Add a Thumb Hole to a Sleeve

Adding a thumb hole to a sleeve is a cool trick. With your thumbs in the thumb holes, the sweater keeps your hands warm. Without your thumbs in the thumb holes, it looks pretty much like a normal sweater, slightly more rock and roll.

Look: a Perfect Sweater in St. James’s Park!

Wait a minute. Anna’s hands look so . . . cozy.

Thumbholes! Reader Anna’s gone and made wristwarmers with an attached Perfect Sweater.
Here’s how.

When making sleeves, add 2 inches to the length of each sleeve after shaping (or whatever is needed for the sleeves to reach your knuckles).

When sewing sleeve seams, leave a 2-inch gap unstitched near the bottom (immediately above the hemming on a hemmed version, or slightly above the seed stitch edge as shown in the sample swatch above).

How to do the blanket stitch.  (Note: contrasting color yarn was used to show what’s going on. Use matching yarn for a nearly invisible thumb hole.)

Midway along one edge of the open portion, bring the needle through the work from back to front through a knitted stitch “V” one stitch in from the edge on the far side. Pull the yarn through.

Hold the yarn with your left thumb. Pass the needle through the work from front to back through the next knitted “V” stitch along. Pull the needle towards you, making sure that the needle passes over the yarn held with your left thumb.

Repeat to form a series of right-angled stitches (blanket stitches). The stitches should be one knitted stitch wide and one knitted stitch deep.

At each end of the gap, work a blanket stitch along the seam.

When you have sewn around the gap, pass the needle through the first stitch from front to back to hold it in place. Knot or weave in ends.

The end result: