Dpns to Non-Circular Knit

[deannalexis]

So, I'm knitting up these fingerless gloves from a pattern on Ravelry. (See the PDF here: http://www.christychristine.com/pdf/...es_Jan2010.pdf .)

After knitting the wrist part in ribbing, the pattern says, "The color working is easiest to do in a non-circular knit (thumb gusset will finish the edges nicely)." I'm not doing any of the color working because my yarn is self-striping and I just want the yarn design. My problem is: How do I move from dpns to a "non-circular knit"? What does that look like?
And then, when you start the fingers on the right hand, it says, "Place a marker before the last stitch on Needle 3, and place a second marker 25 stitches previously." How do I have three needles if I'm knitting a "non-circular knit"?

Thanks for your help!

[suzeeq]

If you're not doing the colorwork you can continue knitting in the round. If you want to knit flat (non-circular) you can do it on the dpns, still using 3 to hold the sts. You'd just be turning to knit on the WS and when you finish one needle, use the empty one to knit onto, just like with knitting in the round. But you can just keep on knitting in the round for as long as the colorwork would be instead.

[deannalexis]

Thanks, Sue!
If I continue to knit in the round, won't I eliminate the thumb gusset, though?

[suzeeq]

Never mind, I didn't see the link above. You can still work them flat on the dpns and that'll make the thumb gusset.

[Ingrid]

They have you work back and forth on the 3 needles to keep the edges from getting all stretched out, as well as to work the color pattern. You can just work back and forth (knit rs, purl ws) until you've worked the length of the color pattern--this will leave the thumb as written.

[salmonmac]

Thanks, Sue!
If I continue to knit in the round, won't I eliminate the thumb gusset, though?

The way these gloves are constructed takes advantage of the opening that knitting back and forth creates and uses that opening for the thumb gusset. Later, you pick up sts starting at the bottom of the opening for the thumb gusset. You could knit back and forth and follow the pattern or you could look at directions for other gloves which are knit in the round and increase sts on either side of a center thumb stitch. That then becomes the thumb gusset.

[deannalexis]

Thanks so much for your help, everyone! I figured out what was going on and I went with it. I finished the first glove last night and while it's a bit large, I think the recipient will love them.

Thanks again!