Zoom Out Fingerless Gloves

Started from a poin t at the outer edge of the wrist, these fingerless gloves grow in a circle shape and finish at the thumb. One mitt is knitted in one part, i.e. you don’t need to cut your yarn. Because of the shaping this pattern is great to show off variegated yarn. Furthermore, it's a good way to try out new techniques.




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WARNING: The pattern is written in a way that it can be adapted to different hand sizes. In consequence, the pattern doesn't give exact stitch counts. It also asks the knitter a few times to "knit until it roughly fits around [something]". If you're uncomfortable with directions like that, you probably won't like the pattern.

Since it also uses some advanced techniques, I guess the pattern is not suited for beginners.


Translation

• Eine deutsche Übersetzung dieser Anleitung wurde durch Mykoya (Ravelry-Name) erstellt (vielen, lieben Dank - insbesondere auch, weil durch ihr Korrekturlesen einige Fehler im Original ausgebügelt wurden). Die Übersetzung gibt es hier.
  Fellow Raveler Mykoya has kindly translated the pattern into German - proof-reading it in the process and giving me helpful hints to make it better. The German translation is available here.

Materials

• about 30 grams of fingering weight yarn (the yarns I used are listed at the end of this post)
• 3mm needles (I used long circulars and the magic ring method to start with, but ended with dpns for the thumbs)
• a crochet hook

Techniques and Abbreviations

• Magic Ring CO: Basically, the magic ring technique (from crochet) is used to cast on knitted stitches. There are several videos on Youtube that show the technique - I used something similar to the technique shown in the first video, but since this is fiddly work, just use the one that suits you best.
• with knitting needles: http://youtu.be/_xZywv8wj9Y or http://youtu.be/eXgvTPSOVIw 
• or with a crochet hook: http://youtu.be/4Vkpqdea-6o  
• Short rows with double stitches (German short rows, t+p): when you turn, bring yarn to the front and pull it back so that a sort of "double-stitch" is created, then knit back as usual - when you have to knit the double-stitch, make sure to knit it as one stitch (see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6n561SMZXQ); this method has the advantage the no picking up of stitches is necessary. In the pattern, this stitch will be called t+p (turn and pull).
• Stretchy Bind-Off: for the bind offs at the end of parts 1 and 4, I used this technique: http://youtu.be/cGHItYwr1us – however, other reasonably stretchy COs will do as well.
• Knitting a flat circle: Generally, a flat circle is knitted as follows:
  CO8 and join in round
  Round 1 (and all odd-numbered rounds): k
  Round 2: *kfb repeat from * (i.e. every stitch is doubled) (-> 16 sts)
  Round 4: * k1 kfb repeat from * (i.e. every 2rd stitch is doubled)(-> 24 sts)
  Round 6: * k2 kfb repeat from * (i.e. every 3rd stitch is doubled) (-> 32 sts)
  Round 8: * k3 kfb repeat from * (i.e. every 4th stitch is doubled) (-> 40 sts)
  … I'm sure, the formula is clear by now, namely that you increase by 8 stitches every other row. It also means that the distance between the "doubled" stitches increases by one in each of the increase-rounds. The same "formula" will be used when constructing the mitts. If you do the increases at the same spot (i.e. one kfb on top of the last one) a pattern (maybe even corners of an octagon) will become visible; to achieve a more circular look I started the increases at a different location in each increase row. 
• Three-Needle Bind-Off: http://youtu.be/wpJUrCX52DU  
• Knitted Cast-On: http://youtu.be/-nJKC2xT0Q4

Gauge or What to measure beforehand?
The pattern is written in a way, that it can be adapted to your hand size. Therefore gauge doesn’t really matter.
However, you should measure the circumference of your wrists. as well as the circumference of your
knuckles.

Instructions

Picture 1: Project Parts

The general construction of these fingerless gloves and the parts is shown in picture 1 on the right.

• Part 1: This part is knitted in the round and ends with a short bind-off at the lower edge.
• Part 2: This part is knitted back and forth and ends with a three-needle bind-off. Parts 1 and 2 constitute the wrist portion of the mitts.
• Part 3: This part is knitted back and forth around the thumb gusset and ends with a three-needle bind-off, as well; the upper edge (a 10 stitch wide garter-stitch ribbing) is knitted as well as the portion that covers the palms and back of the hands. Please note, that the upper edge is knitted in garter stitch, while the rest of the mitts is knitted in stockinette.
• Part 4: This part, the thumb, is knitted in the round.

