Free Crochet Pattern: Shell Lace Fingerless Gloves
By Rachel Choi – 147 CommentsThese fingerless gloves are made with size 10 crochet thread for a light and elegant look and feel. The shell stitches give it a wonderful lacy look that can be worn during winter but also in the spring and the summer. Just follow the easy and simple instructions to crochet these lovely fingerless gloves.
Finished Size: 3†(8 cm) wide, 7†(18 cm) long Materials: Gauge: Not really important. For best fitted size, make the starting foundation chain the circumference of the wearer’s palm. Need help understanding the abbreviations? Check out the crochet abbreviation chart. |
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Crochet Pattern: Fingerless Glove (makes 1 glove)
Start by chaining 78 or chain that is the circumference of the wearer’s palm
Note: Starting chain must be a multiple of 6, since each shell uses 6 chains
Row 1: ch 2, sc in second ch from hook, (skip 2, 5 dc in next ch, skip 2, sc in next ch) across
Row 2 – 30: ch 2, turn, skip 3, 5 dc in next dc, (ch 1, skip 5, 5 dc in next dc) across, skip 2, dc in next st
Sew sides of glove together leaving a 2†(5 cm) hole 1†(2.5 cm) from the end.
If you need help with crocheting fingerless gloves, I would love to help! Just leave a comment!
Those are pretty. Those would be nice for a bride or even everyone in the bridal party.
Great idea Debbi! I totally agree!
Oh I love this. So pretty and perfect for typing! I’ll be linking.
Thanks Rachel! I just checked out your site it’s really neat!
Hi Rachel,
The gloves are beautiful! I’m going to a Wedding next month and these are perfect. Much better than old style. Also there is a lack of bird appliques [just a thought] everything seems like it’s filet.
Sherry
Hi Sherry!
I hope you have fun at the wedding with a nice new pair of crocheted gloves! And I will definitely add a bird applique to my to do list 🙂
Thank you for the pattern! I’ve been looking through books and Web sites and this pattern is exactly what I had in mind! I can’t wait to get started on them tonight!
You’re welcome TinyBird! Let me know how they come along or if you need any help with them 🙂
Hi, Rachel. These are just what I want to make for the “body” of the mitts, but I would really like to add a “frilly” cuff to them. I am a beginner crochet person, so not too sure what to tell you about what I want and what I can do. Can you help? I LOVE this shell stitch pattern, and have some bamboo in #10 that is just waiting for me to get going! Thanks.
Hey Janey!
When you say frilly cuff do you mean like a ruffle that goes around it?
If so then you can add the cuff by crocheting 2 or 3 double crochets in each stitch around for a couple rounds and it should ruffle up 🙂
But if I’m totally off on what you’re asking or need more help, let me know!
Hello Rach.. i live in Canada n subscribe ur site today.. em so glad to find tis beautiful wrist warmer n tis ‘ll b my next project.. thnx so much n keep on postin patterns for us…!! btw can u smtime post a pattern on Tunisian stitch…?? once again keep up the good work .. god bless Dee
hey Dee!
I have some Tunisian patterns, here are some links!
Tunisian Wrist Warmers
Tunisian neck warmer
How to crochet tunisian
I’m still working on some more 🙂
Hello again Rachel cn i used tis pattern wid yarn..?? if yes thn cn u please let me know wat ply and wat size hook cn i used…?? thnk u so mch for the links of Tunisian stitch..!! cheers
hey Dee!
Sure you can make it with any ply of yarn you want. The shells will be bigger so make sure you measure around your hand first to adjust the pattern. You can use any hook that you normally would use with your yarn, try looking on the label of the yarn you want to use to see if there is a hook suggestion on it. If you don’t find it, here is a link to some recommended crochet hooks for different types of yarn. You can try out different hooks if you like to see which one gets the tightness or looseness that you like 🙂
hi rachel! I really find your site very useful.. for later. Well I havent actually bought the things needed for crochet although I want some advice regarding of what type of yarn I should use. I’m planning to make a glove simillar to yours but I’m not that familiar about the palm size of the person so I’m hoping for a yarn that well.. stretches if I would make it into a glove. Can you hellp me with this? thanks!
Hey Patricia!
Acrylic yarn stretches pretty well compared to cottons. Also if you crochet loosely it makes it more stretchy 🙂
Hello:
We are having a celebration for a civil war hero in October and I have a ton of gloves to make. One of the ladies has a pair of gloves similar to this, however hers has a single row that goes between the webs of your fingers to keep them from moving around and they start just under the wrist. Have you seen a pattern like that or would you know how to add the strands in between? I believe the pattern may be from the 1800’s or early 1900’s.
Hi Tina! Are talking about finger holes? If so, you can crochet them separately and sew them on.
Great pattern 😉 love how well written it is. no confusion at all on my end!
