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"Clear illustrations of techniques and stitches as well as wonderful photographs of actual Nordic knitters make this book a welcome addition to any serious knitter's library. There is plenty of information about wool — the best fiber for knitting — from sheep to finished product. It even has instructions for washing a finished Nordic sweater." — Life Community Church
Richly illustrated with photos, charts, and drawings, this guide to Scandinavian knitting features patterns for a wealth of handmade treasures. More than 100 graphed patterns in the authentic Nordic tradition include children's and adults' sweaters, jackets, caps, mittens, stockings, and shawls. Simple in cut and striking in decoration, the patterns are based on practical and aesthetic values.
After a brief look at the historical development of wool into yarn, the Introduction provides tips on using the right tools, following patterns, incorporating designs, and making edgings and decorative borders. Above all, this book offers suggestions for adapting classic patterns to suit individual needs and to express personal tastes. In addition to scores of helpful diagrams, the chatty and informative text is complemented with many photos of finished projects as well as historical images depicting people dressed in these beautiful sweaters, hats, and other forms of wearable art.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780486794914 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 04/07/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 20 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Knitting in the Nordic Tradition
By Vibeke Lind, Annette Allen Jensen
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 1998 Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. under the title KNITTING IN THE NORDIC TRADITION.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-79491-4
CHAPTER 1
Wool for knitting
Having the right yarn for the work is a must, and under the Nordic skies it has been natural from early times to use the wool of sheep. For one thing, wool has been readily available, and for another, wool has many qualities that are valuable in the climate.
Woolen clothes give a comfortable warmth in cold weather but can also seem cool on a warm summer day. The millions of tiny air pockets formed by the frizzy fibers that make up the woollen thread provide excellent insulation.
A knitted textile is very elastic, and the wool fibers themselves are elastic, too. A wool fiber can be stretched to more than 50% of its original length and contract to its normal length again. This elasticity makes a woollen garment relatively wrinkle proof, and if it does wrinkle, the creases will usually hang out.
From wool to yarn
The sheep are sheared once or twice a year, depending on the breed. There is a difference between annual and semi-annual wool.
Before the wool can be treated, it must be cleaned. Oil, sweat, plant scraps, and other particles can be removed by washing the wool carefully in soft water. Long ago the sheep themselves were washed before being sheared because it was easier to dry the wool while still on the animal.
Spinning principles
The wool can be spun according to two different principles: worsted spinning and card yarn spinning.
Worsted yarn is spun from particularly long fibers that are stretched and combed; any short fibers are combed out. The long fibers are arranged parallel to one another so that the thread becomes smooth and firm when spun. Worsted yarn is considered the most durable.
For card yarn, short, kinky fibers are used. Weak and strong fibers are mixed together in the process of carding the wool. Card wool is not stretched; the fibers are not parallel to one another. The result is an airy, fuzzy yarn which is warm but not especially strong.
When worsted is knit the threads can be seen easily and the patterns stand out clearly.
The patterns are more diffuse and blurry when knit with the " fuzzy" card yarn. If the knitwear is brushed up or fulled it will become so thick and close that the stitches will be completely concealed.
If you wish to use a stronger and more even yarn, you can spin two or more threads together. The small irregularities that are sometimes found in spun yarn disappear if the yarn is twisted.
The significance of yarn
How the yarn is spun and twisted, whether it is thick or thin, soft or hard, determines the appearance of knitwear. The success of a piece is dependent upon how well the yarn and the method of knitting are combined.
There will always be unexplored combinations of knitting patterns and yarn qualities. The endless variations of knitting forms in connection with the structure of the yarn produce many different qualities, which can be typed from hard wearing to light and airy.
Shown here are some examples of typical yarn qualities and patterns that are of ten found in the Nordic knitting tradition.
"Damask knitting" is patterns knit with the help of purl stitches, which stand out in relief against a stockinette stitch background. The technique is used to copy woven damask motifs. The patterns are seen most clearly when they are knit tightly with smooth yarn.
A plain pattern for everyday use taken from an old Danish men's sweater (alternate: one row knit, one row k 1, p 1). The character of this pattern changes completely when many different yarns are used together.
Multicolored knitting in an old Norwegian border design, natural black on a white background. Using fine yarn and thin needles, you can obtain a very clear design.
