Stitch N' Bitch Crochet: Ladylike Lace Gloves

Ladylike Lace Gloves
Stitch 'N Bitch: The Happy Hooker, ed. Debbie Stoller
Workman Publishing, first printing February 2006

Materials: Yarn: 1 skein* Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, color Charcoal or color of your choice.  Shepherd Sock is a handdyed, machine washable 80% wool/20% nylon sock yarn (also called fingering weight).  Each skein is 2 oz/215 yds of 4ply, tightly spun.  I think it's a great combination of rugged (machine washable, holds up really well to use and wear) and soft (very nice against the skin). 
Hook: size F/5(3.75mm) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge.
Size: Women's Medium (suggested modifications for Small and Large below).

*I wound up with enough leftover yarn after doing the edging and seaming for both gloves that I felt comfortable listing one skein for the pattern. Mileage does vary from crocheter to crocheter, though, and there's at least one crocheter who completed the pattern using the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock and didn't have enough left to do the edging with.

ERRATA
SECOND PRINTING: please note that the second printing of the book has a corrected version of the pattern and you will not need this errata.  The corrected second printing version will not match up line for line with the first printing version + errata!

One more reason to love Craftster; it's a great way to find out about problems people run into. Thanks to this thread and Debbie Stoller, revisions have been made to the explanation for the stitch pattern.

All errata for the book is available at the Stitch 'N Bitch website, and you can download a copy here: http://www.bust.com/knithappens/snbhh-errata.pdf.

*update* 4/04/06: this should be all of it.  And if it isn't, I'll have another serving of humble pie.

So that you don’t have to renumber the rest of the pattern, I’m calling the omitted row 19.5, since it’s between row 19 and row 20.
BACK
Row 19.5: ch1, sc in back loop of each stitch across, turn (50sc)

PALM
Row 38: The total stitch count at the end of the row is 50 (50sc).
Row 39: The total stitch count at the end of the row is 50 (50sc).
Row 40: Ch1, sc in back loop of each of the first 14sc, hdc in each of the next 36 sc. hdc2tog, working first hdc in next row end st and second hdc in back loop of first free sc 3 rows below (row 34), working in rem sts in row 34, hdc in back loop of each sc across, turn.  50 sts.
Row 44: Ch1, hdc in back loop of each of first 28 sts, 2 hdc in next hdc, hdc2tog, working first hdc in next row-end st and second hdc in back loop of first free hdc 3 rows below (row 41), working in rem sts in row 41, hdc in back loop of each hdc across, turn – 50 sts.
Rows 46-49: replace with: repeat rows 42-45
Row 52: Ch1, hdc in back loop of each of the first 18 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, hdc2tog, working first hdc in next row-end st and second hdc in back loop of first free hdc 3 rows below (row 49), working in rem sts in row 49, hdc in back loop of each hdc across, turn – 50 sts.

Troubleshooting:
It's too big! First, be sure you are using the right weight of yarn, and that you are getting the recommended gauge. The pattern calls for fingering weight and the book includes photos of all the yarns used along with the symbols that the industry is using to standardize yarn weights. If you are planning to substitute a different yarn for the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, you can check out the selection of sock yarns available to you as a starting point. I don't think fiber content is tremendously important; use what catches your fancy, keeping in mind that the Shepherd Sock is 100% wool and so has some "bounce" and a memory, unlike 100% cotton, which will tend to get saggy after wearing.  If the problem wasn't the yarn or your gauge, try the suggested resizing below.

Will any sock yarn work?
If you get gauge with the yarn, it will most likely work.  You have some leeway - the ribbing is stretchy, so even if the finished glove is a little smaller or a little larger than the pattern, it should still fit a medium.
In general, if you can go to a shop to check out the yarns you can hold them up against the photos of the yarns in the book.  The Craft Yarn Council of America has a guide to yarn standards*, and the blog Go Knit in Your Hat has a post about yarn classification and a post about yarn substitution that are super helpful.
*I should also add that Go Knit in Your Hat and The Girl From Auntie both posted about why they don't like the CYCA Yarn Standards (in a nutshell, they find the standards are too vague and not very helpful for doing yarn subs).

The palm side is shorter than the back.  This was due to a couple of omissions in rows 38, 44, and 52.  It has also been noted that the top section of the hand, where you seam it, is tighter on the palm side.  Working into the "butt" of the chain in rows 21 and 36 will make it easier to get a smooth seam.

There's a weird flap by the wrist.  Row 19.5 takes care of that - what happens is that the first few rows set up the wrist shaping and are supposed to make the top of the hand wider than the wrist...but without row 19.5, that winds up being part of the wrist section. 