Rachel:
How would I make them longer up the wrists? And then add a ribbing? I love this pattern! I have been looking for this for three days across the interwebs/internet/worldweb! It’s beautiful.
Any advice would be appreciated. I am assuming that I continue past the 30 count, but my favorite lit professor has a great saying about assumptions…
Thanks!
Erin
Hey Erin,
your assumption is correct! Just do more rows past 30. Depending which end you want your ribbing on, you may want to do it before the first row or at the end of the last row.
These gloves are so cute! They are exactly what I was searching for. I made mine in navy red heart yarn with a size ‘I’ hook. They came out thicker which will be perfect for the winter. tks again!
I’v just started making them, and I already love them. This is a wonderful pattern! Ah, I love this site 😀
Hi Rachel. Glad I found you. The article on splitting yarn was very useful. That yarn has a grain or a bias never dawned on me. So now I know to check which way my yarn is twisted. Also thanks for crochet pattern of the aurimigum? I am going to make it for my granddaughter so she has a special friend. Also downloaded the shell Lace fingerless gloves. They are beautiful. I am going to make them in black.
I love this pattern. I decided to “test” the pattern to make sure I was doing it right with some scrap light worsted yarn (from a baby blanket). I was wondering if anybody has made theirs longer, like above the elbow? I want to make them so that I can wear them under t-shirts to create a layered look but without the bulk of actually wearing 2 shirts. I think I’ll make them in 2 different yarn weights so I can have some light for spring and fall but some thicker for winter.
Rachel, you are a lifesaver! I have searched for a pattern for fingerless gloves but I always find ones that are too bulky, fancy, punk-looking or complicated for me. These are easy but beautiful. I like that they have a lacyness but they aren’t so lacy that I would fear getting them caught on something.
hi there
i absoultly love these except i find them kind of hard because i dont know what a 5dc is or how to do it …maybe you can post somthing showing hoe or a video or somthing
thank you
keva
Hi Keva, dc is the abbreviation for a double crochet. If it says 5 dc then you are to make 5 double crochet stitches into the indicated stitch. Here is the link to the picture tutorial: How to Crochet: Double Crochet Stitches (dc) and here is link on How to Read Crochet Patterns if you need it.
How do you create a hole for the thumb? I would prefer to crochet it in and not sew it. Do you decrease or chain a loop? This part is confusing. Thank you for the great pattern!
Christine, if you do not want to sew, then you have to join the end to the beginning of the row, for each row. When you want to make the hole for the thumb, do not join the row, instead turn and continue to crochet the next row.
I love this pattern! Thank you! Fingerless gloves are my favorite thing to crochet, and I make thousands of them! Thanks for the addition to my pattern library!
I love this! I’m still a beginner in crocheting, but this seems very easy to do. I’m definitely trying this AND linking this. Thanks Rachel!
I love, love LOVE this pattern! I’m a beginner at crocheting, and this is so quick, even for me! I’m using a very lightweight yarn (sock? it’s superfine, almost like the crochet string) and a slightly larger needle, but it’s working perfectly. I’m in the process of making a pair for me right now, and my best friend has asked me to make her a pair!
Hi would love to try this for my niece. The problem is the smallest size needle I have 3.5mm. Can you recommend ways to adjust the using larger needle and thread?
Many thanks and keep up the fantastic job. I’m based in the UK and recommend this site to all of my crochet peeps :O)
Sharz, you can use any yarn and a hook size that is appropriate for it. At the beginning of the pattern, there are instructions for adjusting the foundation chain. If you use a larger hook, you will have less chains at the start.
THanks for your quick reply xxxxx
I love these. I’m so excited to make them. I have two questions. Is there a way to make holes so that they’re still “fingerless” but slightly extend up each finger? Also how would one make them multiple colors?
Hi Jenn, you can always make the front of the glove longer, but there’s no easy way to make a hole for each finger without making a new pattern. Also, here is the tutorial for changing colors: How to Change Colors in Crochet
Jenn, what I did to make finger holes (and I hop you don’t mind that I modified your pattern Rachel!), was I put them on after finishing them and marked where I wanted the finger holes with coil-less safety pins. I then started making the holes by putting just a single chain between the fingers, then did rounds of v stitches up as far as I wanted the fingers to go. I hope this helps out.
Thanks, Shelby! I’ll try that.
Hey, Rachel. I’m making The pattern, but why do you say make 78 chains? Mine only took 36.
Well.. My yarn seems noticeably bigger..
Hey Jessica, I used size 10 thread, which is very thin. You can use the instructions within the pattern to adjust the number of chains are you see fit.
Oh. Thanks 🙂 I kinda gave up on it for now though.. I’m going to try the easier one (the men’s gloves. hehe). But do you alternate the patterns?
I’m not sure what you mean by alternating, but the patterns will always be here when you come back.
I mean is it row 1 then 2 then 1 then 2? or what..? I don’t know I get confused easily lol. Because there’s only two rows here.
