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Patterns ::

Tips ::

Start date: 11.17.03

Almost as satisfying as the real thing.

posted by Theresa | 8:09 pm  | 

Norwegian Knitting Patterns Lesson #4 ::

Etter M.1/M.2 byttes til rundp 3,5 og det strikkes glstrikk oppover med natur.

After Pattern 1/Pattern 1, change to 3.5 mm circular needles and knit on in stockingette stitch with natural.

etter :: after
(å) bytte :: (to) change
til :: to
oppover :: onwards/upwards
natur :: natural, in this case referring to yarn color

Samtidig etter kanten økes det i hver side på hver side av merketrådene på hver 6.cm: 1 m x 3 (3-3) = 228 (244-256) m (inkl 2 kantm).

At the same time, after the hem, increase, in each side, on each side of the markers, every 6 cm: 1 stitch x 3 (3-3) = 228 (244-256) stitches (including 2 edge stitches).

This sentence gets a bit awkward in the middle, but is saying to increase on both sides of each marker. There were earlier instructions to place two markers, one at each side at the underarm points. It's calling for increasing 1 stitch on each side of 2 markers (ie, 4 stitches per increase row) every 6 cm (2 1/3 inches) 3 times, for a total of 12 stitches increased.

samtidig :: at the same time
etter :: after
(å) øke :: (to) increase
(å) felle :: (to) decrease
i hver side :: in each side
på hver side :: on each side

That is a fairly important bit of information stuck further down in the pattern than one would expect.
For future reference : Translate the whole pattern before you start knitting. Please.

posted by Theresa | 10:08 pm  | 

I'm gaining some serious momentum here...

Norwegian Knitting Patterns Lession #3 ::

We'll be moving into a more conversational type of Norwegian in the pattern itself today. I think it may be worth mentioning some very simple Norwegian noun construction... please don't shoot me.

First of all, nouns have a gender - masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender is indicated by tacking either en, et or ei onto the word.
If it's written before the word, it's the same as the English article "a".
If it's tacked on after the word, it's the same as the English article "the."
If an -r is at the end of the word, it's like adding an -s.
And if there's an -ene, it's like adding both "the" and "-s".
There are some exceptions (after all hvis det var lett, så ville alle gjøre det.) But generally things will go something like this...

The first word in this knitting pattern is bolen. The noun itself is bol which means torso/trunk, so
en bol :: a torso
bolen :: the torso
then...
boler :: torsos (ooo, is that a word? Actually, it's torsi and this is getting complicated.)
bolene :: the torsos (the torsi... tee hee.)
Point is, if a word has one of these (or the -et ending or an -a ending) you'll want to look for the root word, which is likely all you'll need for knitting purposes. While we're at it, I'm going to give verbs as their root word with (å) before them which is the English verb "to."

Onwards and upwards ::

Bolen: Jakken strikkes frem og tilbake på rundp.

The body of the sweater: The jacket (see how that was helpful?) is knitted forwards and back on circular needles.

(en) bol :: body
(å) strikke :: to knit
frem :: forward
tilbake :: back

Legg opp 216 (232-244) m (inkl 1 kantm i hver side mot midt foran) på rundp 2,5 med sort og strikk Kant.

Cast on 216 (232-244) stitches (includes 1 edge stitch in each side towards the middle front) on 2.5 mm circular needles with black and knit hem.

legg opp :: cast on
inkl(udere) :: includes
hver :: each
side :: side
mot :: towards
midt :: middle
foran :: front
med :: with
og :: and
på :: on, upon, in, at, into, to, of, after

I hate to have to go into prepositions here, since they just don't make life any easier. På is a very common and a very tricky little word. It often means "on" but if that doesn't fit, then try all the prepositions you know and pick the one that makes most sense.

Sett en merketråd i hver side; forstk = 52 (56-59) m, bakstk = 112 (120-126) m.

