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Elsebeth Lavold, Elsbeth Lavold-Viking Patterns For Knitting - Inspiration and Projects For Today's Knitter-Trafalgar Square Books (2000)

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446 views120 pages

Elsebeth Lavold, Elsbeth Lavold-Viking Patterns For Knitting - Inspiration and Projects For Today's Knitter-Trafalgar Square Books (2000)

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jikka
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VIKING PATTERNS FOR KNITTING Inspiration and Projects ioe Today's Gat lana CONTENTS Foreword A Projectis Born Analyzing Viking Patterns “ul Rings and Chains 13 een ete ngetpeleres eased cod 16 Siv, classic pullover with chain links and ribbing . Fjorgym: jacket and hood covered with ropey half hitches. Horizontal Zigeags Plaited Mats... Hervor:pulloverandcap - 38 Rafi, The Raven: cables and knots jacket with shaw! collar 6 Ragna: medieval-look pullover with wide flaps and cap 52 Frode: pullover with happiness motif and serpentine braid = 56 Running (single-strand) Knots . = 58 ebjie albe earl oni oretate noe - Schitch from Ardre «2... Harald: pullover, feafieap, mittens, and socks, all with s-hitches. 74 Vigdis:Iong eunic with separate hood and back pack, all with s-itches ..... 78 Fjalar-angulaes-hitches on sweater and cap Freja: blouse with Vendelfigure-eights, set-in sleeves. Lillbjirs Border. Runes (includes knitting charts for the entire runic alphabet) Kjsmik (kiss me): adult vest and child’s pullover Interewined Creatures. afi nceieined rane octal eee time rr oder Kniecingaround che comer. Reading the Charts Tiaveling Stitches and Cable Crosses . 102 104 108 110 ML The New Technique: How To Do It 12 increases. i n2 decreases 0.06... 113 Tricks of the Trade (and Tips)... 15 size, measurements, and yarn 45 tension and needle size . us selvage stitches .... us cast on and other edgings 116 ribbing 116 decreasing .... 116 increasing . 116 “place marker” . ' a3 16 “put stitches on holder"—a contrasting yarn. 7 bind off . he 17 workin tails ........ 17 “Block all pieces” 117 “sew (knit together) shoulder seams”. 118 “pick up stitches” . 118 seams... 118 butconholes 18 joining new yarn 9 linings 19 list of abbreviations oe 119 Short Rows .... sees 120 Stzeand Fic. -121 amp bree tees 220s sits 122 Care of Knitted Garments... 123 Photo Credits . 124 Sources of Artifacts (by country and province) 124 Yarn Suppliers i 125 List of Plated and Knotted Patterns... 126 Key to Charts . 127 Foreword Few handcrafts can create such sophisticated products with such simple tools. All that's needed is a pair of knitting needles andallttle yarn. From that simple begin- ting, the only limits are skill and imagination, Knitting ‘occupies the hands but frees the mind, & I present this book with great pride, for many reasons. First is the joy of bringing a part of my cultural heritage, the patterns of the Viking era, co life in a new context. After a full five years in close company with dragons and interlaced patterns, my fascination is, if possible, even greater than when I started, and ro be able co reveal these wonderful, thousand-year-old patterns and show that they are still relevant, is genuine happiness. Second, Iam able to share a technical innovation; partly because it shows that there are still things waiting to be discovered in knitting technology, and partly because I ‘can now pass the baton to other knitters and designers. I hope they can use the technique to create new patterns with different premises and departure points. T hope too that my systematic presentation will en- courage others to develop further their own knowledge. ‘One reason that knieting has been considered no more than a hobby, or therapy, the sort of thing one does when ‘one has nothing better to do, is that entirely too few Ikniteers and designers have engaged in systematic research and shared their results. I believe t00 that technical knowledge adds most and inspires best in an astheric ‘context, when the designer shows how the technique has enriched her expression. Finally it’ fun to show my designs with the hope that they will inspire knitting, design, and new discoveries in the wonderful world of knitting, e [A project of this magnitude is never produced alone. 1 ‘would first like to thank my four expert knitters, Helena Franzén, Irma Hansen, Gullevi Ljungstrdm, and Brita Lwenadles. Their skill and knowledge have been in- valuable, both in knitting the garments and correcting the directions and charts. Any remaining errors are mine, not theirs. ‘Many thanks to Per Erik Berglund, who was successful in changing my vagucideason mood and atmosphere into beautiful photographs. Thanks also to Stina Larsson, Thorleif and Josefin Lavold, Carina Lavman, and Sara Vretbor, who in ‘weather ranging from 90° heat co bitter fall cold modeled my sweaters for the photographer. For help with copy editing, I am grateful co my ‘mother, Birgit Lavold, and for knit-technical editing ofall the directions, to Helena Franzén. Even before the project was completed, my yarn supplier generously donated yarn to knit the sample gat- ments. Without ehis support the project would scarcely have been economically feasible. The many archeologists and the staff people of museums who helped me