Pattern description from Knitting in America: “The three pairs of Latvian mittens shown on page 152 are all based on a traditional mitten pattern from the Alsunga township in the Kurzeme district of Latvia. The large man’s mittens (center) are knit at a very fine gauge (thirteen stitches to the inch) and include a liner. Thus, they are extraordinarily warm; Lizbeth made them for her photographer husband, who had challenged her to make mittens that would keep his hands toasty in Minnesota during a winter sunrise photo shoot. The woman’s mittens, with the slightly flared cuff, have a slightly looser gauge (10.5 stitches to the inch). Both versions are made with a fine but strong two-ply wool yarn from the Vuorelma Oy company in Finland. The child’s mittens, at seven stitches to the inch, are a much simplified version of the adult models and are made with Peer Gynt four-ply wool. All three pairs draw upon the same traditional Latvian motifs, starting from the cuff: Austra’s Tree (from which the sun leaps each morning); Jumis (symbolized by crossed stalks of grain that are bent and heavy with see; this symbol represents fertility and well-being); and, on the palm, Sun within Morning Star surrounded by Four Moons, Lizbeth’s advice to the beginning Latvian mitten knitter: it’s still one stitch at a time; just pay more attention to each stitch. The patterns appear on page 216.”

Materials:

• One 3.75oz / 50g skein (each approx 95yd / 86m) of Peer Gynt 4-ply yarn from Helmi Vuorelma Oy, Finland in #270 Teal (A), #257 Bright Pink (B), #215 Gold (C), #658 Purple (D), #17 White (E)
• One set (5) size 2 dpn or size needed to obtain gauge