Set a marker in each side; front pieces = 52 (56-59) stitches, backpiece = 112 (120-126) stitches.

sett :: set
(en) merketråd :: a marker (lit. marking thread)
forst(ykke) :: front piece
bakstk(ykke) :: back piece

Strikk neste p slik: 1 kantm, 107 (115-121) m av M.1, 107 (115-121) m av M.2 - start ved startpil, 1 kantm.

Knit the next row as follows: 1 edge stitch, 107 (115-121) stitches in Pattern 1, 107 (115-121) stitches in Pattern 2 - start at the arrow, 1 edge stitch.

neste :: next
slik :: as follows, like this
av :: of (can also mean "off")
start :: start
ved :: at, by, near, on
pil :: arrow
startpil :: arrow indicating the starting point
M(ønster).1 :: Pattern 1 (there's a chart)

Fortsett mønsteret oppover.

Continue the pattern upwards... in other words, continue to work back and forth in pattern. I didn't realize until just now that the pattern involve working color patterns on the wrong side rows, but indeed it does.

That'll have to be enough for tonight. I really appreciate all the encouragement I'm getting in the comments! And as S. says, this could go on like a house a'fire.

posted by Theresa | 9:28 pm  | 

Moving on...

Norwegian Knitting Patterns Lesson #2 ::

Strikkefasthet

Strikkefasthet means gauge. Keep in mind that needle sizes are in metric sizes. Oh! and I forgot to mention that both knitting in the round and knitting flat is usually done with circular needles. So just because a pattern gives needle sizes in circular needles doesn't necessarily mean that it's knitted in the round.

Strikkefasthet : 23 m x 30 p på p 3,5 og mønster = 10 x 10 cm.
Expanded : 23 masker x 30 pinner på pinner 3,5(mm) og mønster = 10 x 10 centimeter.
English : 23 stitches x 30 rows on 3.5mm needles and over pattern = 10 x 10 centimeter.

maske(r) :: stitch(es)
pinne(r) :: needle(s), which in this case is referring first to rows then to needles
1.p :: first row (2.p :: second row, etc...)
mønster :: pattern
10 cm :: 3.937 inches... most gauge statements treat this as 4 inches.

Husk pinnenr er kun veiledende!
Remember that needle size is only a suggestion. In other words, "be sure to check gauge".

Mønster

Mønster means pattern, whether it be a color pattern or a stitch pattern. (Whereas monster means monster. Have I pronounced this wrong? You betcha.)

Se diagram (1 diagram = 1 rapport). Mønsteret i diagrammet sees fra retten. Hele mønsteret gl(att)strikkes.

See diagram (1 diagram = 1 repeat). The pattern in the diagram is seen from the right side (huh?). The whole pattern is knitted in stockingette stitch.

Breaking that down requires knowing that...
se :: see
sees :: is seen/visible
rapport :: repeat
hele :: whole

Then a bunch of important things come to mind...

glattstrikk :: stockingette stitch
retten :: the right side
rett (r) :: knit; "k 1" is written "1 r"
vrangen :: the wrong side
vrang (vr) :: purl; "p 1" is written "1 vr"
rillestrikk :: garter stitch (two rows of garter stitch = one "rille")

Rille (frem og tilbake på p): 1 rille = 2 pinner. 1.p: rett, 2.p: rett
Garter stitch ridges (knitted flat, lit. forward and back on needles) : 1 ridge = 2 rows. Row 1: knit, row 2: knit.

hullmønster :: lace (lit. "hole pattern")
ribbestrikk :: ribbing
fletter :: braids/cables also called Aran
striper/stripet :: stripes/striped
perlestrikk :: moss stitch

Perlestrikk: 1.p: * 1 r, 1 vr *, 2.p: * strikk r over vr og vr over r *. Gjenta 2. p oppover.
Moss stitch: Row 1: *k 1, p1*, row 2: *knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches.* Repeat row 2.

Note: Stockingette (glattstrikk) is, of course, knitting the right side rows and purling the wrong side rows. In Norwegian patterns, a knit row on the wrong side is written "1 p r fra vrangen" and a purl row on the right side is written "1 p vr fra retten."

