morbror_lars at Instagram

I have recently started an Instagram account - It is just a try out, my blog will still be my focus-point. The Instagram account does not have textile as its main subject. 
My account is morbror_lars.

Please feel free to visit!

Cowl in nalbinding

I have been nalbinding and this is the result - a cowl. I used some old 2-ply wool yarn and bound a fairly loose fabric in the shape of a tube. Circumference 80 cm (about 32 inches) and 40 cm in length (about 16 inches). A total of 140 grams of yarn was used.
After washing and a light fulling the finished cowl measures 75 cm (30 inches) in circumference and 37 cm (about 15 inches) in lenght. I used the Brodén stitch.

"STICKA - Egna modeller och fler detaljer" av Ulla Engquist

STICKA - Egna modeller och fler detaljer

(English summary at the bottom of this post.)
För ett par månader sedan var jag på boksläpp för Ulla Engquists bok "STICKA - Egna modeller och fler detaljer", utgiven av Hemslöjdens Förlag. Det är uppföljningen till Ulla Engquists bok "STICKA - Detaljer som gör skillnad" som kom förra året. I denna bok fortsätter Ulla att ösa kunskap över oss och behandlar områden som:

• garn (olika typer, olika fibrer, spinning och tvinning skrivet av Gunnel Axelsson)
• konstruera en tröja efter personliga mått, anpassa storlek, beräkna maskor och antal varv, garnåtgång
• kragar, sprund, ärmar
• knapphål och knapphålsslåar
• fickor
• kilar av olika slag
• mönsterstickning

STICKA - Egna modeller och fler detaljer

Liksom den förra boken är detta en lärobok i stickning. Det är en bok att rådfråga när man stöter på problem. En bok att gå till när man vill se alternativ till hur man t ex stickar fickor. För att få ut det mesta bör man nog också investera i den första boken då det ibland refereras till tekniker som finns beskrivna i den. 

STICKA - Egna modeller och fler detaljer

English Summary:
The above post is a presentation of "STICKA -  Egna modeller och fler detaljer" (a rough translation would be "KNITTING - Your own models and more details"), the second book written by Ulla Engquist. This book deals with different yarns and fibres, different kinds of collars, button holes, sleeves etc. There are also instructions on how ta make a sweater based on your own measurements. I think this is as good and as useful as her first book "STICKA - Detaljer som gör skillnad" (a rough translation would be "KNITTING - Details that make a difference"). That book, we were told at the book release this autumn, will be published in the USA in 2017.

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser was published by Heimilisiđnađarfělag Íslands, 1981. When I saw this title the first time I thought it was about twined knitting, due to that the word "Tvi̕bandađir" resembled "tveband", the Norwegian word for twined knitting. Both words refer to knitting with two yarns, but in different ways. I soon discovered that the book was about Icelandic patterned mittens.

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser

Many mittens in this book have a strong resemblance with mittens from northern Europe. We know that there was a lot of contact between the North Atlantic countries (in the form of commerce) and that through these contacts many things, including patterns, have spread.

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser

There are also mittens with patterns that I think are not as common. Very interesting. The book is in Icelandic, but the mittens are presented with both photos and charts.

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser

If you are interested in Icelandic textile pattern traditions (not only knitting) I can recommend the book "Íslensk sjónabók - Ornaments and patterns found in Iceland".

"Tvi̕bandađir vettlingar" by Kristinu Jonsdottur Schmidhauser

"Selbuvotter" by Anne Bårdsgård

Mittens from Selbu and the traditional Selbu patterns can be found almost everywhere in Norway. Anne Bårdsgård grew up in Selbu and she has now written a fantastic book about the Mittens from Selbu.

This book tells the history of the Selbu mitten tradition from 1850 until today. The oldest of these mittens were fine gifts often made for the bridegroom and his family. The mittens were examples of an advanced craft regarding the skill required for knitting them but also regarding the sorting and spinning of  the wool to get the yarn. The patterns were often elaborate and there are many examples of advanced pattern construction.

This book also has thorough and educational chapters on how to knit mittens such as these, the different groups/types of patterns (all chartered) and their variations (also all chartered) and background, the yarns used and  the stitch count. 

In short, everything you need to design your own Selbu mittens according to the Selbu tradition. If you are not fond of making your own patterns there is also an entire chapter of chartered mittens with presentations of the knitters that provided them.

It is rare to find a knitting book this well written and that provides this amount of useful information. "Selbuvotter" was  released this year and at the moment it is only available in Norwegian. But it deserves to be read also  by other knitters than the Scandinavian ones. Just under 300 pages and propped with knowledge it is one of the best books on knitting that I have read.

"Selbuvotter" by Anne Bårdsgård
© MUSEUMSFORLAGET Trondheim 2016
ISBN 9788283050370
www.museumsforlaget.no

Small socks for a small boy

I have knitted small socks for a small boy that soon will celebrate his first birthday.
The yarn is Fabel sock yarn, knitted on 2,50 mm. I was almost successful in getting matching stripes. Close enough. 30 grams of yarn was used in these socks.

