How to block fingerless gloves?

General Knitting
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[CENTER]I just finished knitting some fingerless gloves and I am wondering how to block them without a mannequin hand.

I’ve seen people use wire coat hangers to block socks, but I haven’t seen anything for gloves.

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I’ve never blocked fingerless mitts since they are fitted like socks which I never block either. Might if they are a gift though.

I’d probably just wash and lay flat kind of doing a light shaping.

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My main concern is with the thumb gusset. I just want to make sure that blocks properly.

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wondering if a dowel or fat marker/sharpie would perform the same function? just something about thumb-size…

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What fiber are they made from?

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Wool.

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I like Jan’s idea of washing, laying flat to dry with light shaping. If you’re very concerned about the look of the thumb, you could try pinning the mitts out to a flat surface to dry.

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Thanks! I have to buy some pins & I think a blocking board. That sucks, haha.

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knit Picks has some vey nice interlocking blocking boards at a reasonable price.

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Let me help in it
I block most everything I knit, not that I love the process but because I always like the look of the knitted item after it is blocked. Blocking will hide any imperfections, smooth out your stitches, flatten curling edges and help keep the item the measurements that you intended.

There are two types of blocking: Wet Blocking and Steam Blocking. In the near future I will write a more indepth post on the two different types of blocking, but for now I will show you how I blocked my gloves. If you are totally satisfied with your gloves; I mean they look awesome, you have no stitch imperfections and you want to wear them today, don’t block them… put them on and go out. The world is not going to end if you don’t block these gloves.

I used Wet Blocking to block my gloves.

[B]Materials you will need:[/B]

A bowl or sink
A towel
Flat padded surface
Rust proof pins
Tape measure

  1. Fill the bowl or sink with cool water. Submerge your gloves in the water. Saturate the gloves with the water, but do not wring or twist them. With this done, drain the water and gently press any excess water from the gloves.

  2. Without stretching your gloves lay them on a clean dry towel. Roll them up in the towel and gently press on the towel to absorb more water. Unroll the towel and proceed to step 3.

  3. Lay the gloves on a flat padded surface. I use gingham fabric placed over my ironing board to block my smaller pieces. I like the gingham fabric because I can use the little blocks to help me pin the piece down straight. With rust proof pins pin the gloves to the padded surface. You can eye ball it or use a measuring tape to make sure the gloves are the same length and width.

  4. Allow the gloves to completely dry, unpin them and show off your awesome work.

hope i helped
Lauren Mcguire

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That was helpful, but I was referring to what handmade objects to use to block them. Like the people that use hangers to block socks.

I’m familiar with the process of blocking, but I don’t have pins so that’s why I was asking if anyone had any other ways to do it with the fingerless gloves like they do the socks.

Thanks for your help, though!

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This is a great how-to post. Thank you. But it’s now almost 24 hours since I pinned them to the foam and they’re still a bit damp. How long does it typically take to dry? Should I flip them to dry out the damp side? Thank you!

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This is normal for a double layer of knit (the front and back of the glove). A single layer of knit should be dry within 24 hours but no, I wouldn’t expect two layers to dry that quickly. Flipping and letting them sit for another 24 hours, and make sure they are sitting in the driest spot in your house, because having wool wet for that long can be an issue.

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Thank you! Your advice was a great help!