A Beth Brown-Reinsel Design Gansey Fingerless Mitts

Featured Techniques Channel Island Cast-on Overlapped split welts (optional) Thumb gusset Picot

anseys are the traditional British fisherman’s Gsweater from the 1800s. Some of the techniques used in making a gansey sweater will be learned by this fingerless mitt. The mitt begins with the Channel Island Cast-on and you may choose from two options for the garter stitch gauntlet cuff: a continuous welt or split, overlapped welts. Small cables and traditional knit/ purl motifs will be worked in the hand. A thumb gusset reminiscent of the lower half of an underarm gusset is surrounded by the small baby cables. In addition, raised increases, and the lovely picot hem finish are included. Supplies • One set of 7” long (shorter is OK) dp ndls, US size 1 (2.25mm) • 3.5 oz. (100 g/245 yards/skein) plain-textured, light-col- ored sport weight , or any Guernsey yarn. Frangi- 2.Alternate Split Garter Welt Cuff pani Guernsey yarn was used for the sample: www. Cast on 38 sts. Work garter stitch for 5 rows. Break yarn guernseywool.co.uk. See also uptonyarns.com for lovely and set aside. Make another welt, leaving the yarn at- US-made guernsey . tached. • Optional: stitch markers, waste yarn, sticky notes or magnetic board to aid in reading the chart. Joining Size: Woman’s Medium Preparation: Lay both welts down on a table in front of you. The welt that is still connected to the ball of yarn : 7 sts/inch should be on the left. The right side of the welts should Choose one cuff treatment: be facing you (the side that has three purl ridges) and the ndls should be lined up point to point. Now, transfer 1. Circular Garter Stitch Cuff the two left-most stitches from the welt on the right- Cast on 72 sts with the Channel Island CO. (See pg. 3.) hand side to a third ndl. Hold this ndl behind the two end Rnd 1: Join circularly and purl. stitches on the right side of the left-hand welt. Rnds 2, 4, and 6: Knit. Rnds 3 and 5: Purl. Rnd 6: Overlap the end stitches (with the left-hand ndl in Continue with Rnd 7. front, knitting 2 stitches together (one from each ndl) as

HMS520 Please respect the time and effort spent to create this design and pattern by honoring the copyright. © 2012 Beth Brown-Reinsel Rev. 4.2021. This design may not be knitted for resale. Thank you.

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Rnd 25: Continue Mitt Motif Chart. K2tog K2tog Rnd 26: Place marker. Work Row 1 of Gusset Chart, place marker, work Rnd 26 of Motif Chart. The gusset develops as the first stitch of the round between the two baby cables (1/1RC) and their flanking purl stitches. ooooooooooooO O ooooooooooooO Mitt Motif Chart Garter Welt ooooooooooooO O Garter Welt

Yarn attached to ball 1/1 RC: Knit 2 sts together, then knit the first st again, and drop both sts off the left ndl. 1 stitch, twice. (See illustration on page 2.) Complete rnds 27-32 of Mitt Motif Chart, then work rnds Knit up to the last 2 sts of this welt, adding another ndl 25-32 five more times, AT THE SAME working the Gusset midway in the work. Overlapping again, but this time Chart, increasing on either side of the gusset every third with the ndl (with the two rem stitches) in front, k2tog rnd as shown until there are 21 gusset stitches. as 1 stitch twice. Knit up to the original overlap, slip on marker. The mitt is now joined circularly with the front M1R: Lift the yarn between 2 sts onto the left needle from back welt overlapping the back welt at both sides–72 sts. to front, knit into the front of the loop. Divide the stitches among your double-pointed ndls so M1L: Lift the yarn between 2 sts onto the left needle from front that knitting will be comfortable; four ndls are suggest- to back, knit into the back of the loop. ed for holding the stitches, while knitting around with a fifth. Gusset Chart

Rnds 7-9: Knit. Rnds 10-14: Work Welt Pattern Chart, below. Rnds 15-17: Knit.

