Turret gloves

Turret Gloves by Rachel Gibbs

What is Being Made

The Turret Gloves are a pair of knitted mittens designed by Rachel Gibbs. These are fingerless gloves or mittens featuring a distinctive peasant thumb construction. The pattern creates a symmetrical design where both gloves are worked identically, making them a matched pair suitable for everyday wear or as a finished gift item.

Knitting Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques that add visual interest and structural integrity to the finished gloves:

• Top-down construction: The gloves are worked from the cuff downward, allowing for easy customization of length and straightforward fitting adjustments
• Peasant thumb design: A traditional thumb shaping method that creates a distinctive silhouette and comfortable fit
• Charted colorwork: The pattern includes Chart A, which is repeated throughout the body of the gloves, creating a repeating motif
• Circular knitting: Worked in the round using either double-pointed needles (DPNs) or circular needles to create seamless gloves
• Stitch decreases and increases: Essential shaping techniques for achieving proper fit around the hand and thumb

Stitches Used

The Turret Gloves pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined with decreasing and increasing methods:

• Knit (k): The primary stitch forming the fabric base
• Purl (p): Used in the charted pattern for textural variation
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used for shaping
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease that pairs with k2tog for symmetrical shaping
• Yarn over (yo): Creates decorative eyelet holes, likely featured in the charted design
• Slip two stitches together, knit one, pass slipped stitches over (s2kp): A double decrease for more pronounced shaping
• Knit through back loop (ktbl): Adds a twisted stitch variation for texture or stitch definition

Materials and Yarn

The Turret Gloves pattern is designed to be economical with materials, requiring minimal yardage for completion. The pattern calls for approximately 50 grams of fingering weight yarn, though one full ball of 65 grams (230 meters) is listed in the materials. The sample shown was worked in The Yarn Yard Clan colorway Quasar, a fingering weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition for the charted pattern work.

Needles and Tools

This pattern requires two different needle sizes to create proper gauge and fabric structure:

• 2.75 mm (US 2) needles: Larger needles used for the main body of the gloves, available as either a set of double-pointed needles or circular needles
• 2.25 mm (US 1) needles: Smaller needles used for ribbed cuffs or other sections requiring a tighter gauge
• Tapestry needle: Essential for weaving in yarn ends and finishing the gloves
• Waste yarn: Used as a stitch holder for the thumb stitches during construction

Pattern Overview

The Turret Gloves are cast on with a double strand of yarn using the larger needles, beginning with 50 stitches. When using circular needles, stitches are distributed as 20/30 to prevent the pattern repeat from splitting across needle joins. The gloves are then joined to work in the round using a single strand of yarn, and the charted pattern is introduced and repeated throughout the body. The symmetrical design ensures both gloves are identical, eliminating the need to reverse shaping or stitch placement.