Long Fingerless Gloves – Free Knitting Pattern (In the Round)

These long fingerless gloves are a simple, sleek rib stitch design worked in the round—easy to knit, cozy as a winter base layer, and perfect for everyday wear.

Inspiration: Based on the gloves worn by Brianna in Outlander—long, close-fitting fingerless mitts that reach toward the elbow.

Scroll down to view the free pattern or grab a printer-friendly, ad-free PDF here.

Before You Get Started

A few quick notes to set you up for success:

This specific pattern is worked in 2×2 ribbing on a circular needle (or dpns/magic loop) with a simple thumb gusset and thumb hole.
The fit is forgiving—rib hugs the hand without any decreases in the body of the glove.
Always check fit with a gauge swatch; ribbing compresses more than stockinette stitch.
For wool items, check fiber content and care—handwash and do not tumble dry.

Tools/Materials Needed

Yarn

1 x 100g skein of any medium-weight yarn (04) / Aran / Worsted / 10 Ply.
I used Cascade 220 (100% wool / 100g / 200m / 219yds) in the color grey.

Needles

5mm (US 8) 9″ circular knitting needles (or 16″)
Using the magic loop technique – Magic loop knitting | step by step

Notions

Tape measure
Darning needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Stitch holder

Sizes & Measurements

Women’s S (M/L) — the rib is stretchy; choose by hand width at the base of the hand.

Flat width at wrist (approx.): 3.5″ / 4″ / 4.5″ (9 / 10 / 11.5 centimeter)
Length (wrist to top of the palm before fingers): adjustable; sample is ~13″ (33 centimeters) from cast-on to start of thumb hole.
Thumb length: ~2″ (5 centimeters)

How to measure:

Measure hand width around the palm (at the base of the hand, excluding thumb).

For length, decide if you want the glove to stop at the top of the palm or nearer the end of the middle finger—add or subtract rounds in rib to suit.

Gauge

18 sts / 24 rounds = 4″ (10 cm) in 2×2 rib (unstretched), knit in the round.
Swatch in the round for best results. A stockinette stitch swatch will read looser—use rib gauge for accuracy.

Tip: Count your number of stitches over an unstretched rib, then gently widen to check stretch. Adjust needle size if needed.

Pattern Notes

Skill level: Easy / Advanced Beginner
Construction: Worked in the round in 2×2 ribbing; thumb gusset increases shape the thumb hole. No body decreases required.
Needles: 5 mm (US 8) knitting needles (circular or dpns).
Optional flat version: You can knit on straight needles in rows (maintaining 2×2 rib), then seaming the side and forming the thumb hole as a slit—but the in-the-round version is cleaner and stretchier.
Purchase the inexpensive, ad-free, PDF printable pattern in my shop here.
Get all of the knitting patterns from my Outlander Season 6 collection here.

Copyright Info

Please do not copy, sell, redistribute, or republish this pattern.
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Abbreviations

Knitting Abbreviations And Terms (US And UK)

CO – cast on
Cont – continue
K – knit
M1 – make 1 stitch – An increase worked by lifting the horizontal strand lying between needles and placing it onto the left needle. Knit this new stitch through the back loop – 1 st increased.
SM – slip marker
St(s) – stitch(es)
Rep – repeat
Rib – work in 2×2 ribbing
PM – place marker

Stitch Explanations

2 x 2 ribbing – K2, P2 (It is obtained by alternating knit and purl stitches in one row and “knitting by pattern” in every next row.

This means that we make a knit stitch when the previous row stitch looks like V and make a purl stitch when the previous looks like a bump.)

Cast On: an even number of stitches.
Row 1 (RS): (k2, p2) till the end of the row.
Row 2 (WS): (k2, p2) till the end of the row.
Repeat these two rows.

Pattern Instructions

Make two the same.

Both pieces are knit in the round.

CO 36, (40, 44) sts, pm and join in the round, being careful not to twist sts.
You will use the magic loop technique to knit these gloves in the round.
Work K2, P2 (2×2 ribbing) in every round until the piece measures – 13 inches from the CO edge.
(You can adjust the length if you want them to be longer or shorter)

Thumb Hole

Rib 16 sts, PM, M1, K1, M1, PM, Rib 19, (23, 27). 38, (42, 46) sts.
Rib round.
Rib 16, SM, M1, K3, M1, Rib 19 (23, 27). 40 (44, 48) sts.
Rib round
Rib 16, SM, M1, K5, M1, Rib 19 (23, 27). 42 (46, 50) sts.
Rib round.
Rib 14, remove marker, place the next 12 sts onto a stitch holder (remove the other marker), CO 2 sts, and rib to the end of the round (remove the other marker). 32 (36, 40) sts

Hand

Work in 2×2 ribbing for 2.5 inches.

Cast off.

Thumb

Place the 12 sts from the stitch holder onto the needles.
Re-join the yarn to the first stitch.
Pick up and knit 1 st from the CO edge on the right side and knit, then pick up 1 st from the left side and knit. (14 sts)
Next round – P2, K8, P2, K2.
Knit every round until the thumb measures 2 inches.
Cast off.

Making Up

Weave in any loose ends.
Place a stitch or two if there is a gap beside the base of the thumb.

Could you share your work with us?

If you enjoyed making the long fingerless gloves, I’d love to see yours on Instagram, tag me @handylittleme or #handylittleme.

If you are on Facebook, stop by the handylittleme Facebook group and share a photo.

I’d love to see your work!

FAQs & Tips

Can I knit these on straight needles?

Yes—work flat in 2×2 rib to the gusset area, mark the thumb hole placement, then seam the side.

The in-the-round version needs less seaming and looks tidier.

What if my gauge is off?

Make a circular gauge swatch in 2×2 rib.

If you have fewer than 18 sts/4″ (too loose), go down a needle size; if more (too tight), go up.

Swatching in stockinette stitch will not match rib density.

How do I customize fit?

Width: Adjust the number of stitches by 4 (to keep 2×2 rib).
Length: Add/subtract rounds before the gusset for forearm length; add/subtract in the hand for coverage to the top of the palm or end of the middle finger.

Which yarn is best?

Check fiber content: non-superwash wool grips and warms; wool-acrylic blends are easy care; cotton adds breathability.

Keep to yarn weight #4 (worsted/Aran) for the given gauge.

Do I need decreases?

No body decreases—the rib provides stretch.

Only simple gusset increases and a tidy bind off.

Design Inspiration

If you have been watching the Outlander TV series, you have probably noticed the beautiful costumes and knitted pieces that Brianna wears, including her olive green and grey fingerless mittens.

Brianna is seen wearing a range of knitted pieces, including a striped capelet and a simple garter stitch knitted infinity scarf.

You can see in the image below that her gloves may be a finer knit but are very long, reaching to her elbow.

Brianna gloves Outlander — *Image Source / Copyright © Starz.com*

More Knitting Patterns

You can see more of my Outlander patterns that include both knit and crochet.

There are also men’s knits and a dog sweater inspired by the Fraser tartan.

Take a look at the collections below…

Shop The Outlander Pattern Ebooks

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View more of the Outlander Season 6 collection here…

Helpful Resources

This pattern is great for any advanced beginner knitters.