Friday, January 16, 2009

Bohus Socks


Here are my Bohus socks. I am so in love with them! Too bad I am mailing them off today for the contest. Better photos will have to wait until after they come back to me.

The pattern, called the Red Palm, was designed by Kerstin Olsson and appears in the book "Poems of Color" by Wendy Keele. There was one photo of socks in the book, but it wasn't one of these yoke styles. I just thought of it as a sweater for the legs and knit ribbing and a yoke and a plain foot and heel. The big difference was I had to decrease within the pattern instead of increase. It was interesting. Managing the two colors and occaisonal purl stitches, which is what makes these Bohus designs so striking, was fun.

The biggest challenge was finding the nine colors of solid sock yarn. I got a bunch at the LYS, but then had to really hunt for the rest. I got one skein from a Raveler, and the others at another LYS. I tried dying yarn but couldn't get it right.

A whole lot of pink!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Fana Socks

I designed these socks for the "Think Outside the Socks" contest. The winner will be chosen at Stitches West next month. Colinette is sponsoring their own portion of the contest, challenging you to use Jitterbug in a Fair Isle pattern. I first bought the grey and had no clue how I could make a pattern with another Jitterbug yarn because they were all so very variegated. I went back to the store at a later date and found the pink, which is much closer to solid.

I played with different patterns, but it finally turned into a Fana pattern. I guess I still had it on my brain from the sweater. These socks are basically a Fana Sweater for the legs. The twisted cast-on, checkerboard, stripes and star are all traditional to the sweater.


I'm quite happy with them. They make me think of something seen in a reflection of a pond or stream. As the trees above move, and ripples go by the colors shift.


Next time: Bohus Socks

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Hverdags Bunad Preview

Part of the reason for my lack of posting lately is that I have been working on my hverdags or everyday bunad. In contrast the fest bunad, the hverdags bunad is not heavily embroidered, or as regemented.

For the last three or four weeks I worked here and there to make the blouse, dress, and belt with the goal of finishing for our Lodge's installation of officers this past Sunday. A dear member, Paula, picked out the fabric for me and helped immensely with the planning, fitting, and execution.


I just made the deadline, attaching the belt buckles right before the meeting. I was so happy that I had something special to wear as I had the honor of acting as installing marshal, presenting candidates to be installed. I wanted to look nice for them. And to my surprise, our new president had just made herself an everyday bunad for the occasion, too.

I will wear it again in March when we go to Roseville to assist in the official institution of a new lodge there. I have a few adjustments to make (belt is too big, skirt 1" too long, cuffs too loose, other piece of silver won't stay on blouse). I will get full-length photos when it is looking more polished.

It is so great to have something fancy and Norwegian to wear. I usually put on a Norwegian sweater for our meetings but on these special days I wanted something nicer. I do have a plan for getting my fancy bunad done, I'm going to devote one day a week to the embroidery.

Paula is quite the bunad expert and is holding workshops so other members can make their own. The "Old Country Nordic Pattern" comes from Vesterheim, the clasps from Ingebretsen's in Minneapolis, and the jewelry and shoes I got in Norway for my fest bunad.