Helpful to know when our pattern says

Kant: Strikk 7 cm glstrikk, 1 p vr (= brettekant - herfra måles arb), 2 p glstrikk. which means ::

Hem/Edge: Knit 7 cm stockingette st, then purl one row (=folding edge - work is measured from this edge from now on), then 2 rows stockingette st.

kant :: edge, kantmaske means edge stitch, while kant at the bottom edge would be a hem
(å) brette :: (to) fold
brettekant :: folding edge
(arb)eidet :: the work
(å) arbeide :: (to) work
(å) måle :: (to) measure
måles :: is measured
herfra :: from here, hereafter

WHEW. Hanging in there so far?

posted by Theresa | 8:05 pm  | 

I woke up this morning with an idea to re-do my Norwegian-English knitting terms glossary, since I've both lost the original and learned more Norwegian since I made it. And what better way to make sure I have all the terms than to go through and translate a pattern with you guys? So...

Norwegian Knitting Patterns Lesson #1 ::

Garnstudio has a pile of free knitting patterns (a.k.a. gratis strikkeoppskrifter) on their site. A few that have been translated into English but the majority only available in Swedish (), Danish () or Norwegian (). The following, by the way, is all Norwegian. I get a few words here and there in Danish and Swedish, but trying to pass on my patchy knowledge would be both very confusing and probably not worth the effort.

Here are patterns for, among other things,
dam(er) :: women
herr(er) :: men
Norsk :: traditional Norwegian sweaters
barn :: children
docker :: dolls
tilbehør :: accessories
tovet :: felted things.

I think we'll go through this Silke-Tweed jacket which I remember having seen in the American ads ... with me sticking in extra translations as we come to them. I'll figure out a way to make this organized and printer friendly a little further on.

Jakke i Silke-Tweed med border

Oppskrifter

Oppskrift means pattern. The -er at the end of words is the plural indicator, like -s in English. So far I've found patterns for the following ... if anyone pokes around and finds a pattern for something not listed, leave a comment and I'll add it on.

jakke :: jacket
genser :: sweater/pullover
kofte :: cardigan
topp :: shell
bukser :: pants
skjørt :: skirt
kjole :: dress
dress :: suit (in knitting, a one-piece suit for a baby, but can also mean a man's suit. Confusing, eh?)
lue :: cap
votter :: mittens
sokker :: socks
strømper :: stockings
sett :: usually a coordinated set for a baby
veske :: bag
hette :: hood
skjerf :: scarf
sjal :: shawl
løshals :: dickie
skuldervarmer :: shrug

Størrelse

Størrelse means size. While this pattern is obviously using English sizes, you might also come across ...

liten :: small
stor :: large
medium :: well, medium.

Mål

Mål means measurement. Not all of these patterns give measurements, but thankfully most do.

overvidde :: circumference around the widest point, usually the chest
brystvidde :: chest circumference
(hel) lengde :: length
ermlengde :: arm length
omkrets :: circumference
bredde :: width
høyde :: height
måneder (mnd) :: months
år :: years

Materialer

Materials will all be in Garnstudio yarns. In the US, Garnstudio's yarns are distributed by Aurora. Making sense of the yarn descriptions isn't too difficult since most terms for materials are the same (nylon is, likely, nylon the world over). And this page gives information on their yarn in English. For the record ...

ull :: wool
bomull :: cotton
silke :: silk
lammull :: lamb's wool
"ren, ny" :: pure, new

Now, for the other stuff you'll come across...

gr :: grams
m :: meter
farge (f) :: color

pinner (p) :: needles
    rundp :: circular needles
    ermp :: double pointed needles
    strømpep :: sock needles (double points)
    heklenål :: crochet hook
All needle sizes in Norwegian patterns will be given in the European Metric Range. Equivalents available here.
glidelås :: zipper
knapp :: button

