When I was a littler girl I thought it was a real jip that frilly pants and bathing suits have ruffles, bustles, and bows, but only on the back, where you can't see them yourself. To that end I wore mine back to front and also in layers. Such bold and feminine things, I had decided, should not be confined to one area or application.
I think this is also my attitude towards Latvian Mittens. I love everything about the tradition, but I want to see what happens to the patterning across a larger canvas (namely, me). I also want to be able to enjoy the patterns outside of mitten season. It is not really that much work to turn a mitten into a cardigan or pullover. Although Meg Swanson has a Mitten Sweater, I'm using plan 1 from Knitting in the Old Way and treating it like a Nattrøje (a cropped boxy -if unfelted, close look). The scalloped edge of the mitten will serve as the Nattrøje band. I realize that these are Danish sweaters, but I think it will be a good match. If the knit stays light enough, the shrunken style will also let me get more spring-fall wear out of it.
Heirloom Nattroje, Danish Museums Online
Visit Schoolhouse Press to see more of Meg Swanson's pattern "Giant Latvian Mitten Cardigan" (Wool Gathering #67)
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