The Knitting Life Summer Edition

What's been happening around here? My kid graduated from preschool a few weeks ago, that was pretty amazing. The kids put on a musical and their teacher spoke about each kid individually. The words 'action' and 'enthusiasm' described mine. We'll be at the school for another year in the Young 5 program for those kids who are too young or not quite ready for Kindergarten.

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Did I mention the S.F. Zoo sheep shearing? That was in May, too, and I blogged about it on the Purl Jam site.

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We are taking a break between school and a couple sessions of summer camp to do things like go to the Academy of Sciences, Fisherman's Wharf, the Zoo, etc. and generally lounge about. We road tripped with my parents to Reno week before last. We played in the snow on the way up and I visited Jimmy Beans Wool, where I purchased yarn. That's right, the yarn buying freeze which lasted eighteen months is over.


We visited both the Nevada State Rail Museum and the California State Rail Museum. There was also a tram at Circus Circus. A small railfan's dream come true.


I just started a three-unit textile analysis course that is jammed into seven weeks, eight hours of class a week. Pretty intense, but I want to pursue art classes. The last one I took was when I was pregnant. You never know when we might win the lottery big time and I could go back to school full time for that MFA in Textiles. I would only have about 40 units of undergrad art classes to do first.

We are going to the East Coast in August, and I finally get to meet the rest of my in-laws. I have been studying the Fiber Trail Map of Maine in preparation.

I have been looking for a part-time job for a few months. Just in case that lottery thing doesn't work out. Still working at Urban Fauna Studio a couple days a month.

A short term goal is to get all my raw fiber washed. We are having non-foggy weather so I started yesterday with alpaca, on to the zoo Jacob today. I have hopes of sanding, staining, and sealing my spinning wheel this summer, too.

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Last weekend I took an all-day Rosemaling class. Even though I've taken two other classes and spent time practicing the strokes over the past couple months, I was really out of my element. An all-day knitting class, even on a new technique feels challenging, but doable. With the painting that little voice that says I can't do this kind of thing kept creeping in. But in the end I was really happy with this piece, I can hardly believe I did it. Mr. TVP said we should hang it on the front door to greet people.

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On to the knitting front. I started a sweater for myself. We shall see how that turns out.

I finished my first intarsia project, Argyle Socks designed by Margie Dougherty. Quite pleased.


I actually broke the yarn buying oath last month to knit this cowl for the great Purl Jam Birthday Cowl Exchange.


That's the Owlie Owl Cowl in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine. For a while there I had these two fiddly projects using black yarn on size 0 needles and nothing else. Very hard on my eyes in the evenings. Plus the cowl was a secret so I couldn't even share my progress, except with one person.

More babies are coming. I wish I had taken a photo of the pink & brown hat a bought to go with these booties.

Read about this fun group project over on Purl Jam. I knit a couple squares for this blanket and at least one for the other baby, too.


And a pair of socks for each.


I think knitting will end up taking a back seat to my class for a while. By the time we go on our trip I will be free again. I'm sure I will pack at least four projects, I took three for a three-day trip to Reno.

Right now I have to go play trains.

Lutefisk!

On our drive to Boonville we got stuck in slow traffic. I saw all these fish, could tell they didn't say Jesus, or IXTHS, and had no "Darwin" feet.

We got close enough, and what do you know, a school of Lutefisk.

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

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.

My Bunad

You may have noticed a lack of mention of my bunad. Here's what it will look like. I've had the kit for two years now and I'm debating what to do about it. I knew it was going to be a several year project, but very little has been done. I have been cross stitching the headscarf. With each passing syttende mai, Daughters of Norway special event, and Norway Day I kick myself for not working harder.

I'm just thinking out loud, but here are all the tasks I need to do:

Cross stitch headscarf
Embroider headscarf tie
Sew headscarf and tie together
Embroider purse
Sew purse to hardware
Cross stitch apron
Sew apron together
Cross stitch vest trim
Sew vest together
Embroider cuffs and neck of blouse
Sew blouse together
Sew skirt which has pleats in back

And some day make cape

I vacillate. Sometimes I think I should drop all my other interests and focus on the bunad so I can enjoy it now. Other times I think as long as I finish it by the time I'm 50 I'll be happy. I think I need to find a middle ground. Eleven years is actually not an unrealistic time line, given the large amount of embroidery. So I need to keep going. But I can't drop everything else, most of it is tied to my Norwegian interests, especially knitting, tapestry weaving, and rosemaling.

