Wednesday 26. February, 2003

New FREE Pattern for you!

The Half-Ribby Cap, made of Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Charcoal with a k2, p2 ribbing on one half and not on the other!

Wear it with the ribbing in front or in back!

Your choice! :o)

(Let me know if there are any weirdnesses with the pattern, okay?)

posted by Theresa | 12:30 pm | 

Here's what I'm working on at the moment.

It will become a vest for the 9 year old from the Cotton Sport I had left over from Squib's peruvian cap. (I'd point you to a picture of her in it, but her archive pictures aren't showing up.) (Ahem.)

So here tis:

The stitch pattern (on the vest) has quite a bit in common with the stitch pattern from Knitter’s Magazine Fall 2000 called "Hues in Horizontal" that I used in a vest for my Mom. The pattern was for a cardigan and you can see Michelle's here. There are too many ends to weave in than I care to think about, but I so like the pattern...

posted by Theresa | 11:14 am | 

What an adorable baby!!!

posted by Theresa | 6:27 pm | 

The celebrities came home today!

Many months ago I got a bill from a Norwegian package service wanting lots of money in customs and fees for what turned out to be my little red mittens I sent to Helene Rush as a submission for the Cast On Accessories 2002 issue and my copy of the issue. Bla bla bla - I got in touch with Helene - didn't pick up the package - TKGA sent me more magazines - I gave up on ever seeing the little mittens again. Well, lo and behold, yesterday I got a call asking where would I like the package delivered, there wouldn't be any fee. (I think the company went out of business and it was easier/cheaper/whatever for "them" to deliver the package to me rather than mail it back to the US.)

Yippee!

posted by Theresa | 4:07 pm | 

Check it out:

Quick & easy custom wooden knitting needles from Curious girl.

And did you see the

posted by Theresa | 2:25 pm | 

New Look! Like it? (I have a couple of more small things things to add.) (Note: Well, naturally, the new look isn't in the archives....)

posted by Theresa | 11:28 pm | 

It began one year ago today and these are some of what I consider the highlights from the last year ::

• Norwegian pronunciation guide
• Blåfjell lue instructions
• Tribute to Nord Norge
• Hakking: an obsession
• Nålbinding
• About Twined Knitting and a bit here and especially here.
• Posts mentioning Poetry in Stitches, Solveig Hisdal and/or Oleana:
  • Feb
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • September
  • October

posted by Theresa | 5:09 pm | 

Sharon and Robin and Janne and Sissel (often spotted at Emma's and also on the FFFA page!) and I met on Saturday in Oslo and it was lovely! We played around with the figure 8 cast-on for toe up socks and got to see Sissel's socks, a gorgeous doll sweater (that was Janne's) and Robin's gigantic scarf! (Judy Gibson's generic "You're Putting me on Socks" pattern is here by the way.)

We (coincidentally) met in a cafe with a view over Youngstorget just before the demonstrations and I'll have to say that I'm entertaining the notion of pretending I'm Canadian.

I took some close up pictures of the blue, striped Fuzzy Feet (which will be presented to their recipient today) as promised ::

before and...

after...

and got the magic scarf bind-off tutorial added over there on the left... (I had just forgotten to put it there, Kate! )

posted by Theresa | 2:53 pm | 

You may have been in Norway a bit too long if you...

• start to believe that if it wasn't for Norway's efforts the world would probably collapse pretty soon. 
• can only buy your own drink at the bar even when you are with a group of people. 
• forget how to say "please" and "excuse me". 
• always prepare to catch the closing door if following too closely behind somebody. 
• assume that strangers smiling at you on the street are:
  • drunk 
  • insane 
  • American 
  • all of the above 
• use "mmmm" as a conversation filler. 
• understand that a sharp intake of breath means "yes".
• think there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. 
• think that it seems nice to spend a week in a small wooden cottage up the mountains with no running water and no electricity. 
• know at least five different words for describing different kinds of snow. 
• think that an outside temperature of 9 degrees celsius (ca 45F) is mild in mid June. 
• don't fall over when walking on ice. 
• think nothing of paying 400 NOK (ca $ 50) on drinks one night.
• think it's acceptable to wrap your hot dog in a cold pancake made of potatoes. 
• associate warm rice porridge with Saturdays and Christmas morning. 
• can prepare fish in five different ways without cooking it. 
• find yourself speaking half-Swedish with Swedes. 
• can't understand why foreigners haven't heard about Bjørn Dæhlie.

posted by Theresa | 7:30 pm | 

I did a search for "nøstepinne" this morning and found this amazing history of spinning in Norway from the Nesna Bygdemuseum and since I was translating it in my head anyway, I thought I'd just share (mostly for the purposes of vocabulary building) ::

For at ulla skal bli til garn må fibrene i ullrullene tvinnes sammen til tråd. Dette blir gjort ved spinning. I tusenvis av år har kvinner behersket spinneteknikken, men inntil for noen hundre år siden var den urgamle håndteinen (håndsnellen) eneste spinneredskap. Håndteiner var i bruk i de fleste land. De ble brukt i Norge i bronsealderen, men fantes nok også tidligere. Snellen eller svinghjulet ble oppfunnet for mange tusen år siden. Teiner i manges lags materialer er funnet, både brent leire, forskjellige metaller, bein og kleberstein.

