Fisherman’s Rib Hand Warmers
When a friend once gave me a small cutting of her favorite succulent, I stuck it into some soil, and to my joy and surprise, several months later I had a thriving plant! Our Fisherman’s Rib Hand Warmers are also an offshoot of a much larger project, our Top-Down Shawl Collar Cardigan. While working on the cardigan, I realized how easily a series of increases in Fisherman’s Rib could gracefully blossom into a thumb, and so, our Fisherman’s Rib Hand Warmers were propagated.
Knit in a finer gauge than the sweater, for the Hand Warmers, I used Purl Soho’s Mulberry Merino, an elegant merino wool and mulberry silk blend. The gentle sheen and softness of the yarn, along with the density of the stitch, make these Hand Warmers very satisfying in their own right!
For your own Fisherman’s Rib Hand Warmers, pick up two skeins of Mulberry Merino, add the fertile soil of your imagination, and watch them grow! — Kristy
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Mulberry Merino, 80% extra fine merino wool, 20% mulberry silk. We used the color Pale Stone.
- A set of US 2 double pointed needles
- Two different colored stitch markers (or pieces of scrap yarn)
Gauge
6 stitches and 16 rows = 1 inch in Fisherman’s Rib pattern, unstretched. To make a flat Fisherman’s Rib swatch, cast on an odd number of stitches and work the following…
Set-Up Row: *K1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 1: K1, *k1b (see Notes, below), p1, repeat from * to last two stitches, k1b, k1.
Row 2: K1, *p1, k1b, repeat from * to last two stitches, p1, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2.
Size
To fit most women and some men
- Finished circumference around cuff and palm: 6 ½ inches, comfortably stretching to 8 inches
- Finished length from cuff to top: 11 inches (adjustable)
Notes
Working into the Stitch Below
k1b (knit one below): Insert the tip of the right needle into the stitch below the next stitch from front to back, knit normally (wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it back through the stitch below) and let the stitch above fall from the left needle.
p1b (purl one below): Insert the tip of the right needle into the stitch below the next stitch from back to front, purl normally (wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it back through the stitch below) and let the stitch above fall from the left needle.
For more information about these techniques, be sure to visit our Working into the Stitch Below Tutorial!
Increases
Kyok (K1b-yarn over-k1b):
Knit 1 in the row below, but do not take the stitch off the left needle.
Make a yarn over on the right needle (in other words, bring the yarn to the front).
Then insert the right needle into the same stitch in the row below and knit it once again, dropping the stitch from the left needle. (2 stitches increased)
Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round
Round 1: *K1b, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 2: *K1, p1b, repeat from * to end of round.
Pattern
Cast on 40 stitches and distribute them over 3 double pointed needles.
Place either color marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Set-up Round: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Work Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round (see Notes, above) until piece measures 7 inches from the cast-on edge, ending with Round 2.
TIP: Use two different colored markers to help keep track of which round you’re on. When you begin a new round, change markers.
Thumb Gusset
Increase Round 1: Kyok (see Notes, above), p1, (k1b, p1) 6 times, kyok, p1, *k1b, p1, repeat from * to end of round. (44 stitches)
Round 2: K1, p1, k1, p1b, (k1, p1b) 6 times, k1, p1, *k1, p1b, repeat from * to end of round.
Work Rounds 1 and 2 of Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round two times.
Increase Round 2: K1b, p1, kyok, (p1, k1b) 6 times, p1, kyok, p1, *k1b, p1, repeat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)
Next Round: K1, p1b, k1, p1, k1, (p1b, k1) 6 times, p1b, k1, p1, k1, p1b, *k1, p1b, repeat from * to end of round.
Work Rounds 1 and 2 of Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round two times.
Increase Round 3: (K1b, p1) 2 times, kyok, (p1, k1b) 6 times, p1, kyok, p1, *k1b, p1, repeat from * to end of round. (52 stitches)
Next Round: (k1, p1b) 2 times, k1, p1, k1, (p1b, k1) 6 times, (p1, k1) 2 times, p1b, *k1, p1b repeat from * to end of round.
Work Rounds 1 and 2 of Fisherman’s Rib In–The-Round two times.
Increase Round 4: (K1b, p1) 3 times, kyok, (p1, k1b) 6 times, p1, kyok, p1, *k1b, p1, repeat from * to end of round. (56 stitches)
Next Round: (K1, p1b) 3 times, k1, p1, k1, (p1b, k1) 6 times, (p1, k1) 2 times, p1b, *k1, p1b repeat from * to end of round.
Work Rounds 1 and 2 of Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round two times.
Top of Hand Warmer
Round 1: (K1b, p1) 4 times, place next 15 stitches on waste yarn for Thumb; now joining the palm into the round, p1, *k1b, p1, repeat from * to end of round. (41 stitches)
Next Round: (K1, p1b) 4 times, p2tog, *k1, p1b, repeat from * to end of round. (40 stitches)
Work in Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round for 3 inches or to desired length.
On a Round 1, bind off all stitches loosely in 1 x1 rib.
Thumb
Place 15 stitches for Thumb evenly onto 3 double pointed needles.
With the right side facing you, join yarn and…
(k1b, p1) 7 times, k1b, pick up 1 stitch under the p2tog (at the palm join, indicated by the arrow above), place a marker. (16 stitches)
Starting with Round 2, work Fisherman’s Rib In-The-Round until Thumb measures 1 inch or desired length.
On a Round 1, bind off all stitches loosely in 1 x 1 rib.
Weave in ends and block as desired.
