Happy Friday friends! I hope you have fabulous plans for the weekend. I am feeling fine because I FINALLY finished redesigning my Vintage Style Crochet Arm Warmers to have thumbholes! When The Boy was in the hospital, crocheting helped me stay sane and luckily this project was in my bag so I was able to finish them there. I just love them with wooden buttons.
It occurred to me as I was doing the pattern redesign that you don’t really need the button holes along the sides. Feel free to skip the button hole instructions by working a complete row of sc and sew the buttons on very last. My buttons are functional, but they can be decorative if you prefer.
VINTAGE STYLE CROCHET ARM WARMERS – FREE CROCHET PATTERN
Please remember: You are free to use this vintage style crochet arm warmers pattern to make and sell, but do not republish or distribute this pattern in any way. DO NOT use my photos in your listings. Please do share my blog links! It’s a quick and FREE way of supporting Whistle and Ivy and more free crochet patterns in the future.
What you need: (affiliate links)
Medium Weight Yarn (Knit Picks Mighty Stitch in Silver and White)
H hook
Darning Needle
12 small buttons
Abbreviations: (American Terms)
Ch – Chain
Sc – Single Crochet
Hdc – Half Double Crochet
Sk – Skip
St – Stitch
FLO – Front Loops Only
Gauge: 12 sc = 3″
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The written pattern below is for my Vintage Style Crochet Arm Warmers. You can view the pattern for free on my blog or you can purchase a PDF in my Ravelry Shop or my Etsy Shop. The PDF is formatted for easy crocheting on-the-go or for easy printing, it doesn’t include ads or comments. Thanks for your support!
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Vintage Style Crochet Arm Warmers Pattern:
Right:
Ch 35.
1. Hdc in 2nd ch from hook. Hdc 33. Turn. (34 sts)
2. (FLO) Ch 1. Sc in same st. Sc in each st across. Turn. (34 sts)
3. Ch 1. Hdc in same st. Hdc in each st across. Turn. (34 sts)
4. – 11. Repeat rows 2 and 3 respectively until 11 total rows.
12. Ch 1. Sc in same st. Sc in next st. Ch 5. Sk 5 sts, sc in next st. FLO – work a sc in each remaining st. (34 sts)
13. Ch 1. Hdc in same st. Hdc in each st across. Turn. (34 sts)
14. – 23. Repeat rows 2 and 3 respectively until 23 total rows.
24. Ch 1. Sc in same st. *Ch 1. Sk next st. Sc in next st. Sc in next st* work 3 times. Sc 16. *Ch 1. Sk next st. Sc in next st. Sc in next st* work twice. Ch 1. Sk next st. Sc in last st. (34 sts)
Break yarn, tie off.
Join yarn at the top (with thumbhole at the top). Sc across the top, working stitches as evenly as possible, achieving 28 sts. Break yarn. Tie off. Your piece should measure approx. 9″ x 7.5 “
Shell Edging:
Start on long side with thumbhole to your left.
Join white yarn. Starting in next st, *dc 4. Sk next st. Sl st in next st. Sk next st* repeat down the side and across the top. Tie off.
Left Hand:
Ch 35.
1. Sc in 2nd ch from hook. *Ch 1. Sk next ch. Sc in next ch. Sc in next ch * work 3 times. Sc 16. Ch 1. Sk next ch. Sc in next ch. Sc in next ch* work twice. Ch 1. Sk next st. Sc in last st. (34 sts)
2. Ch 1. Hdc in same st. Hdc in each st across. Turn. (34 sts)
3. (FLO) Ch 1. Sc in same st. Sc in each st across. Turn. (34 sts)
4. – 11. Repeat rows 2 and 3 respectively until 11 total rows.
12. Ch 1. Sc in same st. Sc in next st. Ch 5. Sk 5 sts, sc in next st. FLO – work a sc in each remaining st. (34 sts)
13. Ch 1. Hdc in same st. Hdc in each st across. Turn. (34 sts)
14. – 24. Repeat rows 2 and 3 respectively until 24 total rows.
Break yarn, tie off.
Join yarn at the top (with thumbhole at the top). Sc across the top, working stitches as evenly as possible, achieving 28 sts. Break yarn. Tie off. Your piece should measure approx. 9″ x 7.5 “
Shell Edging:
Start on the top right of piece. Join white yarn. Starting in next st, *dc 4. Sk next st. Sl st in next st. Sk next st* repeat across the top and down the side. Tie off.
To sew them together, fold the the shells edge over the other edge. Using a darning needle, sew the arm warmers closed in between the buttons. Work down from the top, putting your needle down through both layers and up, all in one stitch.
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How many yards of medium yarn will it take to make a pair?
