fast and beautiful sock yarn fingerless gloves (now with optional mitten tops)

these amazing things use less than 1/2 a skein (50g) of sock yarn, can be made with as many colorways as you want... and are super fast to make!

as promised... here's the pattern.
Intermediate Beginner Level
Supplies
50g of sock weight yarn (2 - light) - I used ColourRedefined Mall Rat in silver sparkle sock base
4.5mm crochet hook (if making optional mitten tops you will also want a 5mm crochet hook)
darning or sock needle
scissors
stitch marker

Notes

• You're working in the round, I highly recommend a stitch marker to keep your place.
• Adjust the pattern in even numbers if you need more wrist room or palm room.
• These gloves fit a women's small to medium. You can change to a 5mm crochet hook or try adding 4 stitches in the starting chain at a time to test the sizes. Adding a row of HDC in the wrist, fingers and thumb sections (EACH) to adjust the length can fit this glove pattern nicely for medium to large hands. Remember to note your changes so that you can refer back to them.
• This pattern offers variations for Left and Right hands because I like to keep my start and end points on the inside or "private" side of a pattern. :D The instructions remain the same, only the placement around the hand changes. If you're less picky and want to make 2 of the same side, just remember that making the thumb specifies having the palm side of the glove facing you because it faces the thumb at the correct angle.
• You will be using FPDC and BPDC - Front Post Double Crochet and Back Post Double Crochet. This means that instead of crocheting into the top of the stitch from the row before you will be yarning over and going around the DC from the row before either so that the post of the DC goes over your hook or under it. (see photos below) 

To create a BPDC - Back Post Double Crochet

Yarn over and pass the hook around the DC from the previous row so that the post of that 

DC is behind your hook, then create your DC as usual.

To create a FPDC - Front Post Double Crochet

Yarn over and pass the hook around the DC from the previous row so that the post of that 

DC is in front of your hook, then create your DC as usual.

Here is a video showing both stitches in lovely fluffy yarn so you can really see how she works them.

CreatiKnit How to FPDC & BPDC YouTube 2014

Abbreviations
CH = Chain
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet
FPDC = Front Post Double Crochet
BPDC = Back Post Double Crochet
HDC = Half Double Crochet
INC = Increase
DEC = Decrease
SL ST = Slip Stitch
SK = Skip number of stitches described in the pattern
F/O = Finish Off
(#) = Number of stitches in the round

Fingerless Gloves
Cuff
Round 1: CH 44 and SL ST to join. CH 3 (counts as first DC) Working in back hump (bottom of crochet stitch) DC around. SL ST into top of CH 3 to finish the round. (44)

By crocheting in the back hump or bottom of the crochet stitch you leave a finished edge 

on the cuff of the glove. When you look at a chain there is one side that forms series 

of interlocking V's and on the other side just a series of dashes. 

You are crocheting into the dashes.

Rounds 2-7: CH 3 (counts as first DC) FPDC then BPDC and repeat around, you should end on a FPDC, then SL ST into top of CH 3 to finish the round. (44)

By alternating FPDC and BPDC you create a series of ribs, this is more stretchy than

just stitching, and it gives the appearance of knitted fabric.

Glove

*NOTE: you will now be working in the round, using a stitch marker will be very useful

Round 8: Working in the tops of the stitches, no longer around the posts. 9 HDC then DEC and repeat around (40)
Rounds 9-10: HDC around. (40)
Round 11: 8 HDC then DEC and repeat around (36)
Rounds 12-21: HDC around. (36)

Right Glove

Round 22: 26 HDC then CH 7 and SK 6 then 4 HDC (36)

Round 23: 25 HDC then work 7 HDC around the CH loop then 4 HDC (36)

Left Glove

Round 22: 4 HDC then CH 7 and SK 6 then 26 HDC (36)

Round 23: 3 HDC then work 7 HDC around the CH loop then 26 HDC (36)

Rounds 24-28: HDC around (36) on last stich of Round 28 SK 1 and SL ST into next. Changes the count to 35 on the next round.
Rounds 29-33: SC around - on the first row stitch into the top of the last HDC and into the first SC, do not try to stitch into the SL ST... this will reduce your count by one stitch. (35) At the end of Round 33 replace your last SC with a SL ST and F/O by sewing in your ends at wrist and fingers.

Thumb
You will be working in the round, it may be useful to continue to use your stitch marker. You can see in the photo below that I was cavalier and did not.
Work with the palm of your glove facing you and start at the bottom corner of the thumb opening. In the photo below I am starting the thumb on the right glove.

