shanna’s smart gloves
A few weeks ago, my friend Shanna lamented in a fb status update how she loved the gloves a friend of her made, but was frustrated she needed to take one off to use her Droid. I’ve wanted to knit her something for ages, while I my skills are no where close to that of the knitter who made her current pair, I offered to try.
These are currently at the whim of the USPS and I hope the priority box they’re in does the trick and Shanna receives them promptly. They’re not a surprise, I’ve shown photos to her throughout this process.
The yarn is Claudia Handpainted Fingering in Green. It’s a gorgeous semi-solid and I think the high twist will let these wear well.
I started from the fingertops down as I wasn’t sure I had enough yarn, having initially purchased just one skein. A second order to The Loopy Ewe was quickly placed and I held my breath. I’m not sure why I worried. There was plenty of yarn for the pair.
When I started I didn’t look at other patterns but figured I could do this on my own. Eventually I poked around the web and learned that both Meg Swansen and Nona had made icord finger gloves. A thumb gusset is a thumb gusset and after sketching out my notes I was pleased that Nona and I were in agreement.
What makes these gloves different? There are little “hats” for the thumb and first finger of the right hand. They flip off when needed for touch screen use. This is the part I’m not really sure on and I’ve told Shanna to think of these as her prototype pair. There are many things I’ll do differently in the next pair, mostly related to how I start the fingers.. some are a bit pointy. I don’t think I have the “hat” situated right for the thumb.
Overall I had a ton of fun knitting these and I hope that Shanna enjoys them… I just hope they arrive and then winter decides it’s done and it’ll be too warm to wear them. I know I’m tired of the constant cold.
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4 Replies to “shanna’s smart gloves”
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too late now.. but …
an alternate solution is to buy small snaps –the clear plastic ones are great–and turn the glove (any glove, hand knit or store bought–inside out..
then push the bump of the snap (the male half) through the knitting and sew in place.
(the || is the fabric, the > is the pip/bump of snap..)
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Then turn the gloves right side out. the tip of your finger is now on the flat of the snap, and the point of the snap just barely pokes through the fabric.. and it makes a great ‘stylus’ for hitting real or touch screen keys!
the idea is appreciated (and one i fleetingly contemplated) but shanna and i are on complete agreement on this one: NO SNAPS. i have too many reasons to list.
It’s January in New England. I assure you: there is plenty of winter left.
Only after you’d started the gloves did a geeky friend point out that there is some kind of conductive thread you could just sew into the fingertips of regular gloves, making them suitable for touchscreen use. I don’t care. I want my Penny gloves. (But this tip is intriguing nonetheless.)
well, hopefully the USPS will deliver them soon!
E and I discussed this as he’s my EE goto guy. He thinks it’s a waste of $ and he uses his touchscreen (Samsung) with his gloves all the time and doesn’t understand all this fuss and need for conductive thread. I would love to try it some day. I have a book on various electronic stitchery things you can do with it (and for those applications he agrees its necessary, it’s the smartphone requirement he questions. I just have a regular crackberry so I have no idea)…
I am a fan of free fingers to do things. While I can punch number codes with gloves on, I prefer the tactile feel my fingertips provide. (Why yes, I’m still learning braille for my own curiosity).