Belt Motif mittens are a lovely, traditional Skolt Sami
knit from the Petsamo region in modern day Russia. This
area where Norway, Finland and Russia meet is the Skolt
Sami homeland. The Belt Motif knitting pattern mimics
designs on band-woven belts from the region. The mitten
incorporates several rows of Kierrekerros (knitted braid),
traditional cupped mitten and thumb tips, and a threestrand
braid.

Belt Motif mittens are based on a pair of mittens currently
held at the Sami Museum Siida of Inari, Finland. I had
the privilege of touring the museum and viewing their
knitted archives in September 2013. Their wonderful collections
include many Skolt and Inari Sami knitted items,
as well as band-woven belts and shoelaces. Soon, the
Sami Museum will receive a large influx of artifacts from
the National Museum of Finland, as they begin their repatriation
of indigenous archives. In order to contain the
2,600 items, the museum is now under expansion.