So, to summarize, the jacket pictured above uses Silke-Tweed which is 52% silk and 48% lamb's wool and 200 meters per 50 grams. The requirements are ::
300 (300-350) grams color number 01, natural
150 150-150) grams color number 06, black
50 (50-50) grams color number 12, mustard
Circular and double pointed needles sizes 2.5mm and 3.5mm (forgot to mention that , means . when it comes to numbers.)
5 buttons (Drops Inka number 531)

Whew! That's probably enough to digest for now... Stay tuned!

posted by Theresa | 3:24 pm  | 

And more pictures.

posted by Theresa | 8:23 pm  | 

posted by Theresa | 8:05 pm  | 

posted by Theresa | 4:54 pm  | 

The princess is born to Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit and is now the second in the line of succession. Norway's constitution was changed in 1990 to allow for a female successor to the throne. Experts believe she'll be named Ingeborg or Ragnhild. Louise, Ingrid, Sofie and Josephine er also strong candidates.

Here's why. (Click on the names to open pictures and information. Click on the picture to close.) Ingeborg is the current King Harald's grandmother, the new Princess' great-great grandmother. Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid are King Harald's sisters, thus her great aunts. Margareta Valdemarsdatter, who lived from 1353-1412 is the only ruling queen in Norway's history, so that make sense to me. Well, anyhoo, we may find out tomorrow.

More about the Norwegian royal family.

posted by Theresa | 9 pm  | 

posted by Theresa | 5:37 pm  | 

Amber asked for the substitute yarn info for the Pippi stockings and since I aim to please:

Yarn: Silja by Gjestal - 80% superwash wool, 20% nylon - 150 m per 50 g/1.75oz
Colors:

• Maroon #364
• Sky Blue #320
• Yellow Brown (I'd say more like "Gold") #318
• Light Pea Green #362

And available at jklneedles.com. I've ordered from them before and was very pleased. Plus they're from my home state! If you order from them, let them know who referred you. ;o)

posted by Theresa | 10:37 pm  | 

News from Norway (although it might be a little late to call it "news"): A Norwegian won the World Idol competition! Robin and and CNN report.

Now, on to knitting... I did finish that one arm of the Must Have Cardigan. (I have a sneaking suspicion that I've messed up and it's too long.) Kate's been wonderful about keeping up with the support group and who is knitting along. I'm going to shamelessly steal her list of participants so if there's anyone reading this that isn't my list, leave a comment if you please. ;o)

Speaking of Knit Alongs... and Kate... she's starting one for the Pippi Stockings from Deb's book at the beginning of March. Here are the original stockings (in Silja yarn which will work as a substitution for the yarn recommended in the book) ::

More information on the Knit Along to be had here.

And that other thing is finished and sent off. Yippee!

posted by Theresa | 3:43pm  | 

... a sleeve ...

... in Dale Falk color 2931 "Light Sheep Heather". Doesn't it make you want to knit this sweater?

I bought the yarn myself, but I'm not sure it counts as breaking my yarn diet since I had the kids wrap it up a Christmas gift to me.

I'm also working like mad on a project I can't talk about which has a lot of math involved. Which makes my head ache. Otherwise we're all fine and dandy around here. Christmas flew by... we started off by having my in-laws over for Thanksgiving dinner (quite successful... I owe my reputation to the Joy of Cooking). I thought we were going to have a very quiet holiday since noone from across the pond was coming this year. I loaned a pile of books from the library and had two projects (the red lacy sweater and a striped kid sized one) ready and waiting and got hardly anything done on either front. Sigh. Neither of those projects are completed yet, but I will get back to them at some point. Honest. :o)

posted by Theresa | 7:09 pm  | 

Oh, screw it. I didn't finish my Christmas projects, but that's no reason not to start something new, now is it.

And fortunately, Kate's been as wonderful with organizing as usual! Even working out the numbers for realistically sized people. (Bless her.)

I did make a button...

and a yahoo! Must Have Cardi support group, here and a swatch. Whoo hoo! And it's almost a new year!

posted by Theresa | 10:57 pm  |