[FIN] Wool Mittens

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Martti

Full Member
Mar 12, 2011
919
18
Finland
Today I'm going to review mittens used by the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) from the 1930s to the end of the 1980s. The material used in the mittens is compromised of 75 % wool and 25 % acrylic threads. The dimensions of a mitten are around 29.5 in length and 13.5 cm in width, variation is possible due of the different kind of enviroments the mittens have been used during the years. All the mittens I have are made in 1988 by Finnish company Loimineule Oy at the city of Tampere.

The mittens follow the traditional Finnish pattern, i.e. they are not round at the end but rather square. As in the wool sweaters of the era, the mittens also have a dark blue decorative ring dyed on them. However it does correspond to the size of the mittens as it does on the FDF wool socks as these are "one size fit all" mittens. They have a special reinforced trigger finger "exit" above the thumb. The wrist is knitted in fisherman's rib pattern, making it more elastic than the rest of the mitten. The thickness of the knit and thus the thickness of the mittens is around 8 mm. In overall these are a fine piece of handwear to those that have a right sized hand.

mitten.jpg


mitten2.jpg
 

Martti

Full Member
Mar 12, 2011
919
18
Finland
These are still available through the Finnish Defence Forces' surplus stores with a price tag of 2.10€ per pair. I used them throughout the winter and the only fault I have found is that they are only available in one size.
 

Andy BB

Full Member
Apr 19, 2010
3,290
1
Hampshire
I've got a pair of these - can't remember where from though (probably a market stall in Oslo, come to think of it). I sewed up the trigger-finger hole, as I didn't need it, and it keeps the hands warmer. Nice bit of kit.
 

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