This ethnographic mitten from the District of Zemgale, Latvia dates to the 18th Century as a groom’s mitten. This mitten begins with two bands of fringes and utilizes a combination of half braids. Three and four strands are carried contemporaneously in some sections of the mitten. A total of five colors are needed.

The book Latviesa Cimdi was published in Latvian but there are color charts facing each mitten photo, making it easy to knit the mitten without reading Latvian. By varying the needle size and yarns used, the size of the mittens can be adjusted to fit any hand. Note that some of the mittens add embroidery details after the mitten is knit, for extra detail. Lizbeth Upitis’s “Latvian Mittens” book is an excellent accompaniment for technique and sizing information. The English edition of the book is Mittens of Latvia. The page numbers remain the same in both books.

CVVM 7220