If I did one thing a year it would look like this:
2008-9 finish headscarf
2009 make purse
2010-11 make apron
2012 make vest and skirt
2013 embroider blouse

I will turn 45 in 2012. If I prioritize I could get it done. The cape is not critical. Stay tuned. If you see me post pictures of my scarf progress then you will know I am serious.

Good Fana Karma

Today I went to Norway Day. We performed our troll play. I hope to have photos and video at some point. There was good food, friends and Vikings. I spotted a woman in a Fana sweater. Later I tracked her down and asked her to hold the sleeve I am knitting for my Fana sweater, and she obliged. (She is not headless, I just didn't ask permission to put her on my blog). She was born in Norway and when she was a kid Fana sweaters were all the rage, every family had their photos taken wearing them. So she got herself this Dale of Norway sweater.

Wheat Weaving

As I mentioned, we had a class in wheat weaving at the April Daughters of Norway meeting. The instructors left me with some unused wheat and a spool of thread so I could make some things to sell at Norway Day. I made a few angels and men.

Here's my set-up: wheat that has been soaking in water, a pan & wet towel to keep the straw wet, buttonhole thread, scissors, a ruler, an instruction book, and my samples. You also need a spray bottle to keep the wheat damp as you work. The unused wheat stays covered with a towel. It is helpful to cut a bunch of lengths of thread ahead of time.

The first and most important thing you learn is the clove hitch, the knot which is the basis for wheat weaving. Hopefully it is correct in this photo:

The first thing you make is the angel's wings, using four 4" lengths of straw. Tie a clove hitch around the straws, move it to the center, and pull it tight, then make an overhand knot, and trim the ends. Set the wings aside back under the damp towel. (Eight straws also make very nice wings, but stick to four if you are making a man.)

Next, make the body. Cut eight 8" lengths of straw. Tie a clove hitch around them, move it to the middle, pull tight, tie another knot, and leave the tails, they will become a hanger. Fold the straws in half, then tie another clove hitch to form the head. Tie another knot, and trim it.

Next, separate the straws to make a front and back of eight straws. Put the wings in between the two groups. Push them up tight to the head. Tie a clove hitch around all the straws below the wings, and push it up tight. Make another knot and clip the ends.

Finally, tie the two strands at the top together for the hanger, and trim the ends of the straws. Cut them at an angle. You can make the wings and the skirt flare by cutting different lengths. I also just gathered all the straws in the skirt together and cut straight across, it looks nice, too.


To make a man instead of an angel, simply separate the straws into "legs" of eight straws and tie.

The heads were so beautiful, I didn't want to waste them. I made some love knots which are just braided lengths knotted and tied together.

First Steek

Fana Progress:

I did fix the cuff error yesterday. I also cut open the sleeves and neck so I could try the sweater on. I almost cut through the back of the sweater. Whoops. Luckily "almost" doesn't count.

Here's the neck:


The sleeve openings made me nervous, some loose ends. After cutting I went back and sewed around the holes again.


There's a bit more at the KAL blog. I'm not sure about the drop shoulders.

Fana Cuff

I had actual business to do today, so I didn't work on the steeks. However, I did knit during nap time, so here is some "eye candy". I decided not to use the same star on the cuff as on the shoulder.

I really like this motif. There will be read trim covering the first three white rows.

Looks good, except for the error on the other side! Drat. I shall be ripping. Or I may drop down and pick up the correct stitch. I had to that on the body, but it was only a couple rows down.

Off and On

The body of the Fana Sweater is off the needles, but about to go back on. I did a three needle bind-off at the shoulders. I thought the ridge showing would be neat, kind of mimic the bottom, but, no. So I have to un-bind, pick up, and bind off one shoulder.

Hopefully I'll get that done tonight and be able to get the to the sewing machine and reinforce all the steeks tomorrow. I'm anxious to cut it open try it on.

Nøstepinne

I got a nøstepinne from Norway and thought I would try my hand at winding this yarn into a ball.


A nøstepinne is a "stick" you use to wind a "nest" of yarn. I found these instructions, and you can buy nøstepinner from these people, too.

My first attempt was undone before I got too far in, it was just wrong. If a nøstepinne is a Norwegian ball-winder, then this child could be called a Norwegian-American ball un-winder.

The second attempt went a bit better after I fought and fought with the skein. Usually I have my husband hold the skein and I wind the yarn. Kind of old fashioned, feel like we should be in rocking chairs, but I'll take any quality time I can get. The skein always gets tangled, though, and this one was worse than usual. For one thing I was hanging it on a chair, plus I just don't have the hang of handling a skein.