When wool is to be made into yarn, the fibers must be twisted together into thread. This is done by spinning. For thousands of years, women have mastered the technique of spinning, but until a few hundred years ago the ancient hand spindle was the only spinning tool. Hand spindles have been used in most countries. They have been in use in Norway since the Bronze age, but were likely used even earlier. The spindle or "spinning wheel" was discovered many thousands of years ago. Spindles in many types of materials have been found, both of fired clay, different types of metals, bone and kleber stone. (No clue what kleber might be - my dictionary says "sticky".)

Håndteiner besto vanligvis to deler, en slags kjepp, "rokk", hvor ulla ble festet, og selve teinen som man spant med. Men bare teinene kunne også brukes. Teinen het på gammelnorsk "snella". Sneller fra håndteiner er det vanligste redskap som er funnet i kvinnegraver. Sannsynligvis spant derfor de fleste kvinner, og teinen ble nok flittig brukt: "Vi kjenner historier fra litteraturen hvor kvinner og barn benyttet tiden når de gjette, gikk langs landeveien, på kaffebesøk og så videre, til å spinne garn på handtein." (Kjellmo s. 70)

Hand spindles usually consist of two parts, a sort of stick (shaft) where the wool is attached and the whorl itself which was used to spin with. The whorl itself could be used alone. (??) The Old Norwegian word for "tein" (whorl) is "snella". Whorls from handspindles are the most common artifact found in women's graves. Therefore it is likely that most women spun and the spindle was used diligently: "We are familiar with stories from literature where women and children used the time when they watched herds, walked along country roads, went visiting (coffee-visits) and so on, to spin yarn on the drop spindle."

Opp mot vår tid gikk spinning på håndtein i glemme boka. De siste årene har denne type spinning blitt tatt opp igjen. Helt fra 6-7 års alderen kan barn lære det. Det er et lett og rimelig redskap. Man kan lage den sjøl ved å skjære ut snellen med finersag og bore hull for teinen. Eller stikke en pinne gjennom en passe stor potet. Det finnes også håndteiner å få kjøpt som er særlig enkle å spinne på for nybegynnere.

Spinning on a handspindle has begun to be forgotten. But during the last several years this type of spinning has been taken up again. Children as young as 6-7 years of age can learn to spin. It's an easy and sensible talent. You can make your own spindle by cutting out a whorl with a fine saw and boring a hole for the shaft. Or by forcing a stick through an appropriately sized potato.You can also purchase hand spindles that are particularly easy for beginnings to learn to spin.

Etter hvert fortrengte hjulrokken håndteinene. Hjulrokken var et resultat av oppfinnelser i Nord-Italia og Tyskland på 1400-1500 tallet. Den kom til byene i Norge på slutten av 1500-tallet, men først ut på 1700-tallet var den i allmenn bruk. Da hadde en nye yrkesgruppe - rokkdreierne- etablert seg, først i byene så på bygda.

After a time, the spinning wheel replaced the hand spindle. The spinning wheel was the result of a discovery in Northern Italy and Germany in the 14- and 1500's. It came to the towns of Norway at the end of the 1500's but wasn't used commonly until the 1700's. By then a new profession had established itself, first in the towns and then the rural areas.

Med hjulrokken ble spinninga nærmest revolusjonert for kvinnene. De kunne spinne atskillig større mengder garn enn tidligere. Men håndteina ble også benyttet til langt ut på 1800-tallet. Den var enkel, både å bruke og bringe med seg, samtidig som den var billig og ga mykere garn. Samene brukte håndtein "snaldu" helt fram til 2. verdenskrig. Og på Vestlandet brukte kvinner håndtein til spinning av renningstråd helt fram til 1900-tallet (Lightfoot, Kysten nr.4 1993, s. 13).

Spinning on the spinning wheel was revolutionary for women. They could spin a considerably larger quanity of yarn than before. But the handspindle continued to be in use into the 1800's. It was simple, both to use and to carry, and at the same time was cheaper and gave softer yarn. The Sami people used the hand spindle up until WWII. And in western Norway women used the handspindle for the spinning of warp threads way into the 1900's.

