Latvian & Andean knitting

I’m relying on Upitis and Gravelle Lecount (full reference in Knitting Books list) for this short section that focuses on color and design in Latvia and the Andes.

As we saw with knitting from Fair Isle, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sanquhar, and Bohus, color and design were traditionally associated with a particular place. Some designs and color combinations might start in a single place, like the mittens of Selbu, and then come to represent the entire country. In other countries the designs and colors in knitting are specific to a particular district.

The organizers of the 2006 NATO Summit held in Latvia have created a website that shows the 4500 Latvian mittens that were handknit for the guests of the summit by knitters from around the country. The mittens are organized by region into men’s and women’s style. Mittens for men are usually in more subdued colors than women’s mittens. Traditionally the color combinations and symbols of a mitten would identify the wearer as a member of a district, with some features such as a scalloped cuff being specific to a single township.

The same is true for knitting of the Andes, particularly Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Bright, complex designs are regional creations used in hats, bags, stockings, armbands, etc. Traditional knitting is done for both personal use and for sale. Knitting is done very rapidly by knitting from the purl side of the fabric with the yarn wrapped around the neck and the thumb is used to wrap the yarn around the needle. Many of these knitters are men; however, whether men or women of a community do most of the knitting varies by place. For example, some areas of Peru may have only male knitters with women doing weaving or spinning. Much of the fiber comes from llama and alpaca.