Nope, the stick doesn't do anything for you other than provide you with something to hold. The tip is the only part of the stylus that does any sort of actual interaction with the capacitive touchscreen. Your gloves might have been thin enough to not entirely insulate your fingertip from the screen. They actually make capacitive gloves in case you live in a cold weather area and you don't want to resort to using sausages.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/16/h...iphone-gloves/