Badger Gloves in Rowan Moordale - Downloadable PDF

Badger Gloves in Rowan Moordale – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Badger Gloves is a colourwork knitting pattern designed by Chloe Thurlow and published by Rowan. Available as a downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level pattern produces a pair of striking, fully worked gloves featuring bold colour contrasts inspired by the distinctive markings of a badger. The design is knitted entirely in the round using double-pointed needles, making it an excellent project for knitters looking to develop their skills in small-circumference circular knitting and colourwork.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a pair of fitted gloves with a shaped thumb worked separately from a stitch holder. The fingers are shaped with paired decreases worked across multiple rounds to create neat, tapered fingertips. The finished gloves are sized based on a specific tension swatch and are designed to be close-fitting and functional.

Colourwork and Design Details

The gloves use a three-colour palette drawn from Rowan Moordale yarn. The three shades specified in the pattern are:

• Feather 001 (Colour A)
• Beetroot 007 (Colour B)
• Ash 010 (Colour C)

This combination of a pale neutral, a deep jewel tone, and a mid-grey creates the characteristic badger-stripe aesthetic. The pattern uses Colour B (Beetroot) as a finishing yarn, threaded through the remaining stitches at the fingertips to close them neatly, while Colour C (Ash) is used when picking up stitches for the thumb. This careful colour placement across the glove gives the finished piece its bold, graphic character.

Techniques Used

The Badger Gloves pattern draws on a range of intermediate knitting techniques, making it a rewarding challenge for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to progress further:

• Knitting in the round on a set of five double-pointed needles, which is the standard method for constructing gloves, mittens, and socks without seams
• Thumb gusset construction, where thumb stitches are placed on a holder while the hand is worked, then returned to needles and completed separately
• Picking up stitches around the thumb opening to create a seamless join between the thumb and the hand
• Paired decreases for finger shaping, specifically sl 1, K1, psso (a left-leaning decrease) and K2tog (a right-leaning decrease), worked symmetrically to taper each fingertip cleanly
• Multi-colour knitting using three shades of Rowan Moordale, requiring careful management of yarn strands
• Finishing by threading yarn through remaining live stitches and pulling tight to close fingertips — a technique common in glove and mitten knitting

Stitches Used

The pattern is worked primarily in a stitch pattern (referred to as patt throughout), which forms the colourwork body of the glove. Additional stitches and techniques referenced in the pattern include:

• Knit stitch (K) — the foundation of the fabric throughout
• Slip 1, K1, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso) — a left-leaning paired decrease used in finger shaping
• Knit 2 together (K2tog) — a right-leaning decrease used alongside sl 1, K1, psso to create symmetrical tapering
• Working in the round across multiple needles, distributing stitches evenly across four needles with the fifth used as the working needle

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written for Rowan Moordale, a DK weight yarn sold in 100g skeins. One skein each of Feather 001