Lacy Check Gloves

Lacy Check Gloves by Sian Brown

Project Overview

The Lacy Check Gloves are a pair of knitted gloves designed to fit a medium woman's hand with a circumference of 19.5cm. Created by independent designer Sian Brown, these gloves combine decorative lace patterning with functional shaping, making them an ideal project for knitters with intermediate-level skills seeking to develop their lace and garment construction techniques.

What is Being Made

This downloadable knitting pattern produces a pair of fitted gloves featuring an all-over lace check design. The gloves are constructed in the round using the top-down method, beginning with a ribbed cuff and progressing through lace patterning before incorporating thumb shaping and finger divisions. The finished gloves are tailored to fit a medium woman's hand.

Craft and Techniques

This project uses knitting as the primary craft method. The gloves are worked primarily in the round on needles, incorporating several intermediate-level techniques essential for successful completion:

• Casting on and ribbed cuff construction for a fitted opening
• Lace pattern work requiring yarn overs, decreases, and slip stitches
• Thumb gusset shaping using strategic increases to create room for the thumb
• Stitch marker placement to track pattern repeats and shaping sections
• Tension management across different stitch patterns and needle sizes

Stitches Used

The Lacy Check Gloves employ a range of fundamental and decorative knitting stitches:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches for ribbed cuff and stockinette sections
• Yarn over (yo) stitches to create the openwork lace pattern
• Slip, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over (sl1, k2tog, psso) for double decreases that form the lace motif
• Make one left (M1L) and make one right (M1R) increases for shaping the thumb gusset

The lace pattern itself is a 12-row repeat that creates a check-like appearance through alternating rows of yarn overs and decreases. Rows 1-4 and rows 7-10 feature the active lace patterning, while rows 5-6 and 11-12 provide rest rows worked in stockinette stitch, allowing the lace motif to stand out visually.

Materials and Specifications

The Lacy Check Gloves are worked using DK weight yarn, specifically one ball of Rowan Felted Tweed in shade Vaseline Green (204). This yarn choice provides a semi-solid color base that allows the lace patterning to be clearly visible while offering the durability and warmth appropriate for gloves.

The pattern requires two needle sizes to achieve proper gauge and fit:

• 3mm needles for the ribbed cuff section, which creates a snug, elastic opening
• 3.5mm needles for the main lace pattern and glove body

Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping sections, and a stitch holder for temporarily securing stitches during finger separation. The working tension is established at 22 stitches and 28 rows to a 10cm x 10cm square using the lace pattern on 3.5mm needles, which is essential for achieving the correct glove circumference and fit.

Difficulty Level

Rated as an intermediate project, the Lacy Check Gloves require knitters to be comfortable with lace pattern reading, multiple decrease techniques, and garment shaping. The combination of lace work with thumb and finger shaping makes this an excellent stepping stone for knitters advancing from basic garments to more complex fitted accessories.