
My friend Shelly Stilger, owner of my local yarn shop Twist, asked me to write the November pattern for our shop's mitten of the month club. I haven't written a pattern in a long (!) time and thought this would be a great kick-in-the-pants deadline... something I haven't had in a seemingly much longer (!) time. I knew I wanted to do something classic and traditional, and after mulling it over for a couple of days, I decided on Scandinavian Lovikka mittens. Simple mittens that are felted for added warmth and fulled for added softness the Lovikka pattern dates back to turn of 19th century Sweden. And I love the simplicity of the embroidered cuffs and trimming used in the embellishments.
I used Araucania Azapa
yarn for these mitts, a great bulky Donegal tweed that felts well. It also knits up amazing fast, both mittens taking less than 4 hours to complete. The really fun part of this pattern is left in the details. I felted mine to fit a child (7 inch width, 9 inch length), but changing felting time can result in a larger mitten. Then using a pet grooming brush the fibers are combed and trimmed, resulting in a really soft and dense fabric. Simple embroidery and a braid finish things off, and within a weekend you have a fun and traditional pair of Scandinavian mittens!
The pattern is for sale online here and in my pattern store on Ravelry. You can also swing by Twist if you're in the area and get your supplies for the November mitten. I have more photos coming soon... and there will be a store sample at the shop for you to pet!
I hope you all enjoy the mitten pattern! Happy Knitting!
Lovikka Mitten Pattern: $3.00