Čičmany Folklore Mittens

copyright 2014 Lisa McFetridge

Knitters were all entranced by the 2014 Slovak Winter Olympic Team knitwear. Motifs from houses in the small village of Čičmany decorated the team hats, mittens and scarves. Research yielded many amazing motifs which I then translated to knitting graphs.

Quick to knit using DPNs or Magic Loop (instructions on how to do Magic Loop are NOT included, but notes are included on stitch numbers), choose size by hand circumference, then adjust the length of mittens as needed by adding rounds between motifs or omitting one motif for a shorter length. I used Karisma by Drops but any DK yarn giving gauge will work. Cascade 220 Superwash works also, even though it is listed as a Worsted Weight. Sizes SMALL (MEDIUM, LARGE).

Finished circumference: approximately 7.25 (7.75, 8.5) in / 18.5 (19.75, 21.5) cm
Finished length (cuff to tip): 8 (9.5, 10.5 ) inches/ 20 ( 23, 26) cm
Finished length (bend of wrist to tip): 6.5 (6.5, 7.5) inches / 16.5 (16.5, 19) cm
Gauge: 26 sts x 30 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in stranded stockinette st, blocked.

When measuring for mittens, there are 2 length measurements that are important:
cuff length (determines how far up the wrist the final mitten will go)
length from the bend of the wearer’s wrist to the tip of the tallest finger

Mittens should not be much longer than the tip of the tallest finger to avoid “floppy tops.” This pattern will allow the wearer to increase the length of the hand by repeating the 2 separator rounds between the motifs and / or adding an extra blank round before and after the BIRD Graph or, for a child, omitting the HEART Motif (for about 1.5 in shorter length)

These mittens have a 6.5 in length from bend of wrist to tip. This is on the short side, so if row gauge is being met, plan ahead, measure the hand and add separator rows as instructed. If unsure, 7 in. is a good bet for a female hand, 7.5 in for a male hand. Choose size by the circumference and adjust the length as needed.

Cuff length can be adjusted to taste by adding more single color stripe rounds.