Glove Knitting [Paperback]

Nanette Blanchard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2009

This 40 page self-published color booklet with over 50 photos shows knitters how to create better-fitting gloves. Techniques covered include four different types of thumb gussets, using a diagram to chart out finger stitches, fingertip shaping, and how to deal with holes between the fingers. All methods of knitting gloves are discussed including top-down gloves. Two patterns are included (with instructions for both double-pointed needles and 2 circulars)for Colorblock Gloves (Size women's small and women's large) and Geometric Gloves (Size women's medium and men's large). A resource section includes sources for glove needles and a list of helpful books and web sites.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nanette Blanchard maintains a blog, Knitting in Color, a Glove Knitting KAL and is the moderator of Ravelry's Glove Knitting forum.

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (February 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441480013
• ISBN-13: 978-1441480019
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #801,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nanette Blanchard knits and cooks in a passive-solar casita in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. She is passionate about stranded color knitting and gourmet, plant-based cooking.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For custom hand knit gloves, this is my go to!, March 19, 2010

By 

fiberarts fan (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glove Knitting (Paperback)

I would like to add a positive review here: if you plan to knit a lot of custom-fit gloves or mittens, "Glove Knitting" is an invaluable resource.

I bought this a few years ago when I wanted to knit a glove to fit MY hand. I knew when I bought it (mostly from all the helpful "how to" posts on her web site) that it was not a "start to finish" pattern book but a book(let) that walked you through all the problems that might come up while knitting a glove to fit YOU.

I love "traditional" color work patterns, but was always frustrated by a not-so-great fit for my long arms, narrow wrists, yet size L woman's sized hands.

Nannette's lessons walked me through thinking about how it might be necessary to use different needle sizes within the knitting of a glove for a good fit, and where to think about lengthening the glove if needed. She discusses how to make a glove for YOUR hand: for example, our pinky fingers are lower than the other three, and you need to design/add a few rows for a good overall finger fit. I am not a designer, so I need pattern writers to tell me these things!

And what works for a good glove fit can be transferred to a good fit for a mitten. She also discusses how to avoid nasty color jogs, working with different types of knitting needles, and how to deal with the holes in-between the fingers that we all can sometimes get.

I don't happen to have my copy of the booklet in front of me, but going through this self-published book still helps me visualize and plan what kind of thumb gusset I need for a project -- you would be surprised at how many different types of "knitted" thumbs there are and how they fit "on" a type of glove/mitten. But you WILL find one to fit your hands, and then you'll be on your way for a great journey. What you learn from Nannette's "Glove Knitting" will also be especially helpful if you plan to design your own colorwork gloves or mittens from old Scandinavian/Nordic/Latvian charts or photos.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly What I Was Looking For, April 6, 2010

By 

M. Barks "Marji" (Madera, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Glove Knitting (Paperback)

This is not a PATTERN book. It is a TECHNIQUE book. There are any number of books available, as well as web resources, that offer amazingly beautiful glove patterns.

I have made gloves. And it wasn't pretty. I followed the patterns exactly, but there were gaps around the finger joins, the fit wasn't quite right, I didn't like how the fingertips came together; in other words there was always something WRONG. They looked like poorly handcrafted items.

I knew of the author from her website; so I know her work. HER gloves didn't have gaps around the finger joins. HER gloves fit beautifully. HER gloves have nicely finished fingertips. HER gloves look professionally made.

Although the author has very kindly answered many of my questions via email, I am the sort of person who likes to have a reference within reach, so to speak, which is not always true of the Internet, so I ordered this book(let).

It is perfect. It clearly and concisely deals with every issue I have ever encountered when making gloves. I have read through it once and had more than one Aha! moment. Armed with the knowledge provided by the author, I cannot wait to make my first perfect pair of gloves!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am the author of this booklet., March 2, 2011

By 

nanetteb - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glove Knitting (Paperback)

I wanted to add some information about my booklet. As it says in the first sentence of the description, it is a 40 page booklet to help knitters create better-fitting gloves. It is a booklet, not a book, and yes, it does focus on creating better-fitting gloves with a photo gallery showing gloves that do not fit. If you start studying people's hands you will quickly realize that they all vary quite considerably so not every glove pattern will work perfectly with every hand.

My booklet was not intended to teach beginners how to knit their first pair of gloves (try the Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns for your first glove pattern) but I think the booklet is helpful for those interested in customizing gloves for different sizes of hands, for those who want to design their own gloves, for those who enjoy learning new knitting techniques, and for those who just want their gloves to look neater.

The booklet contains two patterns which were chosen to showcase two different types of thumb treatments. The first pattern for Colorblock Gloves uses a peasant thumb and there are separate instructions for both the right and left hand thumb. The second pattern for Geometric Gloves uses a sore thumb gusset - both hands are interchangeable. You will knit two of the exact same glove. There are no instructions saying to reverse the thumb gusset placement on the other glove as was stated in another review.

Here are the chapters included in the booklet:

Glove Knitting Materials
Glove Sizing
Thumb Treatments:
Peasant Thumb
Sore Thumb
Scandinavian Thumb
Asymmetrical Thumb
Increases for Thumb Gussets
Glove Fingers and Fingertips
Dealing with Holes Between the Fingers
Other Glove Knitting Methods
Miscellaneous Glove Knitting Tips
Blocking Gloves
References for Glove Knitters
Glove Needle Sources
Colorblock Gloves Pattern
Geometric Gloves Pattern