Ethnographic Latvian Mittens - popular LATGALE, NIRZA

Hand-knitted mittens from natural Latvian sheep wool. These lovingly knitted mittens will definitely keep you warm throughout winter season.

This pair of mittens originates from Nirza, Latgale in popular Latvia.

The story of Latvian Mittens
In ancient times, Latvians, just as Romans, did not have the word ''yes'', and then agreement was often expressed in a symbolic way. One of the most frequent affirmative means was the giving of mitts as a gift to a suitor. Mitts most definitely had to be multi coloured. The colours most frequently employed were black and white, symbols for the sky and earth, for the masculine and feminine, the material and spiritual, as well as the unity of light and dark. The second most widely used combination was white, black and red - the three most ancient colours employed in combination in human history, whereby red was symbolic of the sun and of energy and power of life itself. Knitting according to our ancestors was identical to a cosmogonic (creation of the world or anthropogenic creation of a human) act. Perhaps for this reason within the patterning of mitts various signs that symbolise the cosmos in its entirety are so prevalent. Ethnographically, Latvia consists of five large regions: Vidzeme, Zemgale, Latgale, Augšzeme and Kurzeme. Each of the regions of Latvia had its own mitt knitting traditions. Not only did they differ in terms of their colour choices but also in their creation of patterns.

The pattern of most mittens today does not appear on the thumb. However, these mittens have been knitted with great care and precision, representing the design of ethnographical Latvian mittens which means the pattern also appears on the thumb.

Available in 3 colours: Honey, Bonfire and Graphite

Size: Small

Dimensions:
Width 10.5 cm
Length Approx 27-28 cm
Thumb 7 cm

The colours may vary from pair to pair due to the natural dying of the yarn.

Care instructions:
Hand wash only in a warm water of no more than 30 degrees.

For the reasons of sustainability, we no longer wrap our items in cardboard boxes, except orders marked as a gift.

Please, do not hesitate to contact the shop if you have any questions.