Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

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?

Knits for the Table for Thanksgiving and Beyond

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long. 

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders. 

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well. 

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn. 

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions. 

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table. 

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter. 

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.