Norwegian Mittens for my Granddaughter

I took part in a Knit Along course by Kristin Myrmel of Norknit.com and SKD (Scandinavian Knitting Design).  Kristin is a Norwegian knitter.  Her courses are very informative, and she includes lots of videos on various knitting techniques.  Along with the course, there's also a closed Facebook group where everyone can share their progress and pictures.

I love the design of Norwegian mittens.  Norwegian mittens have several design features that make them easy to recognize.  They have a thumb gore, and the design on the outer thumb is different from the inner thumb, which matches the inside of the hand.

The outside of the hand has a large design--often Norwegian stars, snowflakes, or animals.  The inside of the hand has a small repeating design.  Between the two is a line which separates the hand--often 3 stitches that form stripes or dots.  The cuff can be a ribbed cuff, often with stripes, or a colorwork cuff, or a lacy cuff.  The mittens have a pointed top of the hand and the thumb.

                                              Norwegian Mittens, Inside and Outside of Hand

I used Galway sport yarn and size 3.0 mm double pointed needles for the mitten, except I used a size 2.75 mm needles for the thumb.  I used 2.75 mm also for the cuff.  I knit into the back of the knit stitches for the K2, P2 cuff. 

I once took a Norwegian mitten class (2009) from Arnhild Hillesland and enjoyed her class, too.  There were a few differences between the 2 classes.  Kristen uses k2 through the back loop for the cuff, and Arnhild knits the cuff regularly.  Arnhild taught us to use k2 through the back loop as our Left Leaning Decrease, and Kristin uses S1, K1, PSSO (or SSK).  The top of the mitten was a little different, too.  Arnhild takes the last stitches through the yarn tail, using the white yarn tail for the white stitches, and the pink yarn tail for the pink stitches.  In Kristin's mitten we did a double decrease at the top first:  S1, K2tog, PSSO.  I've loved the mittens I've made from each class.

My pattern notes:

I added 3 rows to the thumb gusset, alternating 2 rows of each design. Thumb: use 2.75 mm needles. Skip last row of top of outside thumb. Added some Xs to first row of thumb to continue pattern.
I was afraid the mitten would be too long, so I took out 2 rows in the center, so only 1 row between the 2 stars. Center diamond is 1 x, x space x, x 3 spaces x, x space x, x. The length would have been fine. The mitten fits very closely.
I used k2b for left slanted decrease as Arnhild does.
Finished 7 1/4” mitten, excluding cuff. 21 rows = 3”, about 7 rows per inch. K: wrist to thumb 2 1/4”, pinky 5 1/4”,  hand about 7”.

Norwegian Mittens (Selbuvotter)

Norwegian mittens are fun to knit.  I love the star pattern on these.  The pattern is Rigmor's Selbu Mittens but with a traditional ribbed cuff, available at Ravelry.com. 

The history of the Norwegian mitten traces back to a winter Sunday in 1857 when Marit Emstad and her sisters wore mittens knit by Marit with black 8-pointed star-roses on a white background to church.  Soon many other church members were knitting their own 2-color mitten designs and a tradition was born.

                                                                Norwegian Mittens
Norwegian mittens have some common characteristics.  They are usually 2 colors: a background color and a pattern color.  The colors are high contrast, and traditionally were black and white.  They have a large pattern on the back of the hand, often with stars or roses, but they can also have figures, such as reindeer or other animals. The palm of the hand has a small repeating pattern, and there is a dividing row of stitches between the palm and the back of the hand, often a 3-stitch pattern. The mittens usually have pointed tips.

The thumb also has a pointed tip.  The mitten thumb on the outside has another pattern design, and the back of the thumb continues with the small repeating pattern of the palm. The mitten thumb has a thumb gore which increases at the base of the thumb.

The cuff can be a ribbed cuff with stripes of the contrasting color, or a cuff with a lacy pattern.  It can also be a patterned cuff.  Traditionally, men's cuffs were patterned, and women's cuffs were ribbed or lacy. 

My notes:  
U.S. 3, 3.25 mm.  Cascade 220 wool worsted weight.

I started with a different mitten pattern, Selbu Mittens by Henriette Hope, and it was turning out way too long, so I ripped back to the end of the cuff and began with this pattern. I eliminated the first 4 rows of the pattern so it wouldn’t be too long since her hands are short.
I used size 3 needles on the cuff, beginning with 44 stitches. Knit K2 P2 ribbing: 10 rows MC, 2 CC, 2 MC, 3 CC, 2 MC, 2 CC, and 6 MC. Knit one row in MC increasing to 52 stitches. I used size 3 needles for the mitten, too.
It is still a pretty large mitten with the Cascade yarn, so next time I could use a sport or DK yarn or size 2 needles. Main color: Blue. Contrast Color: White.
Thumb: MC, front stitches, MC. Back: CC, back stitches, CC. Pick up 4 stitches, one at each end of needles.
I made beginning of round at pinky side. 26 stitches. Really fun knit!