Sunday, October 23, 2005

The Rovaniemi Mitten

This is the traditional Rovaniemi Mitten (Rovaniemi is a small town at the Arctic Circle). Usually you see it knitted with brighter colours and thicker yarn. Although Rovaniemi is my birth place it wasn't until Vaasa's Nordic Knitting Symposium couple of years ago where I discovered the beauty and the challenge of this mitten. Before Vaasa I thought it is just ordinary multi-colored knitting --- it is not. In this pattern you have 11 small balls of pattern yarn on a long needle plus the main colour. It is hard to believe but these small balls stay in perfect order on the long needle and the back side of the mitten is neat. I'll show you a picture when I get that far with the new mittens. With thin yarn (Vuorelma's Satakieli) and small needles 1,5 mm the pattern is very delicate.

I'll make a variation on this theme. I changed the colours: since it is my blue period I must have some blue and some time ago I made another Eugen Beugler shawl with brick red. I haven't blocked it yet but these mittens should match the shawl. The cuff will be doubled but shorter than in the original, it will be easier to wear.

This is not speed knitting... but very interesting.

Yesterday the socks were finished. The pattern is also a variation from old Finnish socks. When my Mother saw the pattern she told that my Grandmother used to decorate her sweaters and cardigans with these "double purl" stitches. When Grandma knitted, she drew the pattern on brown paper and then knitted along and compared the piece with the pattern every now and then. She did't calculate beforehand any decreases or increases and she made all kinds of beautiful knits with shaping. When she died at the very high age few years ago, I saw her knitting tools; she had only few bent needles and that was all. I don't think she thought she didn't have enough and with them she produced a lot. I'll call these socks Martta's socks.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:30

    Hi, your mittens are beautiful,do you know where i could get a pattern for these (in English) ie, on the web, book ect....
    Great Blog....love your blue period..

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  2. I adore those socks. They are so beautiful!

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  3. Anonymous17:15

    Is there a pattern or book for these wonderful Rovaniemi mittens? Yours a absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!

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  4. Anonymous16:01

    yes, yes, we need to get the instructions for these wonderful mittens.......the colors are great & the techniques intrigues us in the u.s.a.
    knittinannie

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  5. Anonymous19:07

    Everyone in the Yahoo socknitters group wants to know how you make those wonderful mittens! Where can we get a pattern or learn the technique- and in English?

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  6. Anonymous19:36

    Martta's Socks are gorgeous - is there somewhere I can get the pattern for them?

    Melanie
    in Flagstaff
    near the Grand Canyon

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  7. Anonymous18:22

    Dear Lene,
    I see that I am part of a large group of knitters who want to know if the Rovaniemi technique has been published?
    Schoolhouse Press imports Satakieli for American knitters, so I was glad to see you recommend that lovely wool. We originally stocked it to support the book, Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis -- but have used Satakieli for shawls and sweaters as well.
    con tinued Good Knitting,
    Meg Swansen

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  8. Anonymous18:23

    Dear Lene,
    I see that I am part of a large group of knitters who want to know if the Rovaniemi technique has been published?
    Schoolhouse Press imports Satakieli for American knitters, so I was glad to see you recommend that lovely wool. We originally stocked it to support the book, Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis -- but have used Satakieli for shawls and sweaters as well.
    con tinued Good Knitting,
    Meg Swansen

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  9. Anonymous19:16

    Hi! I just found your website and the mittens and socks are amazing! Do you have any info on the Rovaniemi mittens? They are so lovely.

    Thanks!

    -Anna

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  10. Those are beautiful. I got here from Yarn Harlot's link today (13 March), and am reading back through your archives. I'm only in the first month, but am astounded by the lovely projects you're creating. Just beautiful!

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  11. LOVE the Rovaniemi mittens and would love to learn the technique but would need a book or DVD...I live in Knitters' hell where there are no LYS's or Knitting retreats, etc. Is there a book or DVD or online instructions? Any info would be most appreciated. TIA brober10@earthlink.net.

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  13. Traditionally those mittens are called Lapland mittens or Inari mittens To me Rovaniemi mittens are totally different. One version of Lapland/Inari mittens with pattern is here: http://tinyurl.com/yr8yul and a version of Rovaniemi mittens you can find here http://seijap.vuodatus.net/blog/431636

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