The colorwork pattern on these mittens, documented by Antanas Tamošaitis, knit in neutral colors reminds me of the rustic fences used in the Lithuanian country- side, and of the beautiful wooden fences at the traditional houses in the Open Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškės. I love the way the vertical and diagonal lines interact with each other, drawing your eye first in one direction and then in an- other. I used horizontal stripes on the cuff to anchor the design, just as a fence is anchored in the earth.Description
The difference in prestige may also be due to the fact that a much larger amount of woven fabric was needed in days gone by, both for traditional clothing and for home decor items including table linens, bed sheets, curtains, and more. The small amount of knitting used to make hand and foot coverings took up a relatively small amount of each women’s time.
To honor knitting as it should be, I’ve designed this pair of mittens that ties together the mystique of weaving patterns with the simplicity of the knit stitch. Because there are no long floats and the cuff, thumb, and fingertips are all very simple and worked with one color at a time, these are great mittens for anyone who is new to knitting with stranded colorwork.
