Saturday, January 20, 2007

Latvian Mittens and Gloves

I purchased these black mittens from a street vendor for 9 Latvian lats (or about $16.75 USD). They are double layered & will be warm on a very cold day. They look nice with my black winter coat. Maybe it will get cold enough in Tennessee for me to wear them!

These red ones are my favorite! They were given to me by a student at the seminary where Steve and I stopped for a visit on January 6th. The student that gave them to me said that his wife had knitted 15 pairs and told him to choose a pair for me. I told him that red was my favorite color and that he made the right choice! I'm giving these to Marissa because they are small and fit her better.

These blue ones were given to me on New Year's Eve from my Latvian friend, Gita. These are double layered as well and are beautifully knitted. I love the cable stitching. It is a tradition in Latvia to say a poem or sing a song before receiving a gift. I couldn't think of anything to say so my poem went like this: "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I'm so happy to be here in Latvia with YOU!"


These dark green gloves were also a gift from a seminary student. I love the embroidery work!

Friday, January 19, 2007

Latvian Yarn and Book!

I thought I would share my yarn stash with you. I found some beautiful mohair yarn in pastel colors and plan to make a spring scarf/neck wrap out of it. My friend, Gita, was making one with some pink mohair and it was beautiful. I tried to start it on the plane on the way home from Latvia but I don't work well with fussy yarn on the go. This project will have to wait until I can sit down and concentrate on it. The name on the yarn is Kiddy and is made in Italy. It is 70% mohair and 30% nylon. I'll be using 5mm needles with it.

I also found some beautiful burnt orange yarn for Marissa. The name is Morbidone and it is a Merinos Extra Superwash. The label says pure new wool. She'll have enough to make a scarf with it. I saw a sample in the store and it looks like it will knit very nicely. The store owner suggested doubling the yarn and using 4.5 mm or 5 mm needles.

Lastly, I found a book on Latvian Mitten patterns. I love the different mittens on the cover! There are directions in it to make the special edge on mittens but it looks complicated. There wasn't time for me to learn how to do the Latvian cast on while we were in Latvia. But, Kristine, our exchange student from Latvia knows the secret. She promised to come over one of these days to show me how to do it. Maybe I'll have some knitting time after my cochlear implant surgery on January 30th. We'll see if I feel like knitting while recuperating.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Traditional Latvian Socks



Do you like my socks? I am wearing these on my feet as I type this entry! These are great to wear inside my boots and they keep my feet nice and warm. Steve and I are currently in Latvia for a business/pleasure trip and I bought three pairs of socks from a street vendor. These socks were 9 Lats, which equal about $18.00. I also bought two other pairs for 6 Lats apiece with beautiful lacework on them. I love them!