BALTIC - Mittens in twined knitting

For some years now I have read a lot (everything I could get my hands on) about knitting in the Baltic region. Many interesting books have been published during the last years and revealed a formidable treasure of knitting traditions in e.g. Estonia and Latvia. 

The patterns are often knitted in a gauge hard to believe, with very thin needles, the colours are often bold and mixed without fear for clashes. My friends often joke about my love for grey and brown (I am usually not a colourful knitter), but these traditions are impossible not to be influenced by. I could no longer resist knitting a project inspired by these countries.

These mittens feature mostly Latvian patterns. The main stitch pattern is charted from a picture of  a Latvian mitten, the all over design is my own and do not follow traditions from the countries that inspired me.

I chose to knit these in twined knitting. Not only because I love twined knitting but also because I have a strong belief that this is not the first time that a pattern is shared around the Baltic Sea. Our countries have had much in common during many centuries. When I visited Dalarnas Museum in Falun I saw, and charted, a fantastic pattern. It was featured on a sleeve from a coat from Enviken, Dalecarlia. The pattern was (of course) knitted in twined knitting in accordance with the Dalecarlia traditions. I later found the exact same pattern in a book about Estonian mittens.

I used about 180 grams of 2-ply, z-plied yarn from Wålstedt and dbpns 2.00 mm.