Welt Pattern Chart

Wrist Rnd 18: *P1, p2tog*; rep from *– 48 sts. Rnds 19 and 21: Knit. Rnds 20 and 22: Purl. Hand Rnd 23: Knit. Rnd 24: Begin Mitt Motif Chart, increasing 3 sts as shown– 51 sts. The repeat of the motif is within the red border.

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Removing the Thumb Gusset to form the stitches. You can break off 2 strands to go Once the gusset Chart is completed, slip 21 stitches to a around the thumb that each measure approximately 1 piece of waste yarn. With last double-pointed ndl, p1 from yard long, and hold the strand from the skein over your first double-pointed ndl, pass last stitch of previous rnd index finger. over. Place marker for new beginning of rnd. Complete the rnd. Total: 50 stitches. 1. Holding three yarns together as one, make a slip knot 6” Continue working in pattern (Mitt Motif Chart) until the from the end. mitt measures 6” from the cast-on, or ½” from desired 2. *Hold the single your left index finger and length. wrap the other two yarns twice around your left thumb in a counter-clockwise direction. Your ndl is in Picot Hem: Hand your right hand. Rnd 1: Purl, decreasing 6 stitches evenly–44 sts. 3. See below: Bring the ndl over, behind, and under the sin- Rnds 2 and 3: Knit. gle yarn- just like a yarn over. (This forms the first of the Rnd 4: * K2tog, yarn over* 22 times, two stitches made.) Rnd 5-7: Knit. 4. Then insert your ndl up into the two loops on the Fold hem in half and to inside. Break off yarn leaving a 12” thumb (this forms the bead). tail. Thread the yarn onto a tapestry ndl and sew the live 5. Pick up the single yarn again as for step 3 (this is the sec- sts down to the inside, stitch by stitch. Fasten off. ond stitch), pull the loop through, and rep from *. Even tensioning is tricky and comes with practice. Thumb Be patient with yourself. Slip the 21 held stitches to 3 ndls. Join yarn to the inside of the thumb hole, leaving a generous tail to tidy up the gap Further Reading later. Knit until thumb is 3/4” long, or desired length. • Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel, White River Press, 2011. Picot Hem: Thumb • Knitting Ganseys with Beth Brown-Reinsel (DVD). Avail- Rnd 1: Purl, decreasing 3 sts evenly. Total: 18 stitches. able from www.knittingtraditions.com/shop/books- Rnds 2 and 3: Knit. and-dvds/ Rnd 4: * K2tog, yarn over* 9 times, Join my Monthly Email Newsletter List Rnd 5-7: Knit. for techniques, knitting news, a Continue with Picot Hem instructions for Hand. monthly book drawing, and more! Weave in ends, wash, and block. http://www.knittingtraditions.com/news/newsletter/

The Channel Island Cast-On See also my video on my website: www.knittingtraditions.com/knitting-resources/tutorials/

This decorative and substantial cast-on forms a strand Patreon.com is a website where people can become of “beads” along the beginning edge of the garment which patrons of an artist, an age-old concept that allows accentuates, by contrast, the horizontal lines of a garter artists to continue their creative work. My Patreon welt. Project consists of several monthly posts delving into the knitting traditions of the countries where I have The slip knot itself is made of three loops, being formed done research. from three strands of yarn held as one. When working this method, do not count the slip knot–you can remove I offer videos of techniques, book lists, charts of motifs, and pull out that first stitch after the first round has patterns, and articles about many aspects of each been worked, without harm to the rest of your stitches. tradition–a different country each month!. The money I receive from Patreon allows me to further my research, In addition, this technique forms two stitches at once. and to create new content for knitters. I hope you’ll con- Two strands of yarn are used together to wind around sider joining! the thumb forming the bead, while a third strand is used www.Patreon.com/BethBrownReinsel

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