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Hello again, and welcome to the second part of our Learn To Loom Knit series! I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you. The next project we’ll be working on is a cozy pair of loom knit fingerless gloves. These comfortable gloves are knit on a round loom using the knit stitch, and they’re sturdy, reversible, and oh-so-warm! Read on for the easy loom knit fingerless gloves tutorial.
If you’ve been following along with the knit-a-long, you know that the first project was the Double Brim Beanie. I hope you enjoyed making your first loom knit accessory! If you missed the first project in our knit-a-long, don’t worry: you can find the Double Brim Beanie pattern and photo tutorial right here. You’ll want to read through the tutorial to familiarize yourself with the cast on method, the twisted knit stitch, and the loom knitting terminology you need to know.
Make sure you sign up for the knit-a-long while you’re at it! I’ll send you the supply lists for each project so you have everything you need to get started, and you’ll have access to the members-only facebook group where you can ask questions, share your projects, and chat with your fellow knit-a-long members. You can sign up right here!
The Basic Bind-Off Method and Knit Stitch
In this tutorial, you’ll learn the basic bind-off method and the knit stitch (not to be confused with the twisted knit stitch). These are super-simple loom knitting techniques that will help you build the foundation of knowledge you’ll need to branch out into more advanced loom knitting projects.
The knit stitch gives your project a finished look that’s similar to traditional knitting, while the basic bind-off method gives your project a clean, finished edging with a bit of stretch. Both of these techinques work together to create a pair of loom knit fingerless gloves that are sturdy, comfortable, and stylish.
This tutorial is for an adult size pair of loom knit fingerless gloves, using the small loom in your round loom set. The finished gloves fit an average adult hand; I have small hands, so they’re a bit looser on me. You may also find that they’re on the snug side if you’re a guy of if you have large hands.
You can adjust your yarn tension while knitting (holding the working yarn/making your loops looser or tighter, depending on your desired result) and it can affect the size of the finished glove, so you may want to experiment with that if you’re having issues with sizing.
The tutorial also calls for one skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick; I used the color ‘Slate’ for the photos in this tutorial. I love using this yarn for loom knitting projects. Bulky yarn lends itself so well to loom knitting, and you can’t beat the coziness factor from the wool blend!
The knit stitch combined with this chunky yarn makes a nice and thick fabric, which is perfect for a pair of winter gloves.
I prefer a fingerless glove, since I feel like they give me a better range of motion (have you tried texting when your fingers are confined in bulky, awkward fabric?), and loom knitting is perfect for making fingerless gloves.
Size
Finished gloves are approx. 6 1/4″ long and 3 1/2″ wide, laying flat and including the rolled brim, and fit an average adult hand. Your sizing may vary depending on yarn tension.
Supplies
For this project, you’ll need:
Small round knitting loom (I use & recommend the smallest size from this set)
Loom knitting hook (the set above comes with one, but I prefer this one)
2 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Slate
Scissors
Tapestry needle
Terms
Anchor peg: The small peg extending from the side of your loom
First peg: The working peg to the right of the anchor peg
Last peg: The working peg to the left of your anchor peg
Loop: A loop made from wrapping your peg
E-wrap: The method of wrapping your working yarn clockwise around each peg
Loom Knit Fingerless Gloves Tutorial
Casting On
To start the first glove, you’ll want to use the e-wrap cast-on method. If you’re new to loom knitting and you don’t know how to cast on, visit my post, Learn To Loom Knit: Casting On and follow the easy step-by-step photo tutorial to learn how to start your loom knitting projects!
Make a slip knot and attach it to your anchor peg.
Cast on using the e-wrap method.
Making The Knit Stitch in Loom Knitting
In the first tutorial, you learned how to make the twisted knit stitch. For this project, you’ll be using the knit stitch. This stitch is a little bit different than the twisted version, since it doesn’t involve wrapping the yarn around each peg. I love using this stitch for these loom knit fingerless gloves!