I am not a medium.  For resizing: Take measurements of the hands the gloves are intended for and do a gauge swatch in the pattern stitch and in the ribbing that is at least 4 repeats of the pattern stitch wide, and play with that swatch to get a good feel for the fabric. Need I mention, wash that gauge swatch and let it dry flat before measuring, especially if you are using a different yarn?
Large: you can make a larger glove by using a sport weight yarn instead, like Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport.  You could use the same size hook, or go up a size, depending on how large you want to get.  The ribbing is very stretchy and you may not need to make it as large as you might think.
Small: this is a little trickier, as you can make the glove smaller by skipping a few rows, but you want to make sure that the shaping doesn't get messed up.  You could try using a finer yarn (like Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace) and/or a smaller hook (this may work best for child-size hands).  Otherwise, I'd skip rows 8 -11 on the back, and try working the entire palm in sc instead of hdc. 
Your blurb mentions the Honolulu Stitch 'N Bitch, but I can't find any information for the group.  During an ongoing trademark dispute, all Yahoo!  Stitch 'N Bitch groups had to change their names.  The new group is Aloha Knitters, and we still meet at Mocha Java (Ward Center) on Thursday nights from 7pm - 9pm, and some members have been meeting over on the Windward Side and in Waikele. 

The text of the pattern is the best job that the tech editor and I, together, could come up with to explain it verbally.

This is a version worked up in two colors so you can see the different parts easily - the palm isn't complete yet. 

The vintage pattern that inspired mine, from a "Learn To Crochet" booklet published by J&P Coats, 1946.

Comments

[ladylinoleum]

So, do you like the book overall? I was thinking about buying it, but just haven't gotten around to it.

[mk]

Lady L, I'm thinking about reviewing a few of the books in my collection, as I've been getting emails of the "I don't know how to crochet, how do I learn" variety, as well as links and reviews to free online resources. SNB Crochet will be one of the books. It will happen when my world stops handing me an active volcano every morning, which I've been saying for the past few years will be any day now. Anyway, I'd recommend checking out the Craftster.org board on the book so you can see some of the projects and some of the feedback, go through it at a bookstore if you have the time, and see. You have mad crazy skillz and I dunno if a book like this, which is geared towards beginners, is going to do much for you.

[Marylou Brashler]

Hi, I love the look of the lace glove. I have the pattern in the Happy Hooker/Stitch and Bitch book.
I have been crocheting for many, many years but the pattern in the book has me completely stumped. I believe it has many unclear instructions. I am hoping I can figure it out from this page, if not I will email back.
Thanks, Marylou

[Richelle]

I was just wondering if it might be possible for someone to help me lengthen these gloves. My sister was in an accident where both her arms broke and she has about 6 inch long scars running along her arms near her wrists and she likes to find creative ways to cover the scarring, and while the gloves are very cute, I'm scared to get to crazy with the pattern, since it's pretty complicated (from a beginner's POV) and because I'm only a few rows into it. Any help from just about anyone would be really great. :) Btw- I was referred to your website through the SNB Happy Hooker, and I can't wait to look around some more :)

[mk]

Richelle,

Sorry I didn't get in touch sooner - haven't been checking the blog comments as often as I should.

You can indeed extend the gloves without too much trouble - you'll just need to decide how much longer you want them to be, and then use the gauge to determine how many more stitches you will need. The gauge is 28 sts = 4", or 7 sts = 1" (gauge is often given over 4 inches because it's more accurate to measure your gauge over a few inches than over just one). To extend the gloves, you multiply the number of stitches per inch by the number of inches you want to add on, so if you wanted to extend the gloves by 4 inches: 7 x 4 = 28. Because there are instructions on how to do the lace pattern over 3 stitches or 4 stitches, make sure that the number of additional stitches is divisible by either 3 or 4.

This is going to be easier when you start crocheting the longer glove! To help you keep track, I recommend a safety pin or other removable marker. The first three rows of the pattern shape the side of the hand, so work rows 1 and 2 as printed in the pattern. On row 3, where it says "sc in each ch across", remember that you have the additional stitches. When you have worked the 50 stitches for the row, put the stitch marker in the next stitch and continue sc in each ch across. On the way back on row 4 (which you can work as written in the pattern corrections, keeping in mind that you will have more than 17 clusters total), take out the stitch marker and place it in the new row - keep doing this each time you get to the stitch marker and you'll be able to see where the extended section of the glove is. The extended part is going to be fairly easy to do, as you will either continue the cluster lace pattern or work plain stitches depending on the section you are on. Stop and count the stitches every so often to make sure your marker is in the right place.