Less than one skein of the Caron Simply Soft.
Using the provided gauge, the pattern is way too small. Falls about an inch and a half short and can’t close over a rather thin adult arm. The thumb hole is also very small, and even increasing it a little is too small. I feel like this pattern needs to be adjusted to fit the average adult, or it needs to clarify if it is meant for children. Very disappointed as it is a long and painful process for me to crochet, but I wanted to make this as a Christmas gift for my mother. I cannot possibly go back and change so many things about it to make it fit.
This is adult size, that was my gauge and they fit my arms. I am not sure why they didn’t fit you. What yarn did you use? You won’t need to change anything, just use a larger hook.
Such a cute pattern! However, my hands are a bit on the bigger side, so my question is: would making the thumbhole bigger affect the rest of the pattern at all?
Thank you faith! No it wouldn’t! You can just skip a few extra stitches there.
I love, love, love this pattern. Thank you for sharing. It is
so pretty.
You are very welcome!
These are so adorable, I’m going to try these in girly colors for my daughter! Can’t wait to see if they turn out!
Thank you! That sounds so cute!
So looking forward to these for work this winter but not sure if I should start with 35 ch or 36 ch.
You start with a Ch 35.
Hi Bethany,
This isn’t my first major crocheting project and the pattern is so simple and easy. I finished the right pair and am worried it doesn’t fit (width wise). I was wondering if I add some more rows of it would affect the rest of the project.
You can definitely add more rows! You might end up doing the button holes on the Hdc row instead of sc row, but that shouldn’t affect the pattern hardly at all.
I don’t see your reply but my daughter is 31 and very outdoorsy- I’ve made her multiple fingerless gloves and she likes them plain… oh well. As I said, I am going to make myself a pair in a beautiful Rowan tween that I have.
Thanks Bethany!!
I made these for my daughter in a beautiful soft marino with a contrasting color. She didn’t like them, thinking they were too “girly” for her so she gave them to her 11 yr old step-sister. I LOVED them so I am going to make myself a pair next.
The pattern was easy but I think they look very elegant. thanks Bethany!!!
Lol! Well they sounds like they are lovely, and maybe in a few years she will want a pair :) You are welcome, so glad you liked the pattern!
I love this pattern. I am on my 2nd pair working with a blue heather & gray heather. Then picked up a blue for the scallops. I still need one more pr before Christmas. They are so easy & fast which is what I like. Thank you so very much for sharing.
Dian
So glad you like this pattern! I bet they are beautiful in blue!
Hi! Will one skein of medium weight yarn be enough or will I need to get two or more to make these?
One is enough :)
YAY!! It fits! I was so worried that it wouldn’t and it fits perfectly. Your instructions were so easy to follow and the finished product is adorable! Thank you so much!
Yay! I’m so glad you like them! Thank you for your kind words, you are welcome!
Hi Bethany,
Thank you for your free Vintage Arm Warmer with Thumbholes, pattern.
Hope mine turn out as nice as your’s.
You are very welcome! I bet they will :)
i bought the pattern but it seems like it is a bit different than what you have on the website. on the paid version, it says to chain 36. on your website it’s 35.
Oh dear! Sorry about that. I have emailed you an updated version.
thanks. not sure where you emailed it to but when i bought it i used this email address.
The service automatically sends the email with the updated pattern to the email you used to purchase it. Let me know if it didn’t come through!
Thank you. If I add 12 chs, how many scs should I get when working the top edge? With ch 36 it says to work 28 scs. Also, with the added chs, how would I work row 24 of right glove (row 1 of left) ?
Thank you!!
Hi,
I love this pattern! I need to make this elbow length, how would I do this? Is the thumb hole at the beginning of the pattern or at the end? I know I’ll have to make the ch longer and make it wider near the elbow and dec at some point , to the original pattern but, I don’t know what I’m doing! Lol
Thank you!
Hi!
Thanks, glad you like it!
You should just be able to work with a longer ch and make length adjustments as you go, the thumbhole shouldn’t affect making them longer!. It doesn’t decrease, it is stretchy fabric, so it’s a tube shape, so you will have to use your own discretion at to whether you need to make the elbow part larger.
I love to crochet and find great patterns like this.
Glad you like them!
Such a cute pattern and I love that the fingers are open to make it easy to do things. Thanks for sharing your pattern with us on Merry Monday.
Thank you!
Very pretty! I wish I could knit. I can arm knit….I don’t know why I struggle with basic knitting.
Thanks for sharing with us this week at the Merry Monday link party!
We hope to see you again next week!
Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com
Thanks!
Kate –
Do you crochet? The Vintage Arm Warmers are crochet.
:-)
These look cool and like something I can easily do. Thank you.
You’re welcome!