Handknit Fingerless Gloves: An All-Season Winter Garment Perfect for Donating!

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I just finished knitting this pair of fingerless gloves to top off my box of knits that I’m donating to Knit the Rainbow this year. Knit the Rainbow is a nonprofit that distributes handknit winter gear to homeless LGBTQ youth. The garments serve to keep young people warm but I also think there is something special about having a handknit item that I hope will warm their hearts as well.

I really like these gloves because they are beautiful, but also super practical for the giftee. I made them out of Heatherly Worsted, a new-ish acrylic/wool blend yarn from Knit Picks that comes in gorgeous pastel colors. This fiber combination provides the coziness of wool but also makes the gloves more resistant to wear and tear, perfect for those who may not have the access to facilities for handwashing more delicate fibers.

I chose to knit long fingerless gloves instead of more traditional mittens, because these mitts are an all-season accessory. You can wear them alone during milder winter days or layer them with thinner gloves for extra warmth when temperatures drop. This pattern is called Masonry Mitts and it’s a free download on Ravelry. I think the blocks of stockinette next to the blocks of garter stitch look really cool, don’t you? This is a pretty popular pattern with over 700 projects on Ravelry and I can see why. I especially liked the instructions for picking up stitches at the thumb gusset – the designer uses a great technique to eliminate gaps. It worked out very well for me. (BTW, if you want another pattern recommendation for fingerless gloves, I also love my Vancouver Fog gloves, which is a free pattern too!)

Has anyone else knitted for charity before? What did you make? Here is the last batch of items I sent to KtR.

yarn details

Knit Picks Heatherly Worsted in Agave
Worsted Weight
80% Acrylic 20% Merino
Machine Wash & Dryable
100 g / 218 yd skeins
Purchased in July 2022

project details

pattern: “Masonry Mitts” by Vera Brosgol (free pattern on Ravelry)
needles: US size 5 (3.75 mm) and size 4 (3.5mm) circulars needles – I used my Knit Picks Prism interchangeable set which make it super easy to swap between the needle sizes.
yarn used: 135 yards (62 grams)
finished size: 11” long
duration: November 18 – December 3, 2023

notes

• If I knit these again, I’d use the larger needle size for the cuff – I used a stretchy cast on but it still feels a little tighter than I’d like. Really, I don’t think using the two different needle sizes was necessary, you’d probably be just fine if you did it all on the larger needle.