“Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends, to toil for your luxury and lust of gain? Must every tender feeling be likewise sacrificed to your avarice?”
-The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano

This pattern is dedicated to the memory of millions of kidnapped Africans forced onto ships (many of whom died) whose forced labor created the wealth of the US. We celebrate the survival of their brutal torture. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a way for me as a black woman to honor and connect with my ancestors.

The mittens feature two charts: Chart A is an interpretation of an artist’s rendering, likely from the 1700s – shown above in black in white – of how enslaved people were packed into a ship.

Chart B is a visual representation of the individual connecting to the whole with motifs of connection and water.

If these survivors were asked today how we should remember them, this is what I imagine they would say: Let our story be the beginning of a journey through discovery of an imposed history of the US and a path to your own freedom from forces that still try to keep us down. This project is more than just a knitting pattern. It is a reminder to all of us to examine our place in history and to make strides for a better future.

SIZE
Adult Small Medium, Large

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 8.259, 10 inches/2123, 25.5 cm
Length: 9.59.75, 9.75 inches/ 2425, 25 cm
Choose a size about 1 inch/2.5 cm larger around than your actual palm measurement.

MATERIALS
Yarn: Abstract Fiber Silky Sock 70/20/10 Merino/silk/cashmere; 437 yards/300m per 3.5 oz/100 g skein
MC Dark Chocolate; 1 skein CC Hearthkeeper; 1 skein

Yarn Characteristics
The sample shown uses a fingering-weight yarn. Any fingering/sock weight yarn will work. Choose colors that have high contrast with one another to make the colorwork pop.

Recommended needle size
always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter’s gauge is unique
US #1/2.25 mm needles for working small circumferences in the round

Notions
scrap yarn to hold thumb stitches
stitch marker
yarn needle

GAUGE
32 sts/42 rounds = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette stitch

For more information, see:
https://knitty.com/ISSUEw24/PATTpassage/PATTpassage.php