A Folky mitten.

So while Helgi's Mittens await colder days, I've done the most sensible thing I could think of (further proof that I am not to be trusted,) which is cast on for another pair of mitts. For this pair, I've dipped into Lizbeth Upitis' Latvian Mittens, fished out a chart sight-unseen and grabbed suitably garish, peasanty colours to work with. The result is, well...

Well, here it is with Plastic Rooster standing on top of it (he's becoming something of a staple in my mitten photo shoots.) This is the better part of the cuff of the first mitten. It's a very long cuff. It's got ribbing, it's got purled bands, it's got a rep of the palm motif in there and a massive colourwork band that I am in LOVE with. The whole thing runs halfway down my forearm, which is not a terrible thing, really. I was bound and determined not to cut any motifs out of the chart I was working from, as I did this last time, and while you'd never know unless I told you, it threw off the symmetry of the finished cuff. Just thinking about it drives me batty.

The cuff on this current mitten is actually so long that for about five minutes I considered turning them into fingerless mitts. Luckily, the mood passed. Every good Latvian mitten deserves a cleverly hidden Latvian thumb, and I would've hated to deprive these mittens from what is essentially their birthright. I should have the first mitt finished in the next couple of days so you can see what I mean.