 

Grey Socks in October

These are grey socks kitted in thin sock yarn Fabel on needles size 2,50 mm. I searched the internet for a nice stitch pattern and finally found this that I liked because it gave me a retro-feel.

They are knitted on a circular needle using the magic-loop technique.This is not my favourite method, since I prefer knitting socks with five needles, but I have decided to knit some socks in this way. I think that it could be useful if I want to bring some sock-knitting when travelling since it prevents dropping needles.

I added one strand of yarn and knitted the heel in twined knitting to get a stronger fabric. If you know how to do twined knitting I can recommend this.
For those of you who like the stitch pattern I have charted it.

Chart for grey socks stitch pattern - knitted in the round

Socks knitted by my mother

My mother taught me how to knit when I was about six years old. First garter stitch scarves, but quite soon after that socks on five double-pointed needles. In the beginning I did not master the heel and the toe decreases (of course) but I managed the cuff, leg and foot.

Since then most of the socks I knit is knitted the way she taught me. Teaching somebody to knit is a great gift. Knitting has given me a lot of joy.

My mother will be 88 in December, and she still knits. She finished these socks last week. They are knitted on double-pointed needles, 2,50 mm with Fabel sock yarn. Her eyesight is not very good nowadays, but I guess that a life of knitting socks helps her hands to find their way.

Folklig virkning - Nås socken Dalarna / Traditional crochet from Nås parish Dalecarlia

Ulla Berglund Brasch - Folklig virkning Nås socken Dalarna

Finally! Ulla Berglund Brasch - "Folklig virkning Nås socken Dalarna" (in Swedish only) is a book on the tapestry crochet tradition from Nås, Dalecarlia. This kind of crochet has been done since the mid 1800´s when the first pattern books for crochet were published in Sweden.

Hjärtvärmare - Heart warmer

It is exceptional that this technique so quickly was incorporated with the traditional peasant costume in Nås, since the traditional costumes at that time already had a relatively strict form. The book is based on an inventory of traditional crocheted items from  Nås done in 1993-1996. The crocheted shawls called "Hjärtvärmare" (translated that would be: heart-warmers) from Nås are famous. The inventory registered 41 of these shawls, most commonly red patterned in black and white.

Crocheted mittens from 1855

Other items that were crocheted were mittens, hats, suspenders, purses, bands  and wrist-warmers. The book gives us the history, the technique, the materials,  and a lot of pictures. It also has patterns for one shawl and a pair of mittens.

Crocheted bands

Crocheted suspenders

My interest for this crochet tradition started when I visited Nås and Dala-Floda in 2014:

Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda - part 3 (Crochet) 

Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda - part 5 (A visit to Nås)

Tveband - Jakten på en strikketradition / "Twined knitting - In search of a knitting tradition"

This is a very interesting book about the Norwegian twined knitting tradition. Translated to English the title would be something like "Twined knitting - In search of a knitting tradition". I knew that twined knitting had a tradition in Norway. I had heard that they wore their mittens "inside-out" compared to us in Sweden. But that was about it. Information about Norwegian twined knitting has been very scarce.

Margit Bredesen, in cooperation with Magnhild Tallerås (textile advisor), has written a book (and knitted all the mittens in the book) that is thorough. History, techniques, similarities and differences between Norwegian and Swedish tradition, as well as a bunch of patterns (traditional and more modern) are to be found in this book.

Treasuring all the information this book has to offer I find it very inspiring to get a "new" angle on twined knitting. This is a book that has been long missing and a twined knitting tradition well worth a good book like this. I agree with the author that twined knitting is an old and interesting technique that is worth preserving, part of the cultural history of Norway and that this book shows the unique Norwegian tradition.

This book is only available in Norwegian.

It is published by Grue Husflidslag

It can be ordered at gruehusflidslag@gmail.com

ISBN: 978-82-91195-40-7

Blue socks in October

Blue socks

Autumn has come. A perfect time for sock knitting. In my yarn stash I found this yarn from Opal and decided to knit myself  blue socks. This is a basic sock with an Old Norwegian Cast-On, that I think is called "dubbel korsuppläggning" in Swedish. A cuff with a simple ribbing (knit 1, purl 1). When knitting the heel I added one strand of yarn and knitted it in twined knitting. This is an old way of making the heel stronger when knitting socks.

Heel in twined knitting

All in all I ended up with a nice pair of socks. And have started on a new pair.

Autumn is here

Socks for my mother

My mother has had a minor operation and just to cheer her up a bit I knitted her a pair of socks. The design is by Heléne Wallin and available as a free pattern for the members of "Sticka", a Swedish association for knitters.

I recommend this pattern. It is easy knitting and the result is a pair of nice socks.

Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården

I can't think of a better way to spend a grey, cloudy Saturday in  September than visiting Millesgården to see the Josef Frank Exhibition. Josef Frank was an architect. But I think, that in Sweden, he is most known for his textiles. His patterns are now Swedish classics. 

A day when the rain threatens to soak you if you dare go outside, these textiles are the perfect antidote. Joyful, positive and a bit mad in the nicest possible way.

But leaving Millesgården without looking at the sculptures of Carl Milles is not an option. They all make such a strong impact seen close up.