Knitting in the Faroe Islands, and on Outlander

I found a couple of fun articles related to knitting this week that I thought you’d enjoy.

First up, a Guardian reporter traveled to the Faroe Islands (a collection of 18 islands about halfway between Norway and Iceland) to learn about their sweater knitting traditions. Their super warm sweaters made with native wool use simple repeating patterns and a straight, unshaped body. While knitting has ebbed in popularity even there through the years, many still knit traditional sweaters that can be found throughout the world and were made even more famous by the Danish crime drama The Killing.

They also have some pretty excellent knitting clubs there, the reporter found, which must be a good way to pass the time on those super cold, dark winter nights.

Speaking of knitwear on television, BuzzFeed strikes again with some fun knitting content, this time about all the great knits found in the Outlander series. I haven’t watched it so I can’t say — as the clickbaity headline does — that the knitwear is the best part of the show, but it does look like there are some great pieces, and some of the designs I’ve seen that were inspired by the show really are amazing.

So if you are looking for knitting patterns from the Outlander series then this is a great start to finding the Highland patterns.

{Photo by Bardur Eklund via the Guardian.}

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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Have you read?

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