Typo spotted!
In the lower hand & thumb gusset section, after repeating rnds 3-6, the stitch count says “93(103, 113) sts total.” It should say “93(101, 113) sts total.”
Thank you, eagle-eyed knitter! Sorry for any confusion there.

I avoided knitting gloves for the longest time, assuming that they were fiddly, complicated, and impossible to fit to my hands if they were knit from a pattern. And it’s true sometimes: if the stitch pattern is big and complicated, it really limits your options in terms of size, but if the fabric is just a single color in plain stockinette, they’re rarely any warmer than the thin, cheap gloves you can buy at the pharmacy. But when I discovered the incredibly simple, warm and durable Salt and Pepper stitch pattern and worked through some traditional glove patterns from Maine, I discovered a match made heaven (i.e. a sushi bar in a cold New England winter).

Salt and Pepper is one of the oldest and simplest colorwork patterns -- being just a checkerboard of single knit stitches in two colors. One round goes A, B, A, B, the next goes B, A, B, A, and that’s it! An odd number of stitches enables you to just keep working A, B, A, B, around and around without interruption (and without any apparent jog), and the two colors make a double-thick, sturdy fabric that really keeps out the chill. I think it’s great for a new colorwork knitter -- you’ll definitely have your preferred techniques down patt by the end of glove one. It’s so simple that it’s usually used as a “filler” pattern for more complicated designs, but I think it can have its own unqiue, complex appearance when it’s worked with one hand-dyed sock yarn and one solid sock yarn like this.

Given that the colors I had were pink and green, the stitch pattern name was based on condiments, and that the gloves are so supple you could even use chopsticks while wearing them, well, Ginger and Wasabi just fit like a glove.

What else does this pattern have going on? How about a purl-free pseudo ribbing that flows right into the main stitch pattern? And versatile, easily modified directions that let you see what the heck’s going on with all those little stitches? You bet! Fingers and parts that can be made to any length to fit your beautifully unique hands? It wouldn’t be worth making gloves otherwise!

SIZE
Women’s Small (Women’s Medium/ Men’s Small, Women’s Large/Men’s Medium)
shown in size Women’s Small

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Palm circumference: 7.5 (8.25, 9) inches
Cuff length: 2.5 inches
Finger length: adjustable to fit.

MATERIALS
Yarn
(A) Valley Yarns Franklin (75% Wool/25% Nylon; 450yds/411m per 100g skein); color: Frog in a Party Dress; 1 skein
(B) Valley Yarns Huntington (75% Superwash Merino Wool/25% Nylon; 218yds/200m per 50g skein); color: 0980 Moss Green; 1 (1, 2) skeins

Recommended needle size
(always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter’s gauge is unique)
US #1.5/2.5mm needles
Notions
stitch markers
yarn needle
scrap yarn to be used as stitch holders

GAUGE
28 sts/40 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
40 sts/40 rounds = 4 inches in Salt and Pepper Pattern