Baltic Inspirations

Last Sunday I finished these gloves. Ravelry Project is here: Talsi.

The pattern is from the book Latvieša Cimdi, which translates to Latvian Mittens. The book is a treasure chest of beautiful designs. Page after page of gorgeous mittens in all colors and styles. I get lost thumbing through it. Another pair of mittens I made from the same book are here.

But it's all mittens in the book. Obviously, I altered them to be gloves. I was inspired by Kristi Joeste's blog. You need to go check it out. Even though most of it is in a different language, the language of knitting speaks clearly through the pictures and there is the odd paragraph of English to help us along.

Also in the spring of this year, the London District Spinners and Weavers hosted a Baltic Cuffs workshop, taught by Catharina Forbes who has traveled to Eastonia with Nancy Bush a couple of times. This is a glove designed and knit by Catharina:

Her gauge is so fine, the knitting so firm, it makes my gloves look like they were worked by a rank amature in comparison. Typically, Eastonian mittens and gloves are knit on a 1.25mm needle which I think Catharina used. I have gotten down to a 1.75mm, but my gloves in the first picture were worked on 2.25mm. Working with such tiny needles must be like eating hot peppers. You've got to work your way slowly to the extreeme. You know, build your tolerance for the pain. Still, I aspire to copy these gloves one day.

We're lucky to have Catharina in the area, for she also did a presentation about her trip to Eastonia and we've been promised further workshops. You know I'll be there.

I wish I could knit mittens all the time, they are so beautiful! But my hands protest after a while and I have to switch to something else. It's a good thing there are plenty of other things I enjoy knitting. Like cabled sweaters....

 

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