Round 1: Space 20 HDC around the thumb opening using spaces between stitches in the CH loop and actual stitches at the bottom of the opening. (20)
Round 2: 9 HDC then DEC and 9 HDC (19)
Round 3: 8 HDC then DEC and 8 HDC (18)
Rounds 4-5: HDC around (18) at last HDC in Round 5 SK 1 and SL ST into the next then continue with Round 6. This reduces your count to 17 stitches.
Rounds 6-10: SC around - on the first row stitch into the top of the last HDC and into the first SC, do not try to stitch into the SL ST... this will reduce your count by one stitch. (17) At the end of Round 10 replace your last SC with a SL ST and F/O by sewing in your ends for open thumb option.

mitten closed from the palm

mitten closed from the back of the hand 

(I attached in the top of Round 11)

Mitten top open, because my hand is bent it looks like there is 

a seam that doesn't exist at the bottoms of my fingers. LOL

This beautiful sparkly colorway was made by DoverStreetSupplyCo purveyor

of incredibly beautiful, soft and fun yarns at really lovely prices!

She can also be found on Instagram @DoverStreetSupplyCo

Because I won this skein I do not know the name of the colorway.

She regularly sells off her "oops" skeins at a discounted price or gives them away. :D

OPTIONAL CONVERTIBLE MITTEN 

To finish the thumb into a mitten thumb:

NOTE: FIRST... you may have a long enough thumb that you need to repeat the instructions for Round 10 one or two more rounds before continuing if you want a closed thumb. For me I just needed 2 more Rounds. 

Round 11: SC, DEC, 2 SC, DEC, 2 SC, DEC, 2 SC DEC, 2 SC (13)

Round 12: SC, DEC, SC, DEC, SC, DEC, SC, DEC, SL ST and F/O by weaving the top closed by going first up through one stitch and then down through the next all the way around and pulling your end into the inside to tie off and sew in. Alternatively you can just sew the stitches together flat without the drawstring that closes it into a more round finish and then tie off and sew in on the inside.

OPTIONAL MITTEN TOP:

I recommend working both parts of Round 1 with a 5mm or half step up hook size because it's very difficult to keep your stitches loose and even and it's important that this part fits around the fingerless glove just loosely enough to slide up and down easily.

START WITH A VERY LONG TAIL, this will sew your mitten top to your glove when you're donw.

Round 1: CH 38 and SL ST to join. CH 1 (does not count as your first stitch as it did when you did this before making the cuff) and work 1 SC in the first stitch where you also SL ST. Working in back hump (bottom of crochet stitch) SC around. Do not SL ST to join this, you will be working in the round. (38)

Switch to 4.5mm hook

Round 2: HDC around (38)

Rounds 3-15: HDC around (38)

Round 16: HDC DEC, 2 HDC and repeat around ending on a HDC DEC. (28)

Round 17: HDC, HDC DEC and repeat around ending on a HDC. (19)

Round 18: 2 HDC, HDC DEC and repeat around ending on a HDC instead of the HDC DEC you would have made. (15)

Flatten the mitten top and CH 1 then crocheting through the tops of both stitches SC across the top of the mitten, ending with a SL ST then F/O with a long tail for sewing in your ends on the inside of the mitten top.

TO ATTACH:

Counting down from the top or finger end of the glove, depending on the length of your fingers you may want to attach in the top of the 11th Round down, or as high as the 8th Round down. Try the mitten top on your fingers over the fingerless glove and see where it is comfortably covering your fingers and still can attach across the back of your glove. (be sure the seam runs across your finger tops when doing this and when attaching.)

I usually only secure 13-15 stitches across the back. It's important not to sew too far around the sides or you can't flip the mitten top over while wearing the gloves. I mark a stitch with a stitch marker while wearing the gloves close to the thumb side of my hand and then count back across that Round to 13, if I'm still on the knuckle of my hand I go to 14 or 15 and just don't go around the side of my hand at all. Sew carefully and tie off and sew in your ends on the inside of the glove.

The first glove took me about an hour and a half to make, testing different sizes and making sure they fit myself and a number of other persons so that they could be called one size fits most gloves. The second glove took me about 40 minutes to make.

The optional mitten tops and attaching them actually only add about 30 minutes to the total length of the project, so that's a bonus! :D

I can safely say that this can be an afternoon or evening project for anyone who is experienced with crochet and the stitches, and that a beginner can pick up what they need and still be really happy with their results in just a couple of hours.

Enjoy!

please post your pictures and tag at #12SquaredCreations on Instagram. I would love to see what you make!