Spinning på hjulrokk er ingen enkel kunst. Det krever nøyaktighet og øvelse. Under spinninga blir rokkehjulet dreid og ullrullene sammenfelt, uttøyd og tvinnet til garn på sneller. Man trår og tvinner og stryker langs ullrullen med tommel- og pekefinger. Når det er igjen et par cm. av den gamle ullrullen føyes ny ull til. Når ei snelle er full havner den i snellestolen, et stativ hvor snellen blir festet på pinner. Med flere sneller ferdige er garnet klart til neste prosess.

Det var på forhånd bestemt hva garnet skulle brukes til, slik at garnet kunne få den hardheten og tykkelsen som egnet seg best. Noe skulle brukes til veving såkalt "veftgarn" som var innslagsgarn med løsere tvinn. Det fantes eget "sjyvottgarn", "barnull", "fin-kjol ull" o.l. Tråden kunne tvinnes begge veier: "en snakket om å tvinne på "Garnlund" og på "Veftlund" som med andre ord vel betyr at den var rettlagt eller ranglagt. En snakket også om å tvinne med sola eller mot sola." (Hansteen fra spinnemateriale til tråd s. 6)

Om sommeren ble rokken satt bort. Spinninga foregikk særlig sent på høsten og i adventstida. På storgårder hendte det at de leide inn egne spinnersker som hadde spinning som yrke. Ifølge Hansteen var det vanlig her i traktene at jentene begynte å spinne i 8-10 årsalderen. Gutter ble ikke satt til å spinne, men de deltok i kardinga. Ull som skulle spinnes ble forøvrig ikke vasket. Fettet måtte bli værende i ulla så den ble myk og føyelig når den skulle trekkes ut til tråder.

It was determined beforehand what the yarn would be used for, so that the yarn could be given the tightness and thickness that would suit the purpose best. Yarn that was to be used for weaving (so called "weft yarn") was spun with a looser twist. "Sjyvott" yarn, "children's wool", "fine-dress wool" and so forth were also to be found. The thread could be twisted both ways: "one spoke of spinning on "Garnlund" and on "Veftlund", which in other words means that it was "rettlagt" or "ranglagt". (Are there any Norwegians reading this that might know what those words are in English?) One also spoke of spinning clockwise (with the sun) or counterclockwise (against the sun)."

In the summer, the wheel was put away. Spinning was mostly done late in the autumn and during advent. On large farms they sometimes employed their own spinstress that spun for a living. According to Hansteen it was usual for girls to begin to spin when they were 8-10 yeras of age. Boys weren't made to spin, but they participated in carding. Wool that was to be spun wasn't not usually washed. The grease remained in the wool so that it would be soft and pliable when it was to be spun.

Vocabulary ::

The verb "to spin" :: å spinne - spinner - spant - har spunnet
(en) håndtein (håndsnell) :: hand spindle
(en) tein (snellen) :: whorl (See also here.)
(en) hjulrokk :: spinning wheel
To weave :: å veve - vever - vevet - har vevet
Vever (noun) :: weaver
rennings :: warp
the word for weft goes here
(en) ullrull :: roving (lit. wool roll)
å trår :: to treadle
å føye :: to attach
(en) snellestol :: a lazy kate

posted by Theresa | 3:05 pm | 

Apparently enormous scarves will still be it for fall around Scandanavia. Perhaps I ought to start now...

click on the thumbnail for an enormous picture from modecenter.se

posted by Theresa | 4:32 pm | 

These scream Blue's Clues to me, even though it's been years since I've glimpsed that show:

I, like Kate, forgot the crazy things were in the washing machine, and when I pulled them out my first thought was: "Well, they'll make a nice gift for a baby" but a bit of tugging and stretching and they look to be perfect for 9 year old feet. :O)

posted by Theresa | 8:56 pm | 

Happy Birthday, Bonnie Marie!

Animation by Millan.net.

posted by Theresa | 3:41 pm | 

First a bit of catching up on Tag-Board questions:

1. Fulling: Here is a marvelous article about fulling from Fuzzy Galore. I fulled the original Fuzzy Feet in a front loading washer on 40C (105 F) and stopped the cycle before it was finished. It is, naturally, much easier to do in a top loading washer. Watch the slippers closely while felting in order to stop them when they're the right size.

   (Side note: This list of textile definitions notes the difference between felting which is done with carded woolen fibers and fulling which is shrinking and felting a woolen fabric, e.g. a knitted fabric.)

