These are Kalev's Mittens from Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia with the bean blossom pattern. These were knit using size 0 dpns and one strand Nylamb and one strand Elann Peruvian cashmere blend. Because I wasn't getting gauge at all and the mittens were in danger of being too large, I chopped off 1/2 of a pattern repeat. This meant the mitten pattern didn't come to a nice point at the fingertips and that the pattern didn't match up perfectly at the row end but it was less noticeable in the colors I chose.
The two unusual techniques in this pattern were the yarnover braid above the corrugated ribbing and also the one wick double decrease used at the top of the mittens and the thumb. If you look at the tip of the thumb on this second photo you'll see it is a double decrease rather than the usual K2TOG/SSK single decreases. The one wick decrease is a pain to do (makes you wish you had another hand) and I only think it looks good on one side with distorted stitches on the opposite side (look on the right side of the fingertips on the first photo) so next time I'll omit that and do the usual decreases.
I am giving this pair to the rabbit rescuer who adopted Peaches out to us. I may make this design again using the original Tuna called for and see if I can get gauge. Nancy Bush sells the yarn for all the designs in the book at her web site Wooly West.
Geane tried this mitten but they ended up too large. Louise is working on a beautiful pair in black and white Satakieli and she reports they are also coming out large. See a photo of one in progress HERE in her November 10 entry.
