Beta's mittens by Arndís Ósk Arnalds

Beta's mittens

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Knitting
April 2011
28 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches
in Stockinette stitch in the round
US 1½ - 2.5 mm
Ladies small (medium) large
English Icelandic
Discontinued. This digital pattern is no longer available online.

A few words about the mittens: I made these mittens when I was invited to my friend Beta’s birthday party and only had a day to make a nice present. Of course I didn’t manage to finish the mittens in time but Beta finally got them, although 2 months late! My grandmother Lilla was the one who taught me to knit at the age of five. She is such a source of wisdom when it comes to knitting. You could say she’s my knitting hero!
 
Sjónabók/ Ornaments and Patterns found in Iceland is an amazing book on patterns from the 17th, 18th and 19th century in Iceland. This pattern is inspired by one of the many beautiful patterns in the book. For the mittens I used the wonderful and sometimes underrated Kambgarn, merino wool produced in Iceland by the Ístex spinning mill. This yarn that is perfect for mittens, warm and soft. Here´s a tip from my grandmother: if you want them extra warm you can felt them just a little bit.
 
About the methods and techniques
The mittens are worked in the round from cuff to fingertips. Use double pointed needles, the magic loop method or your favorite method to knit small diameters. The thumb stitches are knit with scrap yarn while the mitten is worked and finished in the front, the scrap yarn is pulled out to reveal stitches for knitting the thumb, and the thumb is finished last. Pattern is worked in cross-stitch after washing and drying the mittens.