Unspun yarn that is brushed up after it has been knit creates an extra insulating layer in the knit work. Characteristic for Iceland is knitting with wool in its natural colors - white, light gray, and brownish black.
Pattern play in black and white. The machine-made yarn has purposely been given the unevenness characteristic of hand-spun yarn.
Diagonal knitting with hand-spun dog's hair. Interest in hand-spun yarn has grown immensely and many people experiment with spinning non-traditional materials. Still, it was not uncommon earlier to mix the hair of other animals with wool to make a stronger yarn.
Plain lace pattern knit with thin, single-thread Icelandic wool.
Winding yarn
Yarn bought in skeins must be wound into balls and this is best done so that the yarn comes out from the center of the ball while knitting.
First wind the yarn a few times around your second finger and the thumb of your left hand.
Then fold the two loops together and wind the yarn around them while holding onto the short end. Be careful not to wind the yarn so tight that it stretches, for that may make the knitting uneven and too firm. Hold the ball by inserting your thumb in the center, continuing to hold the loose end. Turn the ball regularly so that it grows evenly, and every now and then, wrap the yarn a few times around your thumb at the base of the ball.
Finally, wind the yarn a few times around the middle and fasten the loose end here. This will prevent the ball from rolling away from you while knitting.
A ball wound in this way is also practical when you knit with two strands of yarn. You can use the yarn from the center and from the outside at the same time.
Tools
All that is needed to knit is yarn and needles. You should select the knitting needles according to the kind of knitting you plan to do; there are many possibilities. With two needles you can knit back and forth. To knit in rounds, four or five needles tapered at both ends are required, or a circular needle. The circular needle is of recent origin. Earlier as many as ten needles were used to make a circular-knit sweater.
It is a good idea to have a large assortment of needles on hand in various materials and sizes. For certain kinds of knitting, the needles should not be too slippery and wooden needles would be preferable.
When people knit commercially, two often worked on the piece at once.
In some patterns it is very important to be able to change from one needle size to another. Increasing and decreasing can be avoided in some cases by using thicker or thinner needles. It is common to use thinner needles for the thumbs of mittens and the heels of socks to make the knitting firmer and improve the wearing quality.
When you try to gather a set of stocking needles, it can be difficult to see whether they are all the same size. You can test them by making a hole in a piece of paper with each needle and measuring the holes to see if the diameters are the same. Additionally, you can control whether or not the needles and the yarn harmonize by passing the yarn end through the hole made by the needle. You can purchase several kinds of tools for measuring needles that will give the sizes in millimeters.
Finally, objects like a pair of scissors, a measuring tape, stitch holders, crochet hooks and the like are practical to have on hand.
About patterns
How many stitches and what size needle one should use for a certain pattern depends on the individual. Most people have probably discovered that a garment knit with a given number of stitches either ends up being much larger or smaller than expected.
Some people knit loosely and others tightly, and only the most experienced are able to maintain an even tension throughout the whole work. Both physical and psychological conditions can be influential; weather and fatigue can hamper the free movement of your fingers. The patterns shown in this book are therefore simple in shape, and the size of the needles and the type of yarn are given. Possible difficulties are described and the technical details that are emphasized are discussed thoroughly. For the inexperienced it is helpful to be able to concentrate on patterns and colors and learning to trust one's own judgement rather than to become involved with complicated fittings.
The expert should, from his or her experience and understanding, be able to use the models shown for inspiration and go on to change, improve, and invent new models from the basic ones.
Remember!
It is important to make calculations, to knit gauge swatches and compare the results. Before you start a piece of knitting, you should know how many stitches and rows there are in one centimeter. Naturally you have to knit a larger sample in order to make an exact measurement. The small diagrams shown with the models are guides to how many stitches across and how many rows it takes to make ten square centimeters.
Before you measure a gauge swatch let it rest a few hours so that the yarn can retract to its original structure.
Symbols
If you describe a knitting pattern only in words, misunderstandings can easily arise. That is why stitch symbols and diagrams are used.
At the same time it is convenient to have simple symbols for the most common knitting stitches when you want to record your own experiments.
Beside each pattern, there is a key to the symbols used.
