A simple two-color mitten to introduce folks to the beautiful tradition of Latvian mitten knitting. For this design I chose two locally dyed sock yarns with a firm twist, so the colorwork shows crisp and neat. A fuzzy yarn like a Shetland would not show the design quite as well over time. Strong contrast in the colors will make it easier to catch mistakes while knitting and will allow the pattern to show to its best advantage. I chose a very dark green and a hand dyed yellow for my sample mittens. Most Latvian mittens are planned to be lined, because the weather is so bitterly cold in much of the country, so keep this in mind while sizing the mittens.

I started with full skeins of each sock yarn, and have enough left over for another pair of stranded mittens. Changing needle size is the accepted method of achieving size, because the designs are created to run around the hand, not start over again at each side. If it’s necessary to cut the pattern down, placing three dark stitches at each side will compensate for restarting the chart, after it’s re-centered on the front and back.

Stranded gauge is usually square in most designs, as it is in this one, due to the yarns crossing so frequently.