Picture 2 (below) shows how the mitts look while being knitted.

Picture 2: How the mitts look in the different stages of knitting

Part 1:
CO 8 stitches with the magic ring cast-on methods (see Picture 2 - No. 1)
Round 1 and all odd-numbered rounds: k
Round 2: * kfb repeat from * to end of round (now your knitting should look like No. 2 in Picture 2)
Round 4: * kfb k repeat from * to end of round
Round 6: * k kfb k repeat from * to end of round
Round 8: * k3 kfb k5 repeat from * to end of round
Round 10: * k2 kfb k2 repeat from * to end of round
Round 12: * k1 kfb k4 repeat from * to end of round
Round 14: * k4 kfb k2 repeat from * to end of round
Round 16: * k6 kfb k1 repeat from * to end of round
Round 18: * k3 kfb k5 repeat from * to end of round
Round 20: * k7 kfb k2 repeat from * to end of round  (now your knitting should look like No. 3 in Picture 2)
Round 22: * k2 kfb k8 repeat from * to end of round

Continue in this fashinon until the diameter is about two thirds of the circumference of your wrist (doing 8 increases every other row, starting with a random offset) - and make sure that your last round is an odd-numbered round (i.e. a round without increases).
In the example above, this was the case after round 23.

Part 2:
Row 1: BO7 (with a stretchy bind-off), *k2 kfb k9 repeat from * until there are less than 11 sts left, k to the last sts of the round.
Then connect the last stitch to the first bind-off stitch as follows: Before turning slip the last stitch to the right needle and - using a crochet hook - draw the working yarn through the first BO stitch, put the loop on the left needle, move the last (not yet knitted) stitch back to the left needle, knit the two stitches together. This avoids the little gap between the first bind-off stitch and the last stitch of the row.
Row 2: p2tog, p10 t+p, k to end, turn,
     p2tog, p to last 2 sts, p2togtbl (Careful: when you reach the double stitch created with "t+p", make sure to knit it as one stitch)
Row 3: ssk k10 t+p, p to end, turn
     ssk, * k3 kfb k9 repeat from * until there are less than 12 sts on your needles, k to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 4 = Row 2
Row 5: ssk k10 t+p, p to end, turn
     ssk, * k10 kfb k3 repeat from * until there are less than 13 sts on your needles, k to last 2 sts, k2tog (now your knitting should look similar to No. 4 in Picture 2)
Row 6 = Row 2
Row 7: ssk k10 t+p, p to end, turn
     ssk, * k4 kfb k10 repeat from * until there are less than 14 sts on your needles, k to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 8 = Row 2
Row 9: ssk k10 t+p, p to end, turn
     ssk, * k6 kfb k9 repeat from * until there are less than 15 sts on your needles, k to last 2 sts, k2tog

Continue in this way until the lower edge is wide enough to fit around your wrists, i.e. equals your wrist circumference - for me this was the case after row 9. End with an odd-numbered row, i.e. a knit-row.

Count your stitches and place a marker right in the middle (Marker "Up") or (if your knitting with circulars and use the magic loop method) distribute the stitches in a way that one half of the stitches is on the front portion of the needle and the other half on the back.

To determine how many stitches you should bind-off, take the stitch distance between the increases of your last row (for me this was 15) and add a third of this distance - if necessary, bring it down to a round figure. (So, for me this was 15 + 15/3 = 15 + 5 = 20.)

Part 3:
Do a three-needle bind-off with the RS together of the number of stitches you calculated (in my case BO20). Place the last stitch on the back needle.
Turn the mitt back inside out, i.e. the RS is visible now.
The first 2 rows are knitted around the stitch that was left over from the three-needle BO.

Row 1: place a marker (Marker "Down"), sl1 (that's the stitch that was left from the three-needle BO), pick up 1 or 2 stitches from the gap to the next stitch (to avoid a hole), k3, t+p, p2 or p3 (depending on the number of stitches you've just picked up from the gap), p2tog, p1, slip marker, pick up 1 or 2 stitches from the gap, p3, t+p, k1, k2tog, k to Marker "Down"

(If you're using circulars, the magic loop method and have distributed the stitches as suggested at the end of part 2, it's not necessary to place markers ("Up" and "Down", because the marked places are the places where you have to switch needles.)