Repeats
When you want to illustrate a pattern, it is most clear when repeated once or twice, but as you follow the directions you need only the number of stitches and rows that comprise one repeat.
Some patterns are best illustrated like cross-stitch patterns, where one square equals one stitch. This system can be used for either multicolored knitting or damask knitting where you alternate knit and purl stitches.
For other knitting patterns symbols are used to indicate different stitches.
CHAPTER 2Possibilities with knitting
Knit work has a distinctive elastic quality that allows a garment to take the shape of the body. What's more, knitting technique makes it possible to shape a work without cutting. In order to control the design it is necessary to know the basic elements of knitting.
Knitting and purling
It is questionable whether there are one or two basic stitches in knitting, for a knit stitch automatically forms a purl stitch on the wrong side of the work. Not until one purposely alternates knit stitches and purl stitches can one exploit their possibilities creatively. These two stitches are the basis of all more or less complicated and ingenious knitting techniques.
Vertical effects
Looking closely at the right side of a stockinette stitch work, you will observe a slightly grooved vertical stripe. The knitting is elastic in the width. This effect is heightened by ribbing. The wider the ribbing, the deeper the grooves.
If you wish to give the knitting more stability, you must reduce the elasticity of the ribbing. The simplest way is to stagger the ribbing at regular intervals.
Horizontal effects
The wrong side of a stockinette stitch work has a distinct horizontal pattern, contrary to the vertically striped appearance of the right side.
If you wish to emphasize the horizontal effect, use the so-called garter stitch that is done by knitting only knit stitches, back and forth; or knit in rounds alternating one row of knitting and one row of purling. The right and wrong sides will be identical.
Decorative patterns with knit and purl stitches
Many knitting patterns have their origin in an attempt to copy other textile techniques, most frequently weaving. In Denmark purl stitches have commonly been used on a stockinette background to form patterns. Many of the patterns were taken from damask cloths in which the most is made of the difference between rough and smooth surfaces, the characteristics of right and wrong sides of the fabric.
Free garter stitch knitting
By working with just knit stitches in many variations, you can achieve unexpected results that you eventually will be able to obtain deliberately. If you use double-pointed needles, you can start each row with a new yarn as you wish. By shifting between thick and thin needles, irregularly spun yarn and fine yarn, you can develop other variations. You can increase and decrease as you please as long as you keep the same total number of stitches. Maintain the balance at all times. The larger the piece of knitting, the greater the distance can be between repeats.
Shaping by increasing and decreasing
You can shape a garment as you knit it. You can make it larger by increasing the number of stitches or smaller by decreasing.
Additionally you can use increasing and decreasing in a decorative manner - to make a zigzag pattern or a slanting pattern - as long as you remember to add the number you subtract, or vice versa, if you want to maintain the same total number of stitches.
Horizontal zigzagging
You can make a zigzag border like the one seen below by increasing and decreasing. Basically this pattern is the same as that seen at the lower right on page 19; however, you increase and decrease during the first five rows of the repeat.
Knit bias tape
This sample is knit with six stitches. 1st row: slip the 1st stitch onto the right needle, pick up the strand that joins the 1st and 2nd stitches with the left needle and knit it like a turned knit stitch, then k 3, slip 1 stitch, k 1, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. 2nd row: purl. Repeat these two rows.
Vertical zigzagging
A vertical zigzag design is shown in this openwork pattern. You can shift from a right to a left slant and vice versa by following these two repeats: wrap the yarn around the needle, k 2 stitches together twice, wrap the yarn around the needle. 2nd row: purl. In this sample the slant is changed every seventh row.
Openwork knitting
To obtain a loose, openwork effect you can make eyelets in the knitting by increasing and decreasing an equal number of stitches. In the simplest form, the pattern calls for eyelets that are close together, all knit on the same row so as to maintain the same total number of stitches.
The more complicated patterns may call for increasing a number of times in one row and decreasing correspondingly several rows later.
In some patterns you increase and decrease only on the right side of the work while you simply knit or purl on the wrong side. In others, you increase and decrease on both sides.
The most common way to increase is to wrap the yarn around the needle because this makes the desired eyelet in the knitting, but there are several ways to decrease, each of which has its own decorative effect.
By using these different techniques in various combinations, you can knit lace.
