Knitting This Week
Topic: nordic knitting

This one's for Elizabeth, my fellow Children In Common knitfriend. She's the organizer of the CIC LIST that coordinates donated knit/crocheted/woven clothing for the thousands of kids in orphanages in the former Soviet Union. She's a sock knitting fiend, also.

The reindeer chart got tweaked a little in anticipation of multiple sock sizes ahead, and I am not happy with the color placement on the border charts, but a New Idea came to me last night and I'll work on it later this evening. (Pattern is on its way, E).

And, I finished another colorway for the Nordic Knitting Retreats. I like dark sweaters, and using black as a licing color gets me there while allowing for a real color as the base.

Dark sweaters are very practical to wear everyday, and HEILO is the best wearing 100% wool yarn I've ever knitted with. I plan to make my everyday sweaters and socks out of it from now on.

Dancing Reindeer
Topic: nordic knitting

Done, ends woven in, washed, blocked, worn twice and now photographed for the pattern.

I opted to make this tunic length, for I live in leggings and BIG handknit socks all winter.

I just need some reindeer socks to go with it.

Writing Patterns

(Pat...the duck above is for you, and will be included in the optional chart patterns for the Nordic Knitting Retreats at Cape Ann and The Catskills).

I was chatting in the shop yesterday about writing patterns. I LOVE to write patterns! I look forward to that part of any knitting project. It does take a fair amount of time, and I am constantly challenged by making stupid mistakes, but using all my computer skills and workhorse software is enormously helpful. And satisfying.

I rely on my digital camera for shots of difficult parts in the pattern (one picture is truly worth a thousand words) as well as a final all-over photo; Microsoft EXCEL to work out all the math as I carve out the sizes I want to include (and many thanks to Dee who helped me understand how to use it!), Microsoft WORD to write and format the pattern; EXCEL to create the charts (it works easily and beautifully!) and my humble calculator when there is so much going on in EXCEL that I can't see the forest for the trees.

Literally.

For instance, the pattern for the LUSKOFTE IN THE WOODS (or Lice in The Woods Sweater...which title do you prefer?) has a lovely ring of pine trees at the base of the yoke. The chart stitch repeat is 15. There are 12 adult sizes from 38 through 60". That's 12 sets of numbers that have to be decreased around equally and logically so that the pine trees fit where they should AND so they look good arranged on the sweater AND so the decreases do not cause bunching, etc. This is a job for EXCEL to keep track of, but for me and my little calculator to consider from size to size, pondering as we go.

Math is an amazing companion in tracking a sweater's changes, and I am grateful for its power and predictability. I am even more grateful for the work of Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen, who opened designing doors for me in the 70's. With one piece of paper, a gauge swatch, sweater measurements and a percentage concept of clothing a body, anyone can knit a sweater that fits. This is the legacy we knitters come from, for back in the fishing villages where knitting thrived in centuries past, there were no patterns, yet, everyone wore sweaters.

...getting closer
Topic: nordic knitting

It is always a shame a circularly knit stranded sweater cannot look as good as it will be while it is still on the needles. But, I am nearing the end and wanted to share. I have taken my time knitting this (although I do have a deadline which looms over me) in order to protect my hands/wrists/arms/back. So I do only a few inches a day. I am on round 42 of the 63 round yoke, and with all the decreasing, I may finish it tonight.

I snuck in some short rows between chart changes, and all told there will be almost a 2" higher back when I hit the top. This pleases me enormously, as the fit will be that much better.

I am thinking a stand up collar would be a snappy finish, to match the hem style at the cuffs/bottom edge.

Stay tuned.

While I am working on this sweater, the next one is dancing in my head.

So many good sweater ideas, so little time....

Knitting Olympics

Knitting blogland is alive with news and plans for the Knitting Olympics. Embroiled in my own deadlines, I cannot participate, but I am enjoying chatter about the event.

Beadlizard has summarized the most incredibly helpful information about protecting your muscles while production knitting and I highly recommend her advice.

Sleeping with your arms in the right position will do much to help your muscles relax. It takes some work to achieve this, but it is well worth it in the long run.

Nordic Hat (Lice In The Woods)
Topic: nordic knitting

So, here is the hat the Cape Ann and Rip Van Winkle Nordic Knitting Retreats will be making as a gauge swatch for their sweaters. It will also be the topic of the March 11 KNITTING LAB at Countrywool, where we will concentrate on the two-handed color knitting technique that makes this sort of project knit faster and with less muss and fuss.

