Rowan Nether Gloves Knitting Pattern

Rowan Nether Knitted Gloves by Lisa Richardson

What is Being Made

Rowan Nether is a pair of seamless knitted mitts or short gloves designed by Lisa Richardson. These are worked from the bottom up in the round, creating fitted hand coverings with a shaped thumb section. The pattern produces a classic mitt style with ribbed cuffs and striped colorwork detailing throughout the hand and thumb portions.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several key knitting techniques:

• Seamless, in-the-round construction: The mitts are worked circularly using double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous fabric.
• Bottom-up shaping: The pattern begins at the cuff and works upward toward the fingers, allowing for easy adjustments to length.
• Striped colorwork: Two yarn colors (Smoke and Jade Garden) are alternated in stockinette stitch to create horizontal stripes throughout the design.
• Thumb gusset shaping: The thumb is created by slipping stitches to a holder, casting on new stitches to bridge the gap, and later picking up stitches to work the thumb in the round with increases for shaping.
• Ribbed edging: Both the cuff and thumb opening feature knit-purl ribbing for a neat, elastic finish.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches suitable for colorwork and fitted garments:

• Stockinette stitch (st st): Knit every round, creating a smooth, flat fabric that showcases the striped colorwork effectively.
• Ribbing: A combination of knit and purl stitches (K2, P2 pattern) worked in rounds to create the cuff and thumb cuff edges, providing stretch and a professional finish.
• Basic increases and decreases: Shaping is achieved through even decreases around rounds and single stitch increases to shape the thumb gusset.

Materials and Gauge

The Nether pattern calls for Rowan Cashmere Tweed yarn in two colorways: Smoke (002) and Jade Garden (012), with 25 grams of each color required. This yarn choice provides a soft, luxurious feel suitable for close-fitting hand wear.

Three sets of double-pointed needles in different sizes are required: 3¼mm (US 3), 3¾mm (US 5), and 4mm (US 6). The pattern is worked primarily on 4mm needles for the main fabric, with smaller needles used for ribbed sections to maintain proper gauge and elasticity.

The specified tension is 22 stitches and 30 rounds to 10 centimeters measured over stockinette stitch using 4mm needles. Achieving proper gauge is essential for ensuring the mitts fit correctly and drape as intended.