Thursday, March 31, 2011

Crochet Projects: Glittens

These began as a Christmas request from my sister-in-law for some long-cuffed convertible glove/mittens, also called "glittens" (or perhaps mloves). I made a bold decision while wandering around Target one night, thinking to myself that I could more easily make such a pair than I could find in a store, and for cheaper too! I left Target and went to Michaels, bought the perfect color yarn, then went home hoping that a free pattern existed. I was lucky to find this pattern, which with some slight adaptations turned out to be perfect! I was not so lucky with my yarn choice, though, as the Super Bulky yarn worked up to make oven-mitt sized gloves. Not good! So as I hinted in a previous post, that yarn became other things and I bought a new yarn. After my sister-in-law was so happy with her pair (she wears them every day!), my husband and then my mom requested a pair also. I do not have a photo of my sister-in-law's pair, but I will include details of what yarn I used and what changes I made to each set of glittens.


(1) SIL's glittens
yarn: Lionbrand Homespun in Lagoon
hook size: H (5mm)
changes: I made the cuff longer by beginning with a chain of 20 instead of only 13.
I also made each of the fingers a bit longer by adding two more rows to each.
comments: These gloves fit well and are warm, but the yarn is not holding up as well as I hoped. They are showing loose wisps from daily wearing.

(2) Hubby's glittens
yarn: Lionbrand Fishermen's Wool in Oak Tweed
hook size: I (5.5mm)
changes: I made the cuff a little bit longer (a chain of 15 to begin). I also made each finger a little wider by adding an extra chain in the web of each finger.
comments: I had to use a bigger hook because my husband's hands are larger than the pattern is designed for. However, the thinner yarn choice, though it wears better, makes for some thin spots in the gloves. I plan to line them with a very thin wool material to keep out the wind better.

(3) Mom's glittens
yarn: Paton's Classic Wool in Jade
hook size: H (5mm)
changes: To make these more feminine, I changed the cuff. I began with a foundation single crochet of 25 stitches (awesome fsc tutorial here), then used Lionbrand's Solid Scallop stitch for 10 rows. When at the end, I slip stitched the two sides together, flipped the cuff right side out, and I was right where I needed to be to start the palm part! The foundation single crochet is great to work from both sides, so this was perfect. I just squeezed in an extra single crochet in the first round to bring the total to 26 (like the pattern says).
comments: These are my favorite so far- I'm just waiting to hear my mom's review of how they work!

24 comments:

Unknown said...

i had trouble with starting the palm section. the directions were a little confusing. any suggested help?

caitmarie said...

Hey Liz, perfect time of year to make some glittens!

About the palm - once you've tied off the thumb, take the free end of yarn, hold the glitten with the palm side facing you (for the right glitten, the thumb will be on the left side, for the left glitten it's the opposite). Put the crochet hook in the stitch between where the web of the thumb meets up with the main part of the glitten. Pull up a loop with the free end of yarn, chain 1 and sc 1 in that stitch, then continue with sc across to the other side of the palm. At this point, you've evened up the palm side and back side of the glitten (remember when you started the thumb, you had done one row across the back side of the glitten, then got sidetracked with making the thumb. Now you've returned to where you left off and finished that round.).

I hope this makes sense! Feel free to leave another message if it's not clear. Good luck!

Unknown said...

thank you for your help! the glittens turned out pretty good. i got some additional help on them too. I used some pretty bulky yarn but i modified the pattern to make it work. Nice job on your gilittens and again thanks for the help. =]

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
caitmarie said...

You're welcome! I'm glad they turned out. I also have a tutorial on making a lining for them, if you're interested. Enjoy the glittens!

dragonswing said...

What pattern is used? Any mitten pattern? And then you finish off at a certain point and do the top and attach?

Unknown said...

Where can I find the pattern??? I LOVE these!

Unknown said...

How did you make the glittens? Do you have directions that I could print or write on a memo?

Unknown said...

I do not see a pattern?? Am I going crazy?? Can you please let me know where I can find the pattern for number 3 your moms glittens??

caitmarie said...

Sorry for the confusion! Here's where I found the pattern. Let me know if the link doesn't work: http://www.crochetandknitting.com/mitglov2.htm

caitmarie said...

And here's the stitch I used for my mom's glittens: http://cache.lionbrand.com/faq/367.html?www=1&language=En

Unknown said...

Hello, I was wondering if you could explain how to do mitten top part? After 12 st across back palm then the 15 ch I have no idea what to do with it lol. Please help!!

caitmarie said...

Sure! Once you've chained 15, you'll have those 15 chains sort of hanging off the mitten like a tail. Next you should connect the end of the 15 chain tail to the first stitch of those 13 you just did, using a slip stitch and making sure not to twist the chain. So all the new stitches you've just added (13 sc + 15 ch) should form kind of a circle. That row will end up being the open edge of the whole mitten top. Then for your next row, you'll chain one and turn, then sc into each of the 15 chains and continue that row across the 13 scs against the mitten. I hope this helps!

Unknown said...

Hi! I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on how I would adjust the pattern to make them toddler size. I'd like to make a pair for my 2 yr old. Thanks!

Louise said...

Are you on Ravelry? I'd love to link your pattern there.

Unknown said...

pattern link doesnt work!!

Unknown said...

I have never seen a pattern that tells you to turn your work when it also tells you to slip stitch to the first chain in the row. Am I actually supposed to turn the work? and if so, how does that work? because I don't know how to turn the work without using the slip stitch from the row before as the place to put my first chain. Sorry, this is the first set of gloves I have ever tried.

caitmarie said...

Hi Olivia,
It can be tricky to visualize how the mitten top comes together! You're really attaching the top to the mitten before the top has even been created. Those first 13 sc are like the hinge that the mitten top rotates on. After you've done those, chain 15, which will be the rest of the top's open edge. Then secure that chain back to the first sc you did, with a ss. Chain 1 and turn. Your next row of the mitten top will first go along those 15 chains, and continue across the 13 scs. I hope this helps!

Unknown said...

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear, I am still at the beginning of Sue's instructions and I have just finished the scallop stitch cuff that you did on your mom's glittens. I am confused because it says turn the work and I have never seen that when you are working around an item. I tried doing it without turning the work but it looked a little warped and I wasn't sure if it is supposed to look like that

caitmarie said...

Hi again Olivia! Are you to the part of the instructions that say "Fold cuff so Row 1 is behind Row 25, ss to join Row 26 to Row 1"? If so, maybe this will help: The cuff is worked as a flat piece up to this point. At Row 26, you fold the cuff into a tube and do an entire row of slip stitches to "seam" the tube.
For the original cuff, what had been back-and-forth horizontal rows become vertical "ribbing" for the cuff.
The difference when doing the scallop stitch cuff is that you'll roll the cuff the other way, so the two straight sides are seamed together.

Then you turn the whole tube right-side out, and your hook is in the right place to start working on the hand of the mitten, around the edge of the tube into the stitches of your original chain.

Let me know if it's still not clear :-). Have fun!

The Consumate Clutterbug said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Consumate Clutterbug said...

Just wanted to mention that the link to the Lion Brand Solid Scallop Stitch isn't working. That's the one for your mother's glittens. I went searching at the Lion site and found this link:

http://www.lionbrand.com/stitchfinder/crochet-stitch-solid-scallop/

Looking forward to making a pair for myself soon!

Deborah

Lesley Raven - Cashmore said...

Where can I get this pattern for hubby’s glitters

caitmarie said...

Hi Lesley,

You can find the pattern here: http://www.crochetandknitting.com/mitglov2.htm

Enjoy the crocheting and let me know how it goes if you get the chance!

-Caitlin