The pattern and a Pattern/Yarn pack is also available at Countrywool. The pattern comes in 6 sizes from toddler through men's extra large, and the kit includes Heilo Norwegian wool yarn in the colors of your choice.

Nordic Sweater Yoke Ideas
Topic: nordic knitting

I am lost in design land as I ponder color stitch patterns for the yoke of the adult Nordic Sweater. February 1 is the day I will start knitting the yoke, as the body (all 18" of it) is done.

I have made dozens of yoke sweaters, and Meg Swansen's version of the EPS percentage system is the route I will take: there will be 5 rounds of decrease from underarm to neck while color patterns dance along the way. The trick is to find charts that will work with this concept AND please the sweater design.

A wonderful, wonderful snowflake appeared in my life last week in a 1972 copy of Women's Day Sweater Ideas (how I worshiped those issues...remember when we couldn't get ANYTHING knit related at the grocery store except for that, and only ONCE a year?!?) It is, however, 30 rows high. By my calculations, the yoke of my sweater will be 9" x 7 rows/inch which means 63 rounds deep. The stellar snowflake will interfere with the decreasing rounds, so I will probably not use it.

Blast.

But, I have always had reindeer in my brain, much to the dismay of my Knit Night buddies. They are waiting to see what I pull out of my sleeve on this one and are voting for sheep, ducks or something esoteric. But, I have always wanted my own reindeer sweater. What's wrong with tradition? (And I'll end up writing the pattern with optional charts for their knitting pleasure because I adore them).

There are three knitting books that I have been spending quality time with this past week: two by Annemor Sundbo (Everyday Knitting , Setesdal Sweaters) and one by Annichen Sibbern Bohn (Norwegian Knitting Designs). The variety of reindeer in them is mind boggling, and I think I will find happiness and design bliss when I crunch stitch numbers later today.

Slogging Away
Topic: stranded knitting
January is all about numbers and bookwork for me because of the business, and I get cranky. I would much rather be creating something new. So, I managed to squeeze in a new array for yarn display in the shop (my daughter and I moved about 3000 skeins of yarn yesterday). But, that's as far as it can go until I get all the forms/numbers/check statements/inventory logged and accounted for.

In this month of Nothing New On The Needles, I am pretty content, to my surprise, knitting away on the body part of the Nordic Sweater for the Cape Ann Knitting Retreat in March. I HAD wanted this to be done by Jan 1 so I could get to the writing of the pattern before the last minute, but if I try not to worry about THAT, then I am having a good time.

I have been knitting with two colors in two hands for many years, but this is the first BIG project knitting with a new way of holding the yarn in my right hand. Since I learned Continental knitting with my left hand (and had become quite speedy!) I had neglected retraining my right hand to be more efficient than the taught-to-me-by-my-mom-pick-up-wrap-put-down method.

And, now when I wrap the yarn identically around my right hand to match the left, I have included a wrap around the pinkie finger to control tension. This keeps the yarn in place on my right hand between stitches, and makes the whole process very efficient.

With the miles of body licing I am knitting right now, I am getting a LOT of practice. And I am getting noticeably faster.

It's all good.

...the clock is ticking
The Felted Footies are felted...

Bob's sweater is done:

and blocked:

I even managed to make 3 hats this past week, spin 5 oz of angora, reknit the cuffs on a pair of mittens and get everything wrapped.

I'm on a roll.....

Powerful socks
Topic: stranded knitting

2005 was the year I started to learn and practice yoga. It has become a centering point in my life, and I work to find time to practice every day. For me yoga is first a stretching and strengthening of my muscles, and then a calming, meditative balm for my mind. Muscles that used to kink up and cause pain after 4 hours of knitting, have found a way to fully relax. It's all good.

My Knit Nite group all practice yoga, and one of them is my yoga teacher, whom I adore. With the holidays up and coming, I wanted to create something festively yoga for them.

Thus, Proud Warrior Socks were born. One of the poses in yoga, Proud Warrior brings confidence, balance and strength to the student. This is what Knit Nite does for all of us attending, too, so it is a fitting logo for these socks.

Practicing yoga in the winter in chilly spaces includes the use of layers of clothing. While the active poses are best done on a non-skid surface in bare feet, once seated/floor positions begin, your feet can get cold. Socks that require two hands to put on/pull off will slow you down. These socks are knit with a much wider cuff to facilitate a fast removal. I knit these with Regal wool from Briggs and Little, stranding the vines/warriors in as I went.