Yarn)

Needles:

• 1 set of 4 size 1 double-pointed needles
• 1 set of 4 size 2 double-pointed needles

Other materials:

• Stitch holder or scrap yarn
• 3 stitch markers

Right Fingerless Glove

co 64 sts longail using size 1 needles. Join to work in the round. Pm to denote the beginning of the round.

Cuff:

Round 1: k1, *p2, k2 around, ending with k1.

Rep until cuff measures 3 inches from co edge.

Body + Thumb Gusset:

Switch to size 2 needles.

Round 1: m1r, k1, m1l, pm, k31, pm, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

Round 2: k to 1st marker, k to 2nd marker, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

Round 3: k1, m1r, k1, m1l, k1, k to 2nd marker, *k2, p2; rep from * to end.

Round 4: k to 1st marker, k to 2nd marker, *k2, p2; rep from * to end.

Round 5: k2, m1r, k1, m1l, k2, k to 2nd marker, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

Round 6: as round 2

Round 7: k3, m1r, k1, m1l, k3, k to 2nd marker, *k2, p2; rep from * to end.

Round 8: as round 4

Round 9: k4, m1r, k1, m1l, k4, k to 2nd marker, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

Round 10: as round 2

Round 11: k5, m1r, k1, m1l, k5, k to 2nd marker, *k2, p2; rep from * to end.

Round 12: as round 4

Round 13: k6, m1r, k1, m1l, k6, k to 2nd marker, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

Round 14: as round 2

Round 15: k7, m1r, k1, m1l, k7, k to 2nd marker, *k2, p2; rep from * to end.

Round 16: as round 4

Round 17: k8, m1r, k1, m1l, k8, k to 2nd marker, *p2, k2; rep from * to end.

Round 18: as round 2

Round 19: as round 4

Round 20: as round 4

Round 21: as round 2

Round 22: as round 2

Round 23: as round 4

Round 24: as round 4

Rep rounds 21 to 24 two more times.

Slip first 19 sts (all sts before first marker) onto stitch holder and remove first marker. Continue to body.

Body:

Round 1: co 4 sts using backwards loop cast on. K to marker. *P2, K2 to end.

Round 2: k to marker, *p2, k2 to end.

Round 3: k to marker, *k2, p2 to end.

Round 4: as round 3

Round 5: as round 2

Round 6: as round 2

Round 7: as round 3

Round 8: as round 3

Rep rounds 5-8 until work reaches about .5” under the base of your fingers from the top side, ending on either a round 6 or 8.

Fingers:

Let it be known that I have thin, spindly baby fingers, and these fit my fingers perfectly. If your fingers are more average or wider-than-average, I would recommend going up one needle size.

Index:

k9.

Place next 49 sts onto a piece of scrap yarn.

Cast on 3 sts using backwards loop cast on method.

k last 9 sts using another DPN.

Shuffle stitches to divide 21 index finger sts evenly between 3 DPNs. Join to work in the round.

Round 1: p around

Round 2: k around

Rep rounds 1-2 until garter stitch portion measures .5.” Bind off.

Middle:

Untie scrap yarn. Place next 9 sts (with index finger to your right) on a DPN.

k9, leaving a long enough tail to sew up any gaps.

Cast on 2 sts using backwards loop cast on method.

Replace next 31 sts onto scrap yarn.

k rem 9 sts.

Pick up 3 sts from index finger’s CO edge.

Shuffle stitches to divide 23 index finger sts as evenly as possible between 3 DPNs. Join to work in the round, leaving a tail to sew up opening later.

Round 1: p around

Round 2: k around

Rep rounds until garter stitch portion measures .75.” Bind off.

Ring:

Untie scrap yarn. Place next 9 sts (with middle finger to your right) on a DPN.

k9.

Cast on 2 sts using backwards loop cast on method.

Replace next 13 sts onto scrap yarn.

k rem 9 sts.

Pick up 2 sts from middle finger’s CO edge.

Round 1: p around

Round 2: k around

Rep rounds until garter stitch portion measures .5.” Bind off.

Pinky:

Untie scrap yarn. Place rem 13 sts on DPNs.

k13.

Pick up 2 sts from ring finger’s CO edge.

Round 1: p around

Round 2: k around

Rep rounds until garter stitch portion measures .25.”. Bind off.

Thumb:

Pick up and knit 3 sts from gap where thumb meets hand. Pick up and knit 19 sts from thumb. Divide evenly on DPNs.

Round 1: k around

Round 2: p around

Rep rounds 3 and 4 until garter stitch portion measures .75.” Bind off.

Finishing:

Using tails on fingers and a darning needle, close any gaps and weave in ends.

Left Fingerless Mitt

co 64 sts longail using size 1 needles.

Cuff:

Round 1: k1, *p2, k2 around, ending with k1.

Rep until cuff measures 3 inches from co edge.

Body + Thumb Gusset:

Switch to size 2 needles.

Round 1: m1r, k1, m1l, pm, *p2, k2; rep from * 15 more times for a total of 32 sts, pm, k to end.

Round 2: k to 1st marker, *p2, k2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 3: k1, m1r, k1, m1l, k1, *k2, p2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 4: k to 1st marker, *k2, p2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 5: k2, m1r, k1, m1l, k2, *p2, k2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 6: as round 2

Round 7: k3, m1r, k1, m1l, k3, *k2, p2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 8: as round 4

Round 9: k4, m1r, k1, m1l, k4, *p2, k2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 10: as round 2

Round 11: k5, m1r, k1, m1l, k5, *k2, p2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 12: as round 4

Round 13: k6, m1r, k1, m1l, k6, *p2, k2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 14: as round 2

Round 15: k7, m1r, k1, m1l, k7, *k2, p2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 16: as round 4

Round 17: k8, m1r, k1, m1l, k8, *p2, k2; rep from * to 2nd marker, k to end.

Round 18: as round 2

Round 19: as round 4

Round 20: as round 4

Round 21: as round 2

Round 22: as round 2

Round 23: as round 4

Round 24: as round 4

Rep rounds 21 to 24 two more times.

Slip first 19 sts (all sts before first marker) onto stitch holder and remove first marker. Continue to body.

Body:

Round 1: co 4 sts using backwards loop cast on. Move beginning-of-round marker here. *p2, k2 to marker. k to end.

Round 2: *p2, k2 to marker, k to end.

Round 3: *k2, p2 to marker, k to end.

Round 4: as round 3

Round 5: as round 2

Round 6: as round 2

Round 7: as round 3

Round 8: as round 3

Rep rounds 5-8 until work reaches about .5” under the base of your fingers from the top side, ending on either a round 6 or 8.

Fingers, Thumb & Finishing

Rep exactly as with right fingerless mitt.

Abbreviations:

k: knit

p: purl

rep: repeat(ing)

co: cast on

bo: bind off

patt: pattern

st(s): stitch(es)

pm: place marker

m1r: make 1 right (insert lefthand needle into horizontal bar of yarn from the back to the front, pull up a loop, knit)

m1l: make 1 left (insert lefthand needle into horizontal bar of yarn from the front to the back, pull up a loop, knit through the back of the loop)

DPN: double-pointed needle