Skolt Sami knitter, Maria Gauriloff, made these mittens which were obtained by the Helsinki Museum in 1978. A traditional pattern from the Suonikyla area of the Skolt Sami homeland, Meandering Forest Trail utilizes the typical red and blue yarns, Kierrekerros (knitted braid), peasant thumbs cupped mitten and thumb tips and a five strand braid (sorstõk) off the cuff.

Maria Gauriloff was born in Suonikylä in 1928. She made the original mittens out of unscoured spindle-spun wool. While the red and blue colors are typical for traditional knits from her region, yellow yarn was largely reserved to accent women’s items. The pattern is made up of the “meandering forest trail” (central zigzag) and the exterior pattern, called “the bends.”

The northern homeland of the Skolt Sami is a beautiful natural vista of lakes and fens, sandy soil, pine and birch trees. Let’s walk down this meandering forest trail together.

FINISHED SIZE: 9 ¾ in 24 cm long and 4 in 10 cm wide, 8 in 20 cm circumference after blocking, not including braid

YARN: Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill, Inc. Fingering (100% Wool, fingering weight 2-ply; 110 yarns 100 m /28g 1 oz. skein; two skeins of Natural color/Cream (MC), one skein each of Crimson (CC1), Royal Blue (CC2), and 5 g of Buttercup (CC3)
ALTERNATE YARN: Rauma Finullgarn (100% Norwegian 2-ply wool yarn, fingering weight; 191 yards 175 m /50g 1.75 oz. ball); two balls in #400 white (MC), one ball of #418 red (CC1) and #467 blue (CC2), and 5g of #4405 yellow (CC3)

NEEDLES: Set of 5 double pointed, size US 0 / 2 mm, or size needed to obtain gauge NOTIONS: Scrap of smooth waste yarn for thumb, 2 markers and a tapestry needle

GAUGE: 15 sts x 24 r = 2 in / 5 cm over stranded pattern, worked in the round and blocked