Erna Jansons' Books on Latvian Mitten Designs and Latvian Textiles

Ordering information for Erna Jansons' books Latvian Mitten Designs and Latvian Style Wall Hangings and Pillow Designs can be found below.

Erna is a 96-year-old Latvian woman with a lot to share. I wrote about her in a prior blog post here.

Her first book, Latvian Mitten Designs (Latviešu cimdu raksti), was published when Erna was 85 years old. 100 original hand-painted mitten designs are featured along with some Latvian history and instructions on how to properly size a Latvian mitten. All photos are in full color for ease of color charting. This book is an inspiration for anyone in love with the brilliantly-colored patterns found in Latvian mittens. Specific knitting technique instructions are not included.

Her latest book, Latvian Style Wall Hangings and Pillow Designs (Sienas segu un spilvenu meti latviskā stilā) was published just this year. 73 beautiful hand-painted designs are featured along with some biographical information about Erna and historical information about traditional Latvian wall hangings. These designs are intended for use with weaving or embroidery techniques but would also be great for rug hooking and other textile arts. Traditional Latvian motifs and colors are used by Erna in her unique and beautiful style.

 

The books are written in both English and Latvian and showcase her unique hand-painted designs. 

Edited to add: Thanks for your interest. The books are sold out. Erna Jansons passed away in May 2017.

Knitting Up a Storm!

Precisely at 4:30 pm on Saturday, September 10, 2016, the scheduled time for the third annual Walk & Knit Event at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, the winds picked up and rain started pouring down. But rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of participants or spectators, nor could it stop the Walk & Knit event from happening. We grabbed our knitting bags and went into a nearby building for a short 5-10 minute delay before heading back outside to begin the race.

So many prizes had been donated to be distributed among the top three winning teams. The bags of prizes were popped into a nearby Subaru and kept dry during the brief downpour. Disaster averted.

Eight teams with a total of 31 people participated in this year’s Walk & Knit, trying to walk (or run or skip) as fast as possible while still knitting as many stitches as they could without making mistakes like dropped stitches. 

The Starting Line: Get Ready, Get Set, Knit!

Fifteen volunteers made the event possible by registering teams, organizing the start line, working the time clocks, recording times, photographing the event, judging the knitting, and counting the stitches. Sixty-five spectators (as tabulated by our volunteer accountant) gathered to cheer on their favorite teams. Thanks to all who came for making this a fun and worthwhile event, raising money to support youth activities related to wool.

The winning team was the returning championship team from 2014, Fox Valley Spinning Guild, headed by Ann Krieg and including Tracy Pokrzywa, Brian Howard, and Annie Modesitt.

The (Very Excited) Winning Team

The Madison Knitting Guild provided volunteers and also put together the second place team of: Susan DuCharme, Nicole DuCharme, and Mary Kaiser.

Madison Knitting Guild Members: Second Place Team and Volunteers

The third place team, “By the Shore,” was anchored by Paula Prim, Debbie Lloyd, Emily Roman, and Kendra Ford.

"By the Shore" Team Members, just before the storm hit

All teams safely crossed the finish line, due in part to our compliance with OSHA regulations mandating the use of circular knitting needles rather than double pointed needles when walking while knitting. ;)

You can find out more about prior Walk & Knit events in my previous blog posts here, here, and here.