SNUGGLY SLEEVES
Jodi Cave, Ottery Saint Mary
I feel the cold too, and there’s something so cosy about being able to snuggle up in a jumper with integrated handwarmers! Adding a thumbhole to a pattern is easier than you think, and can be worked into any kind of sleeve. First, decide how long you’d like the handwarmers to be by measuring from the end of your wrist to somewhere around your knuckles. The handwarmers are just an extension of the sleeve, so you won’t need to adapt the pattern in any way – just work a continuation of the sleeve itself. It’s up to you whether you begin the cu ribbing where stated in the pattern, or make the wristwarmer a continuation of the main sleeve pattern. Either way, cast on the number of stitches required for your sleeve and work the desired length from knuckle to thumb opening without shaping, then knit a further 5-6cm for the thumbhole. Now, you can begin to follow the sleeve instructions as given in the pattern, starting at the cu . You may wish to omit the ribbing and go straight into the pattern. When making up, sew everything up as usual, leaving the handwarmer seams until last. Try your garment on, marking a 5-6cm gap for the thumbhole and sewing the remaining end seams together towards the knuckle. When finished, you can either leave the edges of the thumbholes raw, or finish with blanket stitch or a round of picked-up and immediately cast-o stitches.
Q I always have cold hands, especially in the winter. I’ve seen some jumpers that have extra long sleeves with a hole for the thumb so they act like built-in handwarmers – is there a way that I can add this to any design?