Take your working yarn, and pull it in front of the first peg, holding it flush against the front of the peg.
This is the base for our stitch. You don’t want to hold the working yarn too tightly, or the stitch will be too tight to work with on the next row. At the same time, if the yarn is held too loosely, the resulting stitch will be too loose and fluffy, and may slip off the peg.
You’ll want to experiment with your yarn tension, and as you start to knit around the loom, your tension will start to even out more.
Now what you’ll do is use your hook to bring the bottom loop up and over the working yarn that you’re holding against the peg.
Bring the bottom loop over the working yarn, and off of the peg.
Now you have a stitch! Do the same thing to the next peg- hold your working yarn against the top of the peg, then use your hook to bring the bottom loop up and over the working yarn and off the peg.
Here’s what your work should look like after you knit the first two stitches.
If you’re holding your working yarn too loosely, you may end up with a stitch that looks like this. Simply pull on the working yarn to tighten the stitch.
But not too tightly, or the stitch will be too tight to work on your next row. You want to air on the side of looser stitches, but it’s definitely a happy medium that may take some practice. (Don;t be afraid to unravel your work and start over if you’re having trouble with tension!)
Continue all the way around the loom until you reach the last peg. You’ve knitted your first row!
Your work should look something like this. Now for the next row, you’ll start on the first peg by holding the working yarn across it, just like you started the last row. Let’s review the steps one more time:
Hold the working yarn against the peg.
Lift the bottom loop up and over the working yarn.
Then lift it all the way off the peg.
And you’ve knitted another stitch!
Continue knitting all the way around the loom, finishing off with the last peg. You’ve completed your second row!
Continue like this for another 13 rows, for a total of 15 rows. You work should look something like this. Notice the clean, uniform stitches that the knit stitch creates- just like knitting with needles!
The inside of your loom will look something like this. You can see how tension will affect the size and shape of your stitches- my tension is far from perfect. Notice the slightly bigger stitches right there in the top middle; the uneven tension makes my work look a bit bumpy. But that’s okay! I’m okay with the imperfections; if you’re not happy with the way your work is looking, don’t be afraid to unravel and start over.
Making The Thumb Hole
To make the thumb hole in the glove, you’re going to knit backwards on the loom for every other row. It might sound confusing, but really all you’re doing is changing the direction you’re knitting.
The switching of knitting directions creates a gap in the fabric where you’re not “joining” each row together between the last and the first pegs. Essentially, you’re going from knitting in the round to knitting a straight row.
So instead of knitting counter-clockwise for each row like you’ve been doing, you’ll knit the first row clockwise, then switch back to counterclockwise for the next, and continue to switch back and forth like that for each row until the thumb hole is tall enough. Once that happens, you’ll end on a counter-clockwise row, and then continue in the regular counter-clockwise direction for the rest of the project.
(If you’re a lefty and you’ve been knitting clockwise this whole time, this just means you’ll be switching to counter-clockwise for your alternating rows.)
Thumbhole Row 1:
To start, pull your working yarn around the other side of the loom.
Take your working yarn, and hold it across the last peg that you just knitted- this will become the “first peg” for this row.
Again, make sure your working yarn isn’t too loose or too tight against the peg.
Now take your hook and lift the bottom loop up and over the working yarn. Once you have it over the working yarn, lift all the way off the peg.
Now you have a stitch! Continue like this all the way around the knitting loom until you reach the “last peg” of this row (what used to be your first peg during the previous rows.)
Now you’ve knitted a row with a gap in it. This gap will create the hole for the thumb. For your next row, you’ll switch back to counter-clockwise- this is very important! If you don’t switch back to counter-clockwise for the next row, you’ll just continue to create a flat panel of knitting instead of another gap row, and you won’t have a thumb hole.