Here is my first full attempt. It is worse than it seems. The "nest" is supposed to end up flat on the top and bottom, not round. I also lost the end inside, so when I rewound the ball I had to pull from the outside which was annoying.


The second attempt is somewhat better looking, at least it is flat one one side. And I was able to pull from the center without too much trouble when I gave it one last shot.


And this is my third and final attempt. It was actually the hardest to do, the yarn kept slipping to the bottom, but it is relatively flat on both sides and can be pulled from the center. My main problem is I get lazy and stop moving the pinne with my left hand while I wind with my right. I also think I'm not winding a long enough base at the start. I definitely enjoy winding the yarn this way and with some practice I should improve.

The Greenlanders - Mini Book Review

I realize that I'm not doing book reviews, they are barely even mini-book reviews, but I want to share books of possible interest.

I finished "The Greenlanders" last week, and highly recommend it to people interested in Scandinavian history, and to those who just want a good read. It's tale of one family's fate in 14th century Greenland, and really Greenland's fate, too. It is bleak, but it really sucked me in. I had to force myself to go to put it down, not just because I was staying up too late reading, but I wanted to savor the story.

It was especially neat to read this after "Kristin Lavransdatter". They are both sagas in a 14th century Scandinavian setting, but so different. If life seemed rough in Kristin's world, it is downright brutal for the Greenlanders.

From the back cover:

Set in the fourteenth century in Europe's most far-flung outpost, a land of glittering fjords, blasting winds, sun-warmed meadows, and high, dark mountains, The Greenlanders is the story of one family - proud landowner Asgeir Gunnarsson; his daughter Margret, whose willful independence leads her into passisonate adultery and exile; and his son Gunnar, whose quest for knowledge is at the center of this unforgettable book. Jane Smiley takes us into this world of farmers, priests, and lawspeakers, of hunts and feasts and long-standing feuds, and by an act of literary magic, makes a remote time, place, and people not only real but dear to us.

My knowledge of Greenland was pretty sketchy, I didn't even know that Iceland was inhabited first. I bought "A History of the Vikings" by Gwyn Jones to learn more. This is a classic that has been updated several times over the years. Turns out most Icelanders where from Norway. I knew they were Scandinavian, but I didn't realize primarily Norwegian. On my shelf I already had "Vikings - The North Atlantic Saga" which answered my questions about who is in Greenland today. Don't let the bargain price at Amazon influence you. It is great book with a lot of photographs and history. The question of what happened to the last Greenlanders of European descent is still debatable.

I highly recommend "The Greelanders" and the two Viking books I mentioned.

Now I'm reading "Moo" also by Jane Smiley. A great departure from "The Greelanders".

(Anna K. Sisters - we have both Smiley books in our library)

20 years of Anna Kolbjørnsdatter Lodge

Today we celebrated twenty years of our Daughters of Norway Lodge, Anna Kolbjørnsdatter, #36. We had a catered tea party prepared by our sisters of Sigrid Undset Lodge #32.

That's the beautiful program our Cultural Director, Jill Beatty, created.

We honored our charter members, past presidents, and deceased members, each group in a special, different way. And we initiated several new members. It was a day to celebrate all the talented women, past and present, who make our organization the sisterhood it is.


At the very end, all these candles, representing deceased members were lit. Then we proceeded up to the table, each member with a flower in hand with a late sister's name on it. When we reached the front, the name was read, a candle extinguished, and the flower placed in the vase.

This year is also the 100th anniversary of the first Daughters of Norway lodges.

If you are in San Francisco at the first part of May, be sure to go to Norway Day on the 3rd and 4th. It's a fun time, and there is a lot of entertainment and things to see, do and buy. Our lodge is performing a troll play on Saturday afternoon.

Knitting Update

I have been working exclusively on the Fana sweater. Here is a photo of how far along I am - almost to the armpits.

Now I have to decide how to proceed. I originally was planning on doing the whole thing in the round, with steeks at the armholes, and cutting out the neckline. But the Fana book says to work the front and back separately from the underarms. This makes sense because the neck isn't a "V", it is actually a very large "U", which I like, but I would end up cutting out a lot of knitting. However, it will be purling, which I try to avoid.

Here's a bit better idea of how it will look. Those are button holes. They will be bound in red stitching. And I hope blocking will get the edge to lay down better.

Fana Cast On

I finally cast on the sweater! (By the way, Happy Valentine's Day).

248 stitches went on without incident, miraculously. I knit the first round and the cast on stitches weren't too tight or too loose. I got to the end and hadn't inadventently twisted them.

I started with this twisted stitch for two rows. Supposedly "the best of the best" Fana sweaters started with it to prevent curling, since ribbing isn't used.




