My mum brought me Aino’s book from Estonia and I’ve been wanting to knit mittens for a long time. It was difficult to decide but in the end I settled for the “Räpina” pattern, even though I modified it slightly in the end.

My hands are tiny so I cast on 48 st with 2.0 mm needles for the cuff and increased 6 st for the palm (it had to be 6 to make sure the pattern repeat fitted). For the thumb, I placed 8 st on a holder. They are a bit tight that way but increasing another 6 st would have been to much - I hope it’ll give a little after blocking.

I also changed the pattern a little bit, inspired by the fair-isle elements in Anna Wilkinson’s “Spencer”. I know that it’s not a real Estonian mitten anymore but I love the way it looks!