Norwegian Selbu Mittens – Update!
I am really enjoying these mittens. I’m hoping they fit my daughter but the pattern is perfect for trying the Selbu technique. Why? I think mostly because this pattern uses sport weight yarn so there are less than 60 stitches per row (48 in the beginning). So you get pretty quick results. And it’s a gorgeous design that isn’t too complicated. After all of that fussing with trying a black bacground with a white design, I am really glad I went back to the traditional white background and black design. I’m already looking forward to knitting another pair. The next ones will probably be more traditional. I like Terri Shea’s book, Selbuvotter, which has many beautiful Selbu patterns and provides a great history of these traditional Norwegian black and white Mittens. Check out Terri Shea on Ravelry. These patterns are gorgeous!
I think the palm side (and eventual thumb) have a beautiful design! All in all, this looks much more complicated than it really is so don’t be afraid to try it. If you look closely, you can see on the palm side that every other row is merely alternating black and white. The most difficult part, for me so far, of knitting these Selbu Mittens (and the fair isle mittens previously) is learning how to keep the yarn tension correct. It’s getting better but does take a little practice.