RainbowMittens No1

Only in January 2026 I was learning Shepherd's crochet. And by MayDay 2026 I was having a workshop about it at annual Rovaniemi Craft Expo because of my job together with all the community colleges of Lapland. Each college had their own workshop around the same table. Next year I'll be there again. Next year the annual Craft Expo in Rovaniemi Lapland will be held 17.-18.4.2026. I will be there again on Saturday 17.4. showing up some other artisan work. You are always welcome to pop in and chat. We don't sell anything, we share only the information. There will be also craft/artisan small business to sell their products.

I designed and made these beautiful RainbowMittens No1 for the show in Rovaniemi. I used Novita 7 veljestä yarn (80 % wool, 20 % polyamide) (100 g = 200 m) for both blue and rainbow yarn. They are made by Shepherd's crochet.

Shepherd'sCrochetHat

Do you remember my AAW Mittens No10? I designed and made a hat for them! I used our own AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool and 10% nylon) (100g = 238m). I plant dyed the yarns with coffee and tea. It is ethic and sustain produced wool and dye. Also, it is a slow craft and FashionNOW. It is very warm and He loves it!

AAW Mittens No10

I have fell in love with this new method Shepherd's crochet I learnt only in this year in January. Just few weeks ago. In January I made similar looking pair of mittens but in green shades. Actually they differ from each other. I designed the difference in increasing the stitches. Both are slim fit designs to be able to use these mitten under bigger ones to create more warmth when needed. Or, when it's warmer they are perfect to be used on their own.

I used our own AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool and 10% nylon) (100g = 238m). I plant dyed the yarns with coffee and tea. It is ethic and sustain produced wool and dye. It is a slow craft. And they are FashionNOW. 

AAW Mittens No9

Just 2 weeks ago I learned this new craft technique: Shepherd's crochet. I introduced it to my students at my working place at Tornio community college. Last week a student started to make mittens by using this method, but she had few wonders and open questions in the project. 

That's why I started to work with the Shepherd's crochet mittens to find out the issue she wondered and see what is the point. We can't know all, none can, not even a professional teacher. By the way, teacher's job is not to know everything, it is to help your students to know what they need and want to know. And that's why I have the promise for my students; if they want to learn something I can't, we learn together. 

At 1st I planned to start the same instruction like my student, but then I realized I had similar mittens for about 25 years ago. I received them as a gift from a friend. Shepherd's crochet is not so stretching sideways. Your thumb needs that in wither action from the mittens & gloves. That's why I designed another type of Shepherd's mittens you see around here.

I used plant dyed (different shades of reed) AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool and 10% nylon) (100g = 238m). I used the last remaining left over yarns I have from my projects WaterGrassVest OOW, NB Hat No2 and PolarBears AAW. It really is slow craft and FashionNOW. They are very warm, thick and durable mittens. That's why I like Shepherd's crochet, and have already started another project with this design of my own; because He wants a pair too. 

And yes, I figured out the answer for my student's wonder & question. 💕

Learning new is good for your mental heath! And brains! Two weeks ago I had just tried out this method and now I have my own designed mittens! WOW! 

LearningNew

This weekend I have tried out two craft techniques I don't know beforehand. This is knooking. It is interesting but so slow. I am a fast Scandinavian style knitter so I really don't see idea of using knooking for big projects.😅

 

This is Shepherd's crochet but it has several other names: for example Tunisian crochet and Dutch knitting. This neither is any speed record but I like this one and see many options to make small items like thick mittens by it. This one I will -for sure- use in the future.