Oh, for this pattern rows 2 – 30 are the same row.
Oh! Ok thank you Rachel 🙂
This was a great pattern, It made exactly what I was hoping for and was simple enough for a novice like me. Thank you!
don’t want to sound too dumb but where do i find the #10 on the crochet thread? is that type of thread the really fine one that is used to snowflakes and doilies? i have a pretty pink baby yarn ~Sport D.K.~ it says on the wrap, can i use that?
Marika, size 10 thread is sold at most major yarn and thread stores. It is the stuff that most snowflakes and doilies are made of. You can use your sport weight yarn but your gloves will be larger than the ones in the photo so be sure to use the instructions carefully to adjust the size.
Hi Rachel, I was wondering what particular brand size 10 cotton thread you made the ones in the picture out of. I’m aware that there is a wide variety of different brands/types but Iike the drape of the ones in the photo and would like mine to match. Thanks!!!
Hi Sandra, I used DMC Traditions 100% Mercerized Cotton.
This is a great pattern. I’m making mine in black. Thanks for being so kind to share.
For some reason when I try this pattern it doesn’t seem to work for me. You chain 78, then chain two more and turn? just a little confused here, though I am sure there is something I am overlooking and will feel very silly about when I realize it. Thanks.
Hi Amber, yes, you crochet 78 then 2 more stitches.
If you end up with extra chains when you are crocheting the shells, then try placing some stitch markers every 6 stitches (6 stitches is used for each shell) so you can see where the shells begin and end. It is really easy to accidentally skip a stitch when crocheting into such a long chain.
Thanks so much, going to try again now.. hopefully with better results this time!
Thank you so much for this pattern. It is going to make the perfect addition to my mom’s halloween costume this year. 🙂
HELP! What kind/brand of thread did you use? I have Aunt Lydia’s classic crochet thread, but it is really difficult to crochet – it says it is size 10 thread, but it is REALLY hard to work with – I’ve been crocheting almost 2 years, but all my projects have been with Red Heart yarn. Can you recommend a brand, or tell me what you used on these? Thanks!
Hi Kelly, as long as it’s size 10, it doesn’t really matter what brand of yarn you use. It is difficult to get used to using such small thread when you first start out using it, even if you’ve been crocheting with regular yarn for years. At least I know it was a bit tricky for me too! If you keep practicing you’d eventually get it. You may have to adjust the way you hold your yarn to get a better grip on it since it’s so thin.
If you do not want to use the size 10 thread, you can always use any weight yarn you want, but it will give you a different look and you will have to follow the instructions for adjusting the size of the glove since each of your stitches will be bigger.
Thanks Rachel! You were exactly right, I have been practicing working with the thread and I have finally managed to make uniform shell stitches. Thanks again!
Oh I almost forgot – how do I make it longer, like to the elbow? Thanks!
I’m glad you got it Kelly! To make it longer you can continue to repeat the last row in the pattern until it is as long as you desire.
Thank you for posting this! I wanted to mention that I used a fine 2-ply yarn, black with metallic sparkle, which made the pattern larger so I only chained across 36. It looks beautiful! My only issue was with sewing it together, the ends don’t line up – it alternates a chain ending with an open ending between shells, and are opposite one each side. So the stitching looks a little funky – any suggestions?
When the pattern says skip 3 and then 5 dc in next dc, does the skip 3 start from the hook? Sorry. I am just learning how to read patterns.
Hi Julia, “skip 3” refers to the next 3 stitches that were made on the previous row.
these are soooooo cute!
Hi, Rachael, This is a beautiful glove… is it possible to stitch this without doing a seam? For example, slip stitch when done with the 78 chains to begin, then ch 2 and begin the shell stitch, doing a slip stitch at each row until you reach the length you want up to the thumb, then doing four or five rows without the slip stitch, joining the fifth row with a slip stitch, ch 2, continuing with the shell stitch and the pattern for four to five more rows and ending?
Hi Diana, sure you can. What you mentioned sounds like a good plan to me!
I was wonder i you have a video showing how to do this? It’s much easier for me to learn via sight. Thank you!
Hi Ashley, we don’t have a video on this, but if you need help with a certain part of the pattern just let me know and I’ll be glad to answer your questions.
Ok, the only problem I’m having is ending each row, so I don’t have to sew.
The pattern was designed to be sewn together once you are done. But if you would like to try and alter the pattern so that you don’t have to sew it at the end, at the end of each row that you want joined together you can make a slip stitch into the top of the chain 2 (the second chain of the ch 2) that you made at the beginning of the round. This way it will join the end of the round to the beginning.
as an additional note to Rachel’s instructions for stitching the pattern “in the round,” once you have the length of the glove where you like it from where the thumb will come out, stop doing the slip stitch and begin stitching in rows, turning and stitching the row for five rows (or the size of the opening you want, I find five pretty average depending on the fiber you use) and then begin stitching in the round again for four to five more rows.