Helgi's Mittens by Nancy Bush

Helgi's Mittens

Knitting
January 2003
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
16 stitches and 19 rows = 2 inches
in colorwork pattern
US 1 - 2.25 mm
700 yards (640 m)
To fit a women's hand: about 9" (23 cm) around and 8.5" (21.5cm) long, excluding cuff
English

Summary Cuff-up, five double-pointed needles, stranded colorwork.



Additional Yarn Information 1 skein (100 g) each, #3001 natural (MC) and #3013 dark blue, and small amount contrast waste yarn.

Charts Included Mitten and thumb patterns.

From Nancy Bush's Pattern Introduction These mittens, worked in the card pattern, are named for Helgi…who has done extensive research on the knitted mittens of Hiiumaa (one of the larger Estonian islands) and has shared much information with me about their patterns and traditions.


This pair has a classic pattern in classic colors—dark blue and natural. What appears to be a small squares with diamonds inside join together to become a series of larger diamonds surrounding eight-point stars. I love this pattern for all the different things it is, depending on how you look at it. The twisted-rib cuff begins with a Continental cast-on and is short, like so many of the old historic mittens of Estonia. The top of the hand and thumb are shaped with two-wick decreases.