A New Trick

I had so much yarn left over from my Counterpane Masterpiece that I decided to make a pair of fingerless gloves to go with it. It's a plain stockinette pattern with some decreases and increases that make it form fitting on your arm. The fun came when I went to work on the thumb. I've never done this method.

You simply knit to wear you want to insert the thumb hole. Then grab some waste yarn. 


Using the waste yarn, knit the stitches that will be the thumb opening. Easy enough so far . . . right??






Next slide the 'waste yarn stitches' back to the left hand needle . . . knit the stitches with your regular yarn.









Looks like this. Just cut your waste yarn and leave a tail. 

Do all this without your cat around . . . or she will want to play with all your loose ends . . . and then you may find yourself at wits end.











I kept knitting and finished my glove. It looks like this. 

Time to make a thumb hole.







All you have to do is remove the waste yarn and put the live stitches on your needles. Using cotton for waste yarn makes it a lot easier to undo. (Sometimes using wool makes all the little fibers want to stick together . . . have like a wool party or something.)

Here's what you have when you are all done. All I have to do is pick up a couple of stitches on each side to close in the hole and . . . . voila . . .
a fuss-stress-free thumb hole.







How have I never tried this before?!

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.