Free Pattern: Furry Fingerless Gloves

  Thanks to my kid, I've finally tackled a project using Bernat Boa! You can read about my trepidation and trials with this awesome, yet difficult yarn in the Boa Yarn Review. But getting back to this pattern...Oh, boy, does it have a story -

  First, the yarn: I've been "playing" with a few skeins of Boa for a while now, trying to figure out what I want to make with it (and how to work with it). Sure, I'd thought of borders and trims, but I wanted to make something out of it. And that's not easy, or cheap, if you create a large project. Well, Michael's solved my budget problem: Yarn clearance bin! 99 cents a skein, because all the labels are missing and the balls are tangled! Thank you, +Michaels Stores, because there are people like me who will untangle these messes and look up color info on the internet, and we appreciate an out of budget yarn at an awesome price.

By the way, I was bad and cleaned them out of every ball. Sorry everybody else!  

  So, about the "not easy" part: It's not easy to work an entire pattern with this yarn alone. For more complaints, read the review, but to say the least - Where are the stitches in all that fur? I've fought and fudged, frogged and four-letter worded, and now I give up. Let's just use this stuff along with a strand of plain ol' worsted, and get on with a pattern already!

  And the kid was the inspiration for the smaller, easier pattern. She has a fingerless glove obsession, and a science fair project due. She's had almost two months to complete it. You know, hypothesis, research paper, experiment, conclusion, and the display board to go with it? Due in TWO WEEKS! And as of five days before this pattern was finished, she hadn't even started! So, I've been itching to pick up a hook after playing assistant scientist for the last few days. She caught me playing with the Boa yarn, and said that gloves made out of it would be awesome. And I promised her some new crocheted furry awesomeness as soon as she finished her homework.

Funny, how fast that homework got finished...

*Just a note, my kid isn't a "little" kid...These gloves have a slight bit of stretch and are big enough to fit most average size women. Finished size is 5" (12.7 cm) long, 3 1/2" (9 cm) diameter, with an outer circumference of 8" (20 cm).

Skill level:

Intermediate 

Materials:
Bulky (5) Eyelash yarn - I used Bernat Boa in Soft Mink - less than 1 skein
***Update*** Bernat Boa has now been discontinued! You can still find some available online if you search, or check yarnsub.com for a similar substitute.
Worsted weight (4) acrylic yarn - I used Red Heart Super Saver in Coffee
Crochet hook size P/15-10.00MM or size needed to obtain gauge
Smaller needle to weave in ends

Gauge:
With hook size P and both strands,
4" (10 cm) = 11 half-double crochet in 5 rows

Notes:
Chain-2 at beginning of rows always counts as a half-double crochet.

It was a pain, but I actually worked into the chain stitches over the chain-2 thumb hole. The pattern works fine if you just work into the chain-2 space instead.

Stitches and abbreviations:
Chain (ch)
Slip Stitch (sl st)
Half-double crochet (hdc)

Beginning (beg)
Skip (sk)

Directions:

With both yarns held together, ch 11, join into a ring with a sl st.

Round 1:
Sl st into the ring made, ch 2 (counts as 1st hdc). Make 11 hdc in ring. Join with a sl st to beg ch-2. (12 hdc)


Round 2:
Ch 2 (counts as hdc), 1 hdc in each of the remaining 11 hdc. Join with a sl st to beg ch-2.


Round 3:
Ch 2, hdc in the next stitch. Ch 2, sk 2, hdc in each of the remaining 8 hdc. Join with a sl st to beg ch-2.


Round 4: 
Ch 2, hdc in the next hdc. Hdc in each of the next 2 chs. Hdc in each of the remaining 8 hdc. Join with a sl st to beg ch-2. (12 hdc)


Rounds 5 and 6:
Repeat Row 2. Bind off, use a smaller hook to weave in ends.

  These gloves would still look awesome in any of the Boa colors. From pure white (funky bridesmaid gloves?) to pure black (punk it out!) and lots of colors in between, this pattern can be taken from funky and fun to excellently elegant. Brighter light highlights this shimmery yarn and gives it a touch of sparkle. Imagine what these would look like in one of the glittery colors!

  C'mon, +Michaels Stores, I'm watching that discount bin! Don't you have a few tangled skeins in a glittery shade? I promise I'll be nice and leave some for the others this time!

Happy Crocheting!