I suggest having at least an additional 200 yards of yarn for an extension of 4 inches - the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock is 215 yards/skein, so one additional skein should do it.

If you can read a crochet chart, it may be easier to visualize how this is going to be done by charting it out with graph paper and pencil.

[Andrea]

I'm still so confused!! My copy of the book is from the 2nd printing, and my problem is with the palm. The row numbers are corrected to add row 19.5, so the palm starts with row 37... here's how i understand what your corrections say:

row 37 - (correct) - 50 sts (ends at wrist)
row 38 - sc in each across - 50 sts (ends at fingers)
row 39 - ch 1, sc in back loop of first 14, hdc in next 36 - 50 sts (ends at wrist)
row 40 - ch 1, sc in back loop across - 50 (ends at fingers)
row 41 - ch 1, sc in back loop of next 36 - 50 (ends at wrist....) <-- here's where it doesn't make sense.. why am I just doing it in the 1st 36? that puts me at the end of the wrist with 14 random stitches left.. am I missing a row or something?

thaanks! i love the pattern by the way!!!

Andrea

[mk]

Andrea, I'm still waiting to hear back from Debbie about the second printing,
but since all the corrections were done at the same time, all the
corrections should be in the second printing, so feel free to ignore the errata for now.

Please take another look at the photo above: you have completed working the back of the hand and are moving on to the thumb, which is why you have those stitches left over - they form the
top of the glove.

Good luck!

[Andrea]

Yeah, I've already done the thumb -- I'm on the palm. i'm almost 100% sure there's still something wrong w/the pattern. Row 37 starts the palm section, and i think the problem is in row 41 (which is where i am) -- it says "sc in back loop of 1st 36 stitches," but it doesn't make sense to do only the 1st 36 stitches, because the row starts at the fingers, and 36 stitches puts you right next to the wrist (bc each row is 50).. the picture doesn't show any weird lump right next to the wrist. however, when you are coming from the wrist direction, 36 stitches is right before the top of the finger part. so i think the pattern is missing a row or something.

aaaaahhh

thanks for your quick response yesterday!! i appreciate it!

andrea

[mk]

Andrea, that's the shaping for the thumb that you've just encountered - this is so the wrist will be fitted.

[Kimberly]

What kind of adjustments would I need to do to the pattern to use DK weight yarn?

[mk]

Kimberly, DK weight is often called sportweight, and suggestions for making a large size using sportweight are in the post above. If you are planning to make a small or medium size with DK weight, you could try removing a few rows from the palm and the back of the hand, as well as several stitches from the starting chain, with the understanding that this would likely change the fit. Making a large gauge swatch will give you a way to look at the overall pattern plan and decide what adjustments would work for you.

[Linsey]

Hi
Along with Andrea, I too am struggling to understand the instructions on Row 41.Row 40 takes you from the wrist to the fingers in single crochet, then Row 41 Ch1 (turning chain)sc in back loop of next 36 sc (about 14 stitches from wrist) - 50 sts. So having completed 36 sc, what do i do with the other 14 on that row as the next row says 50 hdc in back of each loop which requires that 41 is 50 sts not 36 as stated in the pattern. Should i sl st to the end of the row?

Please help, I'm very puzzled and new to crocheting

[mk]

Linsey, turn the piece and work back over the 36 sts completed.

[Linsey]

Thanks!!

[Diane]

Looking at the first edition errata, I think the 2nd printing Row 41 for the palm is still wrong.

Row 19.5 has been included in the second printing so all rows subsequent to that have been renumbered (eg. row 20 in first book = row 21 in second book).

Therefore, Row 41 (2nd printing) = Row 40 (1st printing). Using the errata, This row should read:
Ch 1, sc in back loop of the first 14 sc, hdc in each of the next 36 sc - 50 sts.

(Row 41 in the 2nd printing is: Ch1, sc in the back loop of each of nect 36 sc - 50 sts)

[Idoru]

Hi, another confused crocheter here! I'm stuck at Row 41. Row 40 reads 'Ch1, sc in back loop of each sc across, turn - 50sc'. That was fine. It took me to the fingers and is all hunky-dory. Then Row 41 reads 'Ch1, sc in back loop of each of next 36 sc - 50 sts.' But it's not 50 sts, it's 36 and I'm stuck 14 sts from the wrist end! Row 42 doesn't help either. It reads 'Ch1, hdc in back loop of each st across - 50 hdc'. But if I turn and go back I'll only have 36 hdc. I need something to do with those 14 sts from Row 41, but I don't know what! Please help!