Mittens from Enontekiö: Sámi Knitted Mittens

Enontekiö mittens are a lovely, clear red, white and blue and very similar to mittens from Kautokeino, Norway. Multiple small designs repeat around the mitten in bands, mimicking the stacks and stacks of ribbons on the gákti, or the Sámi national dress. This design is created with fingering weight yarn in three colors on size 3mm needles. It is a constant practice in colorwork, with up to three yarns being worked per row, and with a tri-colored slyngborden decoration at the cuff. It is finished off with a typical Sámi braid and tassel.

Enontekiö is found in the very northwest part of Finland. Despite national boundaries, Enontekiö is deeply tied to Kautokeino, Norway. This is the heart of North Sámi homeland. In this region are many reindeer, the Sámi University, and several stunning churches. In both these areas, the Sámi people share similar traditional dress, called gákti in Sámi, and similar mittens. While Sámi knitters make ornate mittens, they are not persnickety.