Votter med Helgalandsmønster

Votter med Helgalandsmønster by Margaret Torbjørnsen

What is Being Made

These are mittens featuring traditional Norwegian patterns inspired by historical textile artifacts. The design incorporates the Helgaland band pattern, which originates from a tablet-woven band discovered in a bog on the Helgaland farm in Sandeid, Rogaland county around 1930. The band dates back to the 4th century, making this a historically grounded knitting project that brings ancient textile traditions into contemporary handmade craftsmanship.

Techniques Used

This mitten pattern employs multiple advanced knitting techniques to create its distinctive visual effects:

• Fair Isle knitting is used for the pattern on the front of the mittens, a traditional colorwork method that creates intricate designs by carrying multiple yarn colors across rows
• Intarsia technique is applied in diagrams A, D, and E, where a third color (terracotta) is introduced separately from underneath the existing colors (blue and others) to create localized color blocks without carrying yarn across the entire row
• Two-color simplified knitting is offered as an option, allowing crafters to work with colors A and B for a less complex version
• The Helgaland band borders can be worked with or without pattern, providing flexibility in the final design

Stitches Used

The pattern uses fundamental knitting stitches with the following abbreviations:

• r (rett) – knit stitch
• vr (vrang) – purl stitch
• m (maske) – stitch
• omg (omgang) – round
• 2 r sam – knit 2 stitches together for decreasing

Materials and Tools

This pattern is designed for sport weight yarn in multiple colors. The recommended needles and tools include:

• Four short needles in size 2.5mm for the main mitten knitting
• One short needle in size 3.0mm for casting on and working the Helgaland band borders (size 3.0mm needles can also be used throughout if a larger mitten is desired)
• A tapestry needle with a blunt tip for securing and weaving in yarn ends

This downloadable PDF pattern from independent designer Margaret Torbjørnsen combines historical textile research with accessible knitting instruction, making it suitable for knitters with intermediate colorwork experience.