Row 2: k7, t+p, p3, p2tog, p1, slip Marker "Down", p6, t+p, k3, k2tog (you're back at Marker "Down")
Row 3: k to Marker "Up" and remove this marker, turn and cast on 10 stitches with a knitted cast-on

(From now on the uppermost 10 stitches will be knitted in garter stitch - the rest in stockinette stitch,)

Row 4: k9, k2tog, p2, t+p, k to end
      sl1, k8, k2tog, p to 3 sts before Marker "Down", p2tog, p1, p2togtbl, p to Marker "Up" (remove this marker), pick up 1 stitch from the gap, then pick up and knit 10 stitches form the lower edge of the knitted cast-on
Row 5: k9, k2tog, k3, t+p, p2, k to end, turn,
     k9, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k to Marker "Down", k to end (now your knitting should look similar to No. 5 in Picture 2)
Row 6: sl1, k8, k2tog, p2, t+p, k to end, turn
     sl1, k8, k2tog, p to the last 10 sts, k10
Row 7: sl1, k8, k2tog, k2, t+p, p1, k to end, turn
     sl1, k8, k2tog, k to end
Row 8: sl1, k8, k2tog, p2, t+p, k to end, turn
     sl1, k8, k2tog, k to 8 sts before Marker "Down", k2tog, k6, slip marker, k6, ssk, k to end

Repeat rows 7 and 6 until the upper edge measures rougly a centimeter less than the circumference of your knuckles.
If you feel that the part is getting to wide, you can always do symmeticral decreases (like row 8). In the end, you should have roughly 36 2x18 (i.e. 18 sts on each side of Marker "up") sts on your needles. Make sure to end with an even-number row (i.e. a WS row).

Now you will knit a few rows of garter stitch to complete the upper border and to provide an upper edge to the thumb gusset.
Row 1: sl, k9, turn (don't wrap! don't t+p! don't connect in any way to the rest of your knitting.)
Row 2: sl, k9
Repeat rows 1 and 2 four more times.

(If you try the mitts on now, your knitting should look similar to No. 6 in Picture 2).

Do a three-needle bind-off of the top 10 stitches - making sure that the seam is on the inside of the mitt.

Part 4:
I'd advise to distribute the thumb stitches on three dpns, one needle for the stitches picked up above the thumb, and two for the stitches that were "left over" in part 3.

Round 1: Place the last stitch on the back needle (or a new dpn). With that needle pick up 5 sts from the lower edge of the lower edge of the garter stitch border on top of the thumb, pick up 1 or 2 stitches from the gap (if you don't use three dpns, place marker 1), k to end (if you don't use dpns, place marker2) and pick up 1 or 2 stitches from the gap.

You should now have between 26 and 28 sts on your needles (i.e. 1 (leftover from 3NBO) + 5 (picked up from edge) + 1 (from gap) + 16  + 1 (from gap) = 26).

Round 2: k to 1 st before end of needle (or 1 st before marker 1), ssk, replace marker 1, k to 1 st before end of 3rd needle (or 1 st before marker 2), replace marker 2, k2tog,
Repeat round 2, until there are 18 sts left on your needles, always decreasing over the gap between the top on the thumb and the sides.

Knit one more round.

Ribbing: Knit 6 rounds of k1 p1-ribbing
Bind off in pattern.

Yarns

• The brown ones (on the top and end photo) were made with a yarn that was bought at a discounter (Aldi Süd in Germany) two years ago ... on Ravelry it's listed here http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/vendita-sockenwolle (I used Color 551) 
• For the blue(ish) ones (on the tutorial pictures) I used Schachenmayr Regia 4-ply Color (Color 07202) - I think it's this yarn here: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/regia-color-4-ply---4-fadig ... though I didn't find the colorway on Ravelry.
• For the purple ones I used Maxi Ringel by Froehlich Wolle (Color 7704 Pink Purple) - here's the Ravelry link: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/froehlich-wolle-maxi-ringel