Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Get a Little Nordic Knitting in Your Life

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Traditional nordic knits

I’m sending this one to Patty.

This time of year might seem a little silly for knitting hats, mittens, gloves and socks in the Nordic tradition, but hear me out. These projects tend to be kind of small, so they’re great for travel knitting, and even if you’re a slow knitter, if you start now you’ll have a good supply of warmth-bringing knits (or holiday presents) before the weather turns cold again.

Traditional Nordic Knits: Over 40 Hats, Mittens, Gloves, and Socks by Johanna Wallin helps to keep the techniques and colors of Nordic knitting alive with small-scale projects that are full of color (two colors, anyway) but are unintimidating for learning the skills.

From the press release:

The classic Nordic knitting tradition is a widely-respected — and increasingly popular — source of exquisite patterns and design inspiration all over the world. Now, with Traditional Nordic Knits, get a glimpse into the rich history and heritage of this beloved cornerstone of needlecraft. 15 time-honored Scandinavian patterns become over 40 different projects, gracing mitten, gloves, hats, and socks through designs suitable for all levels of experience. Each project is accompanied by an example of a historic knitted item and a fascinating explanation of the pattern’s background and origin. With over 80 full-color photographs, this book will make a stunning addition to any knitter’s library.

Projects on Ravelry

If you’d like to get your hands on this piece of knitting history, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, June 11. I’d love to know if you knit with the seasons or if you knit the same kinds of things all the time. I’m pretty much a knit anything at any time kind of person (right now I’m working on a sock and a crocheted [!] scarf).

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  1. Hi, I love nordic knitting. I pretty much knit anything no matter what the season if I see something I like i’ll knit it 🙂 Thanks for sharing

  2. I don’t always change projects or yarns with the seasons, but I’m certainly putting aside the on-piece throw I’m knitting in all wool until next fall. I might get some work done on it when the air conditioning is turned up later in the summer. Right now, I’m working on a smaller blanket done in squares and with cotton, which happens to be seasonally appropriate for where I live.

  3. I mostly knit small things, and live in a temperate climate, so my knitting is not seasonal. Right now, I’m working on a Christmas stocking. Before that, it was several hats, and a couple of toys.

  4. I tend to knit sweaters and blankets in the cooler months and switch to socks, accessories and toys as the weather warms up!

  5. As I knit many birthday presents I tend to knit what is needed and not according to time of year. I do try to avoid knitting big blankets in the summer though. That’s really TOO hot!

    from rainy VT,
    the Vermonster

  6. I knit hats socks and mittens year round. Currently bwirking in wool socks for hubs and a new hat for winter

  7. I do knit with the seasons as working with wool in South Carolina is usually too hot, but right now I am making a Fair Isle cowl and the wool yarn is so soft, it is a joy to knit. Plus, it is a small project so not too bad.

  8. The seasons don’t really affect the type of knitting I do, at least not in the summer. In the fall I might knit.a few more cowls if my neck gets cold. I am currently knitting a long sleeved pull-over out of a buffalo/merino yarn, which I hope to finish soon so I can start a wool cardigan.

  9. I knit/crochet all kinds of things year round. I like to have something going all the time to relieve stress and make items for Christmas gifts.

  10. I don’t change projects to fit the season, just whatever I find that I want to knit. Right now I am working on a crocheted baby afghan.

  11. I knit in life’s seasons, currently all projects are for the birth of our first grandchild.

Have you read?

Knit a Glasses Holder for Your Bedside Table

knit glasses holder

Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]