Swedish Jämtland Mittens
Interweave SKU: EP10323

Finished Size: 7½ inches (19.0 cm) hand circumference and 10 inches (25.4 cm) long

Yarn: Geilsk Thin Wool, 100% wool, fingering weight, 316 yards/50 gram (1.8 oz) ball, 1 ball each of #10 Red (MC) and #1 Black (CC1) Geilsk Cotton Wool, 55% lambswool/45% cotton yarn, fingering weight, 250 yards/50 gram (1.8 oz) ball #C8 Natural White (CC2)

Yarn Weight: #2 - Fine

Needles: Needles, set of 4 or 5 double pointed, size 000 (1.5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge

Notions: Stitch holders, tapestry needle

Gauge: 42½ sts and 53 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in charted patt

Originally Published: Knitting Traditions Fall 2014

Colorwork charts are available:
http://www.needleworktraditions.com/wp-content/uploads/Sw...

In August 2013, I participated in a small knitting conference in Undersåker, Jämtland, Sweden. I took classes on knitting, crochet, and embroidery from the local area. For each class, the instructors displayed originals and reproductions of the textiles. I was taken especially with some red mittens and gloves knitted with black lice and stylized _ oral motifs. One of our teachers, Doris Oskarsson, reproduced and wrote the instructions for a pair of gloves from Glöte, another village in the Jämtland province. My pattern for those gloves was published in the March/ April 2014 issue of PieceWork magazine. Ingela Fredell, who also taught at the conference, later sent me photographs of some gloves and mittens attributed to Karin Eriksdotter. I particularly admired one mitten that varied the color scheme with a few rows of white. During the nineteenth century, cotton yarn was rather exclusive so it was used sparingly. It served the purpose of brightening the overall effect and showed that the knitter could afford a bit of luxury.