Finnish Mittens

This pair of vintage Scandinavian winter mittens from Finland is beautifully worn on the palms of the hands from lots of use.

The fact that the tips of the mittens stayed in tact creates an appealing animated quality. These would have been knitted with untreated lambswool, which is saturated with lanolin. This fatty oil found naturally on the sheep’s wool would have insulated the mittens, making them both warmer and more impervious to the moisture in snow.

My Swedish mother knitted traditional mittens in the same vein and I always remember the smell of that oil. I’ve photographed this pair on a black background in order to highlight the fuzzy, unbleached cream wool.