Freddie Robins is known for her subversive knit designs that cross the boundaries of art, design and craft. Robins' work often tackles dark themes in a humorous way. Her Odd Gloves series includes twists on the traditional pair of gloves, from pairs that are joined to each other, to a single glove with ten fingers.
Robins' Conrad gloves are inspired by a character from Heinrich Hoffmann's 19th-century book of cautionary tales, Struwwelpeter. Conrad's mother tells her son that if he continues to suck his thumbs the scissor-man will come and cut them off. He ignores her warnings and – "Snip! Snap! Snip!" – he loses his thumbs. In Robins' visual interpretation of the story, the thumb on one glove is missing, while on the other it's a "bloody stump" created in mohair.
You can knit a pair of Conrad gloves by downloading our free pattern below.