2. Texture: Before putting them through the wash, the Fuzzy Feet that I have made have been ridiculously loose textured. I'm working on the theory that the more negative space between the stitches the more the fibers will rub together and felt. After fulling, they're stiff but flexible and not lumpy. Now, the fuzziness has led to a bit of pilling (Lamb's Pride does that) but once those are removed, the fabric is really quite smooth.
3. The heel: Work the heel on 22 stitches, leaving 22 stitches "waiting". The directions are a bit confusing on this point and I'm trying to figure out how to reword that. Oh, and speaking of heels, there's a lovely tutorial on "picking up and knitting" ... Eep!! It's gone! It used to be here: http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~enp/sockpage/lessons/gusset.html ... where oh where did it go? Ah, well. Look here instead. Ooo, she's even got a tutorial on how to knit on circular needles which is something I've not seen elsewhere online. Excellent! And if you're interested in sock knitting, you'll find a wealth of information at Socknitters.com.
4. Sizes: I made Fuzzy Feet v.2 (the blue stripes) on 36 stitches and shortened the length to hopefully fit a 9 year old foot. I'm going to take get some more pictures taken soon (today!) and I'll take some close up shots too an let you know how it goes. For larger sizes...well...hmm... the major difference it seems to me would be in the length and the calculations for different lengths are in the directions. If you've made socks before and feel comfortable readjusting the numbers, just make the heel on half the total number of cast on stitches. I'd love to hear how it goes.
5. Needle sizes: As long as the needles are big, you ought not have any problem. 10's, 10.5's, 11's... just watch them in the washing machine. Oh, and cast on l o o s e l y.

posted by Theresa | 1:21 pm | 

I'm missing in action because of suddenly getting job interviews and work and a Tae Kwon Do class that left me barely able to move. I will return and I'll answer questions!

posted by Theresa | 6:33 am | 

Ta da!

The toe decreases and grafting took only about another 10 minutes, so the total knitting time was approximately an hour and a half for this one monster-sock and some of that was while surfing ... whoo hoo!

posted by Theresa | 10:08 pm | 

2:34 pm : finished foot to point of starting toe decreases. But feeling sleepy. Will go make coffee and/or take a nap until the EST people are up and moving.

posted by Theresa | 2:34 pm | 

2:09 pm : finished gusset decreases... knitting and surfing slows me down. ;o)

posted by Theresa | 2:09 pm | 

Fuzzy Feet, cont...

1:30 pm : start turning heel

1:35 pm : finish turning heel, realize I did something wrong... rip rip rip

1:38 pm : restart turning heel

1:47 pm : finish attaching heel flap to instep, start on gusset decreases

posted by Theresa | 1:48 pm | 

Worldwide Domination of Fuzziness!

12:50 pm local time : cast on with 7mm needles and 36 stitches (these'll be for Amalie, who's 9) with PT/Rauma Månetoppen yarn... this is what I had available in my stash and it's great for felting and about the right weight... but I have two skeins, one in dark blue and one in light blue so I'll make stripes and see how that comes out.

1:04 pm : finish 2 1/2 inches for cuff, start heel

1:10 pm : finish heel flap, take a break to blog about it and inspect the list.

1:13 pm : marvel at the places people will be knitting my little Fuzzy Feet.

1:16 pm : realize I still am unable to get my brain around it.

posted by Theresa | 1:10 pm | 

You gotta love these Norwegians. When a foot and a half of heavy wet snow falls on Oslo and nothing runs on time, they ski 8 km to work. (Not me. I got my husband to dig the car out and drive me.) (This, naturally, was after I managed to get it really really stuck.)

Oh, but Norway can be so breathtakingly beau - ti - ful.

That reminds me, I took a picture one evening a couple of weeks ago of a rather amazing sky color over Akershus festning ::

And I just want to say ::

Det er ikke på grunn av dette at jeg søker jobb som sykepleier.

(This is an article about a decision to give a 30% rebate on beer for health-personel in Bergen's pubs.)

P.S. The Fuzzy Feet Felt Along starts tomorrow!! Click here to see the amazingly long list of people who have already signed up.

posted by Theresa | 9:21 pm | 

For example... I made these

last night. Warm fuzzies.

posted by Theresa | 8:21 pm | 

I said that I'd mention why I'm so behind. In the last two weeks I have met more new people than I have in the last 2 years combined. Well, that's not really true, but I've started venturing out into the world alone, entering into actual extended conversations and making phone calls and it's difficult. I'm a bit of a hermit by nature... I am able to be social and outgoing if the situation calls for it, but the added weirdness of doing so in another language is making me want to go hide under the covers. The thought of getting up and going for a first day of work (that's assuming I can find work) is petrifying.

But... I have the resources to handle this :: I know what part of me is frightened. And I am capable of comforting that part. I can read Robyn Posen's writings. I have experience living in a thin slice of now. And I can knit. ;o)

posted by Theresa | 12:42 pm |