Pattern effects on both the right and wrong sides
By repeating two movements continuously - wrap the yarn around the needle, knit two together - on both right and wrong sides, you achieve a net-like open effect.
Pattern effects on only one side
If you use the same two stitch combinations - wrap the yarn around the needle, knit two together - but only on the right side of the knitting, the pattern will be at a slant to the right or the left, depending upon whether the wrapping is done before or after the decreasing.
To reduce the slant, alternate between one row of wrapping first and one row of decreasing first.
Eyelet
It is clear from the two previous examples that "wrap the yarn around the needle, knit two together" makes holes in the knitting. If you want to have a vertical row of distinct eyelet, you should knit three rows of stockinette stitch between each row of eyelet.
Large eyelet
An eyelet can be made larger by knitting two, three, or even more stitches in the same wrapping on the return row, just as you can make the wrapping more open by turning the yarn around the needle twice.
Multicolored knitting
Multicolored knitting is characteristic of Scandinavian work. The design is often geometric with either vertical or horizontal stripes or with small, simple motifs that are repeated at short intervals.
Some motifs are several hundred years old. Originally the wool was used in its natural colors - white to light brown to black - but now and then red, indigo blue, and different plant dyes were used.
The technique
Most frequently the knitting is done with two different colors at once, and the color that is not used is carried along the wrong side of the knitting. The work acquires the character of woven cloth and loses some of its elasticity, but it has another important quality, for the material is double thickness and thus insulates better.
In Scandinavia nowadays one carries the knitting yarn over the left index finger. Earlier it was common to knit with the yarn over the right index finger.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Knitting in the Nordic Tradition by Vibeke Lind, Annette Allen Jensen. Copyright © 1998 Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. under the title KNITTING IN THE NORDIC TRADITION.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Wool for knitting,From wool to yarn,
The significance of yarn,
Tools,
About patterns,
Possibilities with knitting,
Knitting and purling,
Shaping by increasing and decreasing,
Openwork knitting,
Multicolored knitting,
Casting on and off,
Edgings,
Sweaters and shirts,
Knitting in rounds,
Flat knitting,
Measuring,
Stockinette stitch sweater knit in rounds with cut armholes,
Damask shirt - patterned knitting with knit and purl stitches,
Shirts with horizontal stripes,
Coarse sweaters/the Icelanders,
Sweaters become jackets,
The Norwegian peasant louse coat,
Fully patterned sweaters and jacket borders,
Old patterns collected from different places in the Nordic countries,
Raglan shape with yoke patterns,
Delicate blouses with lace knitting,
"Aunt Anna" blouses,
Two fulled smocks,
Shawls and scarves,
Garter stitch triangular shawl. Basic form I,
Triangular shawl Basic form II,
Double-triangle shawl increased from the neck. Basic form III,
Double-triangle shawl increased from the lower edge. Basic form IV,
Shawl with picot casting on and patterned borders,
Faroese shawl,
Tied shawl with lace and edging,
Semi-circular shawl knit with gussets,
Caps,
Cap with multicolored borders,
Cap with turned up double edge,
Simple cap with multicolored knitting,
Cap with patterned border on the fold and shaped crown,
Cap with patterned crown,
Cap with staggered pattern,
Cap with lace casting on, openwork pattern, and decreasing in spirals,
Casting off and shaping the crown,
Cap with slanted, asymmetrical casting off,
Striped cap with symmetrical casting off,
Striped cap with decreasing at alternating angles,
Double cap with turned up, patterned border,
Double-knit cap using two balls of yarn,
Double-knit cap using two needles,
Caps knit vertically,
Mittens,
Decreasing at the top of the mitten,
Different thumbs,
Three simple mittens of loosly spun yarn,
Embroidered mittens with fringed cuffs,
Fully patterned mittens,
Mittens with bird pattern,
Mittens with cloverleaf border - different ways to knit with two strands of yarn,
Gloves in a single color with ribbed cuffs,
Gloves with the "Selbu Star",
Stockings,
Spiral knit stockings without heels,
Calculating stocking measurements,
Knee stockings,
Rustic stockings with hourglass heels,
Foot-shaped sock,
Sandal socks,
Hose - leg warmers,
Decorative or functional?,
Treatment of woollen clothes,
Rules for Washing and Fulling,
Index,
Register of Photographs,