For jauntiness, on or off a bicycle
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know what July means: the Tour de France and its celebratory knit-along! I already know I’m going to fail at completing this year’s epic project (on which more later), so I thought I’d at least kick things off with a little bonbon… after all, it’s been a while since there was a new free pattern up here, ne c’est pas?
How about a simple pair of fingerless gloves inspired by cycling wear, with just a few classy details? I’m calling these the Vilaine Gloves in honor of the river the peloton will cross on their way into the finish town of Redon tomorrow. I knit them using far less than one skein of The Fibre Company’s Savannah DK, a summery blend of wool, cotton, linen and soy, but the pattern is written with length and percentage measurements so that you can use a yarn of any weight from your stash.
If you’d like to have at it, the pattern is here:Â VilaineGloves
More pictures? Glad to oblige.
I used one of my favorite thumb gussets, placing the increases only on the palm side. This treatment is most useful if there’s patterning on the back of the hand you don’t want to disturb, but I like the way it looks in general.
Final point of polish: a professorial leather button to close the wrist band. One needn’t, of course, wear these gloves for actual cycling, so you can choose as dressy a button as you wish.
As always, please contact me right away if you find errors or tricky bits in this pattern. Full disclosure: I knit and wrote this sucker in the space of two days. During the first, the yahoos up the hill who can’t wait until 4 July to light their illegal fireworks panicked my poor dog, who jumped or squeezed under the fence and went on the lam for a night and a day, causing anxiety and heartbreak in all quarters. (Thanks to all that is good in the universe, she was not run over on Sandy Boulevard and kind souls Jean and Tim coaxed her into their home and reported her so I could retrieve her the next afternoon. She is terribly footsore but safely home.) Then last night the baby decided to conduct a one-girl circus in our bed for several hours. All this is by way of saying there are probably errors, so knit with sense and trust your judgment, mes amis.
Posted: July 4th, 2011 at 2:12 am
Thanks for the pattern; I am interested in trying your thumb gusset as it seems “more fashionable” then the regular.
Fireworks are over and hope you baby girl has a better nite!
Posted: July 4th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Lovely! They are superbly jaunty.
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 6:50 am
I completely understand about the fireworks. It is great that our country is another year older, but the celebration aspect seems to bring out the irredeemable 5 year old in most people. I thank my lucky stars that Victor is a very calm dog despite his high excitability and he does not mind either thunderstorms or fireworks.
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Can’t wait to try knitting those gloves when I get home! They look smashing.
Possible mistake: when you said to increase stitches by 20%, you had the reader make one stitch for every four knitted. This would be increasing by 25%. Or are we supposed to knit FIVE, then make one?
Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 5:37 am
Nice thumb gusset!!
So happy the puppy is back, safe and sound.
Big hugs and kisses to the Girl!!
Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 7:56 am
A one-girl circus, eh? So charming and so exhausting at once! Hope you, the girl and the pup survived the fourth better than the days prior. We’d hoped to come visit but were waylaid by a nasty cold (first Rowan, then Seth). Now on to planning the 1st birthday party!
Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Those glovs look so warm and soft! Thankyou for the pattern : )
Posted: July 7th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Thanks for another great pattern. I now have two from your blog on my ever-longer list. I know what you mean about fireworks; we’ve had them in our n’borhood every night since this month began….
Posted: July 11th, 2011 at 7:15 am
Super cute pattern and I love the yellow color 🙂 Did you know that “vilaine” means “nasty” or “mean” in French? Yes, your mitaines are badass!
Posted: July 17th, 2011 at 9:35 am
These are tres chic. Merci beaucoup for sharing! I can’t wait to knit these up.
Thank you!
Posted: November 11th, 2011 at 7:20 am
not “ne c’est pas”, but “n’est-ce pas” :o)
I love the title vilaine for such cheeky mitts :o)
they are beautiful in this yurk yellow :o)
I really love the contrast, the “double sens”, and your generosity to share the pattern.
I’m going to knit them, right now !
with love,
from NastyGirl
Posted: January 1st, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Hi, Do you have pattern errata or additions? Working on your hat with a tie at the crown. Words are not really telling me enough, a chart would convey the spatial relationship between increases and decreases:
are the yo’s supposed to line up between 1st and 2nd parts of the crown? The photo on my paper pattern doesn’t really show the second set of yo’s, only the line formed by the row of k2tog’s. Advice would be appreciated, or directions to a site with additional details. Thanks, Chris 1/1/12
Posted: August 19th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
When you say “Repeat these four rows until the band is long enough to snugly encircle your wrist (but without overlapping).” Does that include the length of the icord or just the cuff bit?
Posted: August 19th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Just the cuff and not the i-cord, Nicole. The ends of the band will then touch each other and the i-cord loop on one end will encircle the button on the other.
Posted: November 4th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
So cute!!