Erica

Design: Hélène Magnússon

There are many different types of mittens in Iceland. In this design, I borrowed elements from our traditional embroidered mittens, stranded knitting mittens, lacy gloves and from our Nordic style mittens. The Erica mittens are knitted in the round with a lacy cuff and a peasant thumb, very common in Iceland. The overall look is reminiscent of the Norwegian mittens or Selbu mittens, that were quite the fade in Iceland at the end of the 19^th century and beginning of the 20^th. In my mittens however, the main motif is an interpretation in stranded knitting of an embroidered flowerpot motif that can be found in traditional mittens from the fjord Skagafjörður, whereas the allover palm motif continues in the thumb. The tips of the mitten and thumb are shaped a bit like a lopi yoke sweater would be, with evenly spaced decrease within the motif, that look like a flower at the tip of the fingers. Instead of the usual black and white, or brown and white, I went for vivid tones, purple and pinks of the wild heather that grows in the country (Erica is the imported specie). Later I knitted colorful mittens to use my left overs.

Size: Adult Woman M. Length adjustable (in the instructions). You can also obtain more sizes by changing needle size down to 3.5 mm / US 4 and up to 4 mm / US 6

Measurements
Hand circumference: 20 cm / 7 ¾”
Thumb circumference: 9.5 cm / 3 ¾”
Length from thumb to tip: 12 cm / 4 ¾“
Thumb length: 6 cm / 2 ½”

Gauge: 10 cm / 4” = 21 sts and 30 rows in stranded knitting on 3.75 mm / US 5 needle with Aran weight yarn. Check your gauge and if necessary, change needle size to obtain the correct gauge. If you can obtain more sizes by changing needle size, note however that if you knit too loose, you may need more yardage.

Wool

Any woolly Aran weight will work.

Yardage used:

• MC: 66 m / 72 yds
• CC: 53 m / 58 yds

The original pink mittens from my Icelandic Yarn Club 2 were knitted with Mosa Mjúkull from Gústa (new wool, 66% alpaca from Peru, 34% Icelandic wool, Aran weight, 50 g skein = 78 m / 85 yds).
The colorful mittens were knitted with Léttlopi form Ístex, MC plötulopi double #0005  and scraps yarns for the CCs. The blue mittens were knitted with Léttlopi.

Needle: 3.75 mm / US 5 circular needle or size to obtain the gauge. Magic loop technique is used but you can also use double-pointed needles or any other technique to knit in the round.

Notions: darning needle, stitch marker, scrap yarn in contrasting color.

Techniques: the mittens are knitted in the round from the cuff. Undulating lace, stranded knitting, afterthought thumb

Pattern: Once you’ve made your paiement, you will receive an email with a link to download the pattern PDF. We don’t send patterns by snailmail.

Errata: No mistake has been found in this pattern