in my hhune for sources and information have also been an invaluable suppor. & Finally, I would like to thank my workllife/playmate Anders Rydell. He gave the book form and took responsibilicy for putting all the pieces ofthe puzzle—the text and directions, the photos, the charts and drawings—nor only in the right place but where they would best support one another. He has given my occasionally stiff texts softer tone, added to my descriptions when my verbal inspiration dried up, and he wrote all the captions forthe illustrations. He was at all the photo sessions, helped to choose the photos, and he has been my computer guru. He hassupported and encouraged ‘me, has been sounding board and critic. Without him, this ‘book would nor have been possible. Itis almost as much his bookas mine. Spinga, November 1997 Elvebeth Lavold A Project is Born Tcan'tsay exactly when it first occurred to me to borrow the floral patterns of the Viking era. just did it. Now, many years later, I have only scraped the surface of the enormous cultural treasure contained in everything from tiny metal plates to heavy rune stones. Many sweaters have come out of it. It became quite a project. ‘There are no archeological finds ro prove that knitting was known or used. during the Viking period. This could bebecause textiles, including knitting, are so perishable, but is more likely chat the Vikings, quite simply, didn't knit. The very same people who plated the most fantastic patterns in silver thread a thousand years ago, would have been puzzled by the idea of looping yarn around a pair of kniting needles. 1 first took up knitting seriously when I wasin high school. I possessed. the most elementary skis from those hateful home arts clases in school— Knit and purl, cast on, bind off, in- crease and decrease—enouigh to begin knitting on my own. This led grad- ually coknitting, oractually to knicting design, asa choice of profession. During the ewenty years I have been active as a knitting designer, the emphasis in my design has shifted from color patterns to structural pat- terns. Besides their many possibilities for exciting textures, structural techniques have limitations that challenge me. For the last fifteen years, I have collected patterns (0 try t0 discover and learn all known knitting tech- rniques—as well as some unknown Plaited patterns have always had a special place in my heart, partly because of their strong graphic effect, partly because, once one gets used to crossing stitches, they are so easy r0 knit. Everything happens on the front side ofthe work, so you can always see what youre doing, and its eay to see which stitches should be knitted and which purled. Tt was when I coupled my long- term interest in archeology, especially the iron age and the Viking period, swith my passion for braided patterns that_my project began. In. the beginning, icwasna project arall, just a few sweaters and the seed of an idea. ‘Aran patterns and other well- known braided patterns, cabling, in- Tombstone from Hellvi, Gotland terlace, and entre-lac are descriptions of the most typical patterns of the Viking period, thatis, strips of knitting which in various ways are braided over, under, and aroundoneanother. Often animals ewine around themselves in phirworkincluding animalsso stylized that their origin is hardly identifiable, ‘bur just as often ie is simple strips that are interwoven. ‘The clasic Aran patterns we know contain a number of braided patterns also found in objects from the Viking cra, Here began my experiments ‘Characteristcally, the Aran braids consist ofa numberof stockinette knit strips of stitches which begin at the bottom and continue to the rop of the garment, weaving over and under one another variously on the way. What ‘would happen if one began to move the braids differendy? experimented with changing the traditional interwoven patterns and hicon a few with a Viking fee to them. Bur the new variations soon became very much alike and I flea desire 10 goon, Now the hunt began fora source of patterns. In books and in museums T looked for patterns that could be adapted ro knitting, Isoon discovered that many were too complicated t0 adapt directly mainly because some of the elements of the braid change direction (vertically) smack in the middle of the pattern. Some also had _morifs with beginnings and ends, that is, the elements of the braid were not continuous as in Aran interwoven patterns, Viking Patterns and the New Technique Some years earlier, | had caught myself co increase by knitting into the putl side of the stitch under the next stitch. Suddenly: insight! Then, one ‘must be able to do the opposite: knit a stitch and then increase by knitting in the purl side ofthe stitch beneath the one just Inited. In this way, one could both hhave mirror image increases and have them right next co each other without ‘making a hole in the work Using this technique, it was then possible to make motifs chat began in the middle ofa purled section without palling up the base of the pattern. At the top, I could make mirror-image decreases and thereby get an attractive finish to the motif. By placing Bird figure from Grdby, land, Sweden creases and decreases at_ different points relative to the knie stitches, 1

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