Look To Norway - Book Review

I do like making hats, especially this one in classic Sandnes Peer Gynt. Just to play with colour for short periods of time works for me. We can send you a PDF of this pattern if you like, just send us an email.

To my surprise and delight, in these August days of my knitting career, I found this wonderful book by at the local library by Trond Anfinnsen has done exactly that in the delightful Hat Heads book, published in 2009.

The fundamental reason I am a knitter gets delightfully validated in this book.
Choose and knit for a specific person, reflecting affectionately as you design on physical attributes as well as character. There is also nice clear guidance about design and shape.

I am reminded of "The 5 Love Languages" another library book I recently enjoyed.
Trond writes beautifully about the meaning and purpose of knitting, especially in Norway. He includes a totally unexpected, yet relevant story about  David Aleksander Toska, the bank robber who wore a traditional sweater during his trial to gain sympathy. The power sweater, my goodness!

Trond knits each hat, then he is photographed by his friend photographer Klaus Nilsen Skrudland and presents us with portfolio in the book. Portraits both of himself and his recipients.

For example his mom in a cheerful red and white spiral pattern.

His friends (here is Ingrid in a fetching blocky rib, checker effect)

and acquaintances (Oddvar in a snowflake star pattern)

Just look at how the blue matches her eyes (Tonje in stripes and fish with a rolled brim) 

Knitting in the context of relationship! This quote from the book made me think of so many of the knitters and knitting recipients I have had the pleasure and privilege to meet over the years.

The Joy of the Give

"Throughout the project, and particularly once my hats reached a certain level of quality, people started asking, “Why don’t you start selling your hats?” My gut feeling has always been not to sell them, but to give them away. It simply gives me a good feeling to give gifts and receive gratitude and surprise in return. The simple fact that, one; you have made the gift yourself, two: that is has obviously taken a considerable amount of time to make, and three: that the gift is specially designed for the now who receives it, makes it extra special to give. the receiver will know that you have actually been sitting for hours working for and thinking about him or her. It’s great."

Tronde uses Sandnes yarn, just like me, Smart and Alfa.

He also uses lovely Dalegarn which has come and gone in the Canadian market a few times over the years.

I found a youtube channel about camping in Norway by a fellow named Martin, titled Norwegian Woods  he wears a spectacular sweater in his winter videos. I especially enjoy how thoughtful and relaxed he is as a presenter, and love the sweater. Just a guess on my part, but I think the cuffs are reinforced with suede, the shoulders either suede or fabric. Certainly though, the sweater is a magnificent work of art. It makes me super happy to see it in action. If anyone can tell me more about the trimmings on Martin's sweater feel free to get in touch by email.

Blocking Practices Part 2

Here I am, blocking the very soft, kid mohair scarf I knitted using the "Wisp" pattern freely available from Knitty the free online magazine. Absolutely the opposite of my previous Debbie Bliss cable cardigan in both form and substance.

I think this is a good example of showing how to block a piece that is very soft and much larger than my blocking board. I have folded it in half.

As usual, I baste all around the double thickness edges with a running stitch using a pale, sturdy yarn, as I mentioned in Part 1.Then I place pins in the corners to mark the expected (half) measurement of the finished scarf.

I have put a dowel in the fold and anchored it behind the pins by tension and then pinned the opposite edge, then pins at the half way point on the length, then split those distances in half and so on until I have pins about 2 inches apart.

I use an ordinary iron, with steam first hovering over the scarf, pressing the button all the while, to give it the general idea. I then move closer and closer to the fabric until I am almost touching it, still making lots of steam.

By using a dowel at the fold I don't create a sharp crease at the midpoint, and can happily steam the piece to the very edges.

For a nylon/synthetic yarn, which melts and hardens when touched by an iron such as classic Sirdar Snuggly, the method varies.  I use an almost wet well worn tea towel, laying it on the piece, section by section, dipping it and wringing it out in a handy nearby bowl of water. I rather enjoy the sizzling sound it makes as I work, almost but not quite as much as I enjoy the smell of steamy pure wool.

What about wet blocking, well... for sure there is little risk to your knitting by pinning it out and spraying it with water, then leaving it to dry. The action of washing also smooths out the hand knitting fabric, especially over time. However without heat, the fabric won't have memory of the desired shape and dimensions. Think about the result of using a curling wand on hair. Further, should you wash the fabric in hot or warm water without blocking, it will take that memory, but in an unorganized manner. So by using sufficient heat, and setting parameters, and unless you wash it at a higher temperature than steam, which you are unlikely to do, the blocking memory will stay.

Extra note! Pure Cotton and Linen don't keep a hot blocked memory, the process above applies to animal and synthetic fibres. You need to remind such fibres after every wash by laying them flat to dry. A good reason to use blends like Regia Tutti Frutti . Remember when people used to iron the household linens after each wash? I have found over the years that my cotton sweaters go short and wide after washing, without exception. I now choose a size with negative ease and add 25% more length than the pattern states.