Gunnister Gloves

A warm pair of gloves in the style of the 17^th century from the pattern by Rachael Emmons and “revised and sized by Jane Fish, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The pattern is based on the gloves found on the Gunnister Man (http://www.shetland-museum.org.uk/downloads/data/GunnisterMan_Leaflet.pdf)

The raised stitches on the back of the hand do not line up exactly with the fingers if knit according to the pattern which is how I made them. Quite a few people who have knit these gloves have written a variety of useful notes about adjusting the pattern for size and the raised stitches, and these may be found on linked Ravelry pages as well as in discussions on the Historic Knit group on Yahoo.

The pattern, which gives sizing for both men’s and women’s gloves, suggests 2.75mm/US 2 needles which were perfect for my gauge/tension. I had, some time ago, knit these gloves for donation to Plimoth Plantation. The wool sent with the pattern was Harrisville Designs Shetland Lace, one of my favourites. The gloves knit by me, however, came out in a somewhat airy fabric. This time I wanted a denser material but also needed a wool that would be finely spun. By doubling the strands of Morehouse Farm Merino – Merino Lace in a dusky pale green – much lighter than in the photographs - I got that texture. The fingers look a little bulky but they fit nicely when the glove is on. The tops of each are closed with a drawstring.