Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Wearables 3 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Cat paw fingerless gloves crochet pattern
Fingerless gloves with a scalloped cat-paw edge. 3 rounds, 3.5-4.5mm hook, worked in pairs.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 3.5 mm
- Rounds
- 3
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
3
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
These fingerless gloves start as a flat chain of 16 and finish as a rounded paw with a scalloped edge standing in for cat toes. Each glove works in three rounds: a flat base turned semicircle, a shaping round of increases that widens the paw, and a final round of six-double-crochet clusters that forms the scallops. Have fat ply milk cotton yarn in two colors on hand, a hook sized to your hand (3.5mm, 4mm, or 4.5mm), a stitch marker, scissors, and a darning needle before starting either glove.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Miscounting the 16 starting chains
- Count the V-shaped chains twice before starting the first double crochet in the third chain from the hook; a chain short or long throws off the semicircle at the row's end.
- Losing track of increase placement
- Move the stitch marker to the next increase point as soon as you complete one, rather than trying to count back afterward.
- Uneven scallop clusters on the final round
- Work all six double crochets into the same skipped-stitch point before moving to the next skip, checking cluster count against the previous scallop before continuing.
The materials list
- Fat ply milk cotton yarn (pink and white colors recommended)
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
- Darning needle
- Crochet hook: 3.5mm for standard hands, 4mm for a bit larger hands, 4.5mm for very large hands
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 5 short forms
Main Pattern
Start with white yarn.
Round 1
Create a slip knot; Chain 16 (yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook, repeat until you have 16 chains; each chain looks like a 'V'); Start in the 3rd chain from the hook for the first double crochet; Double crochet across all chains (yarn over, insert hook into the chain, yarn over again, pull through, yarn over, pull through two loops, then yarn over and pull through the remaining two loops); Upon reaching the end of the row, add six more double crochets into the last chain to form a semicircle; Start working on the other side of the chain, embedding the tail in your stitches for a neater look; Work your way back down the other side with regular double crochets until you reach the start; Close off the round with a slip stitch and chain two to start the next round.
Round 2+
and following: Follow a pattern of regular stitches and increases (two double crochets in one stitch) along the semicircle to gradually expand the paw portion; use stitch markers to identify areas of increase; continue crocheting in the round, adding increases where necessary to form the paw shape; the pattern alternates between rounds of double crochets and increases to achieve the desired width and curvature.
Round 3
In a specific round, skip stitches and create clusters of six double crochets to form the scalloped edges, representing the fingers of the cat paw.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Complete the glove by securing the yarn with a slip stitch, cutting the yarn, and weaving in the ends neatly.
Step 2Repeat all steps to create the second glove using the same steps to complete the pair.
Check these before you start
- Check your slip knot tension before Chain 16: too tight and the first double crochet row will fight the hook, too loose and the chain edge will look uneven against the semicircle.
- Mark each increase stitch as you work Round 2 and following; the paw shape depends on increases landing in the same relative spots on both gloves.
- Crocheting requires patience and practice, especially for complex designs like these gloves.
On one line
| Rounds | 3 |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 3.5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Confirm which hook size matches your hand: 3.5mm for standard, 4mm for larger, 4.5mm for very large hands, since this changes the finished circumference of both gloves.
- Set aside enough of both the pink and white milk cotton yarn to complete two matching gloves, not one, before you begin the first chain.
- Read through Round 2 and following before starting Round 1 so the increase pattern that builds the paw shape is familiar before you reach it.
- Place a stitch marker within reach; you will need it to track where increases fall as the paw widens.
Finishing
- Weave in the starting tail from Round 1 as you work back down the second side of the chain, rather than leaving it for later.
- Close the final scalloped round with a slip stitch, then cut the yarn leaving enough tail to weave in securely.
- Weave in all remaining ends neatly, then repeat the entire glove from Round 1 to build the matching second piece.
Construction
The chain of 16 is worked flat first, with six extra double crochets added at the end of the row to turn a straight edge into a semicircle before the piece joins into rounds.
The final round skips stitches and groups six double crochets into clusters rather than working evenly, which is what produces the separated, finger-like scallops of the paw.
Time per section
| Chain and flat base row (Round 1) | about 20-30 minutes because it involves counting 16 chains, turning the semicircle, and working back down both sides |
|---|---|
| Shaping rounds (Round 2 and following) | about 1-1.5 hours because tracking increases with a stitch marker slows the pace |
| Scalloped edge and second glove | about 2-3 hours total because the final round's clusters are fiddly and the whole process repeats for the pair |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.