As you can probably tell I love to knit mittens. By far the most gorgeous mittens I've ever seen are Latvian mittens. Apparently Latvians share my obsession with mittens - they have mitten poetry, wedding mittens, funeral mittens, etc. And exactly why would anyone need wedding mittens? Do they get married outside in winter?? This wonderful web site discusses the history of mittens in Latvia with some nice photos. I guess there was even a tradition of giving a pair of mittens to the blacksmith when you had your horse shod for the first time!
HERE is a photo of Saartje's Latvian mittens. And HERE is a photo of Geane Helfrich's Latvian mittens. And if you want to buy some gorgeous Latvian wool mittens for less than the price of buying wool to make them, check out the crafts section of the Baltic Shop.
I have the Latvian Mitten book by Lizbeth Upitis but have never made any of her beautiful designs. In the meantime, here are the Halland mittens from Folk Mittens in Nature Spun worsted with a few changes.
Robin asked on my tag board about the difference between Cascade 220 and Nature Spun worsted. Nature Spun Worsted is cheaper and *can* pill a lot. On the Norgeknit mailing list we've discussed pilling and Nature Spun. I've had experiences either way with it - sometimes it pills more and sometimes less than other yarns. The Halland mittens in Nature Spun worsted are definitely pilling. Cascade 220 comes in such gorgeous colors but I don't know how well it wears.