While listening to Greizie Rati, one of the riddles was as follows:

**Krustām, šķērsām taisīts koka aploks -- ganiņš gana tūkstošiem aitiņu.**  
_A corral made of criss-crossed wood, a shepherd shepherds thousands of little
sheep._

The answer? Knitting! More precisely, knitting on double-pointed needles.

I've recently taken up knitting myself and I thought the riddle was an
amazingly cute way to refer to it. Latvians have a culture rich in textiles of
all sorts, but particularly in linen and wool. Their patterns are complex and
colorful, with Latvian mittens in particular being very popular among knitters
around the world.

If you're lucky enough to be in Latvia during Christmas, you should go to one
of the Christmas Markets. If you're too early, don't despair! All throughout
Vecrīga, little stands will be set up with all sorts of holiday items,
including lots and lots of _cimdi_ and _zeķes_. (Of course, many such stands
are up all the time, but more show up around Christmas.) You can even find
such stands in malls like Ostmala and Kurzeme in Liepāja. You can't pass up a
good pair of mittens or socks, knitted by hand and super-warm.

  * **vilna** : wool [slider title="decline me"] _vilna_ , f, 4. dekl.  
_vsk_.: vilna, vilnas, vilnai, vilnu, ar vilnu, vilnā  
_dsk_.: vilnas, vilnu, vilnām, vilnas, ar vilnām, vilnās[/slider]

Wool, much as in English, is primarily used in the singular. It's considered
basically uncountable. (Ever try to count a sheep's hairs? Yeah, good luck.) A
sheepskin would be an _aitāda_ , a fleece would be a _cirpums no vienas aitas_
which translates to "the shearing from a single sheep", and _vilna_ refers to
the fluff that makes up yarn and textiles or is processed into such.

  * **aita** : sheep, mutton [slider title="decline me"] _aita_ , f, 4. dekl.  
_vsk_.: aita, aitas, aitai, aitu, ar aitu, aitā  
_dsk_.: aitas, aitu, aitām, aitas, ar aitām, aitās[/slider]

Interestingly, Latvians do not have separate words for the animal and the
meat. Some, like pork, might get gaļa (meat) added on. Aita does not.

  * **cimdi** : mittens [slider title="decline me"] _cimdi_ , m, 1. dekl.  
_vsk_.: cimds, cimda, cimdam, cimdu, ar cimdu, cimdā  
_dsk_.: cimdi, cimdu, cimdiem, cimdus, ar cimdiem, cimdos[/slider]

Latvian maidens used to knit many, many pairs of mittens for their dowries.
Usually this would be between 50 and 80 pairs, according to some historical
references I've found, but some maidens (who apparently really got on a roll)
would produce several _hundred_ pairs of mittens! (One reportedly had a stash
of 800 pairs. Now that's a knitter!) As with other elements of the traditional
dress in Latvia, every area has its own individual patterns and colors.

A great reference (and one I still need to buy for myself) is [Latvian
Mittens/Latviešu Cimdi: Traditional Designs &
Techniques](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942018141?ie=UTF8&tag=thekitmou-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0942018141)
by Lizbeth Upitis. This book not only has patterns and color reference
pictures of mittens from all over Latvia, but it is dual-language!

  * **adata** : needle [slider title="decline me"] _adata_ , f, 4. dekl.  
_vsk_.: adata, adatas, adatai, adatu, ar adatu, adatā  
_dsk_.: adatas, adatu, adatām, adatas, ar adatām, adatās[/slider]

No Wednesday on knitting would be complete without the trademark of a knitter:
the needles. In fact, that's even where the verb comes from, which we'll see
below.

  * **adīt** : to knit [slider title="conjugate me"] _adīt_ , 3. konj. (mixed)  
_tag._ adu, adi, ada, adām, adāt  
_pag._ adīju, adīji, adīja, adījām, adījāt  
_nak._ adīšu, adīsi, adīs, adīsim, adīsiet / adīsit  
_pav._ adi, adiet [/slider]

Added bonus: Any knitter who reads this will immediately think, "Yes, but how
do I purl?" Unlike in English, it actually makes sense in Latvian. After all,
a knit is a purl, only backwards.

**adīt kreiliski** : to knit left-handedly : to purl

  * **zeķe** : sock [slider title="decline me"] _zeķe_ , f, 5. dekl.  
_vsk_.: zeķe, zeķes, zeķei, zeķi, ar zeķi, zeķē  
_dsk_.: zeķes, zeķu, zeķēm, zeķes, ar zeķēm, zeķēs [/slider]

Hand-knit socks are marvelous things. I have two pairs: a cream lace pair and
a grey kitty pair. Totally worth it. My mother-in-law gave me the cream pair
to keep me warm in the hospital (and I have thanked her ever since).