To switch back to the counter-clockwise knitting direction, you’ll want to take your working yarn and pull it back across the front of the last peg you just knitted (which is now the first peg of this row). Use your hook to lift the bottom loop up and over the working yarn and off the peg, just like any other knit stitch. Then continue knitting around until you reach the last peg of this row (which will become the first peg of the next row. See where this is going?).
The rows should go like this:
Thumbhole Row 1: Clockwise (this is the very first “gap” row that you knit)
Thumbhole Row 2: Counter-clockwise
Thumbhole Row 3: Clockwise
Thumbhole Row 4: Counter-clockwise
Thumbhole Rows 5-14: Continue alternating back and forth between clockwise and counter-clockwise, ending on a counter-clockwise row.
After knitting about 14 “gap” rows, your works should look something like this.
To start the next row, simply hold the working yarn against the peg to the right of the peg you just knitted.
And knit the stitch. Now we’re headed back in the right direction! Finish knitting this row.
Now you can finish knitting the rest of the glove. Knit for 9 more rows, or more if you want the glove to be longer.
Loom Knit Basic Bind Off
Now you’re going to bind off your work and remove it from the loom. This bind-off method might seem complicated, but is very easy once you get started and leaves a clean, finished edge.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures (I SWEAR I did, so honestly I’m not really sure what happened there) of starting the bind off on the very first two pegs. So the following pictures won’t line up with where you’ll actually start the bind-off process, but the steps are the same.
You’re going to start binding off on the first peg (the peg on the right side of the anchor peg) and the peg to the right of the first peg, as shown below. I’ll refer to these as Peg 1 and Peg 2.
To bind off: wrap the working yarn around Peg 2 in a clockwise direction (an e-wrap, as if you were making the twisted knit stitch).
Use your hook to lift the bottom loop up and over the working yarn, and off the peg.
Now use your hook to take the loop that you just made on Peg 2, up and off of the peg, and move it over to Peg 1.
Place the loop onto Peg 1.
Pull gently on the working yarn to tighten up the stitch. (Not too tight- remember your yarn tension!)
Use your hook to lift the bottom loop of Peg 1 up and over the new loop, and off of the peg.
Last step! Take the new loop off of Peg 1, and move it over to Peg 2.
Place the loop onto Peg 2.
Pull on the working yarn to tighten up the stitch.
Now you’ve bound off the first stitch! You’ll want to repeat this process all the way around, until you’ve reached your last stitch.
Use your hook to remove the loop from the loom.
This loop is unworked, so be careful not to pull on the working yarn when you take the glove out of the loom- pulling the workingyarn will cause you to lose this loop and your work will unravel!
Finishing and Weaving In Ends
The last part of this project is to finish off the last loop and weave in your yarn tails.
Trim your working yarn to leave a tail (I leave mine about 6″ long).
Thread the tail through your tapestry needle.
I like to sew through the last loop to close it. Pull the tail tightly to make sure it doesn’t come loose.
Your edges might look a bit lumpy or unfinished at this point- don’t worry, you can fix them! Use the tapestry needle to sew the bumpy edges together. Mine usually look like there’s a gap in the middle, so I sew one side to the other to even things up.
Weave in any other loose ends, and your glove is now finished! You can wear it with the rolled brim facing downwards or upwards. I like both ways!
Repeat this tutorial to make the second glove.
And you’re done! Enjoy your new pair of loom knit fingerless gloves. These are great for handmade holiday gifts or charity projects, and will keep your hands cozy all winter long!
If you have any questions about this tutorial, leave a comment below or send me an email! You can also join our Loom Knit-A-Long if you haven’t already by signing up here. You’ll get access to our private Facebook group, as well as each project pattern sent to you in print-friendly PDF form. That’s right- free PDF loom knitting patterns sent straight to your inbox!
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More projects from Em’s Fiber Arts you might like:
Learn To Loom Knit: Double Brim Beanie Tutorial
Toasted Marshmallow Throw Blanket