It is actually purled in this case. You use each color every other stitch and twist the yarn when you switch. It was a true pain in the neck. I couldn't figure a way to hold the yarns and twist them, I had to drop and pick up the yarn for each and every 248 stitches. It took me over an hour. You twist in the same direction every time so you have to stop and untwist the yarns from each other from time to time. Even so the yarn is "twisty".

The second row went much faster. The yarn is twisted in the opposite direction. I was able to hold them both a do a few stitches without dropping the yarn. Plus the yarn was un-twisting and happy.

Kristin Lavransdatter III - The Cross

Just a quick follow-up about Kristin Lavransdatter - I finished reading "The Cross", which covers the final part of Kristin's life.

I've been thinking a lot about this fictitious woman and her life. I remember the historic buildings I saw at the Folk Museum in Oslo and can almost picture her in the storehouse, or at the fire. There is photo of the cathedral in Nidaros in the latest Norway.com magazine and I wonder what it looked like when she was there. Then I remember she wasn't a real person. The books describe Kristin and her surroundings in such detail that it's hard to remember she wasn't real.

I have a lot more to say about the saga, it made quite an impression on me. I just can't get a quiet moment to write my thoughts down. What I like the most is that it makes me wonder what it would have been like live then. And the realization that people not only lived differently than we do, they thought differently, too. Their world was so different.

Fanatrøyer

I just got "Fanatrøyer" in the mail from Norway and it is even more wonderful than I expected. There are so many images - old photos of people in their sweaters, close-ups of old sweaters, photos of modern re-creations. It is full of inspiration.

It is in Norwegian, but I had no idea there are about six pages in the back in English that summarize the history of knitting in Norway and Fana sweaters. But the best thing is there are instructions in English! It shows how to finish the cut edges with fabric backing and woven trim, which I was very unclear about.

Here a few things I learned in my first pass through of the book:

Contrary to what I had learned, there appears to be a bunad that uses a sweater. A Fana bunad is shown with a close fitting solid color Fana sweater underneath the bodice.

About the white Fana sweater. Very lovely with purled textured patterning.

The striped sweater was worn throughout the West coast, but has been carried on in Fana. Part of my family is from the coast, so perhaps someone way back wore a striped sweater.

I can't wait to read more, and put the finishing touches on my sweater plan. Next I'm going to look at the buttons and make a decision about those.

Book Review - Håndplagg til Bunader og Folkedrakter

I cannot express how beautiful Håndplagg til Bunader og Folkedrakter is. I bought this book a couple years ago and pull it out from time to time. I was just checking to see if there are Fana gloves.

The book is full of patterns for bunad and folk costume handcoverings. It is a great resource for making mittens, gloves, pulse warmers, etc., but also stands alone with wonderful photographs of bunads and costumes.

It is entirely in Norwegian. Most of the patterns are knit, but there is also nålbinding. Some are embroidered and others beaded. The book starts with an introduction about supplies and techniques and then is divided into geographic regions. Each project shows a historical photo and instructions. Then there is a photo of the reconstructed item, sometimes modeled with costumes, sometimes with modern clothes, which shows how timeless the designs are.

Here is a small sampling of the projects: embroidered gloves from Setsedal and Telemark; stranded gloves and pulsewarmers from Flesberg; Selbu mittens; solid color patterned mittens from several places; several stranded Sami mittens; and much, much more.

If you are on Ravelry, do a pattern search and you will find several people have made projects from the book. A Google search will yield similar results.

Fana Progress Report

I finished knitting my headband swatch, you can read about it on the knitalong blog.

In the meantime, I got permission from Annemor Sundbø to post this photo of the the Fana sweater I'm making. It is pictured on page 39 of "Everyday Knitting - Treasures From a Ragpile".


See the trim at the wrists? I'm going to do that and have trim along the placket edges and neck, instead of ribbing.

Meanwhile, in my correspondance with Annemor Sundbø she mentioned that she had a few of the book, "Fanatrøyer" available. I just found out about this collection of photos of Fana sweaters and haven't been able to find a copy in the U.S., so I ordered it as my birthday present.

Kristin Lavransdatter

I first learned about "Kristin Lavransdatter" through the movie, directed by Liv Ullmann. It is in Norwegian with English subtitles. We watched it at a Daughters of Norway meeting, and I enjoyed it so much I rented it and watched it again a few months later.

I recently read the first two books in the trilogy by the Norwegian author and Nobel Laureate, Sigrid Unsdet, "The Wreath" and "The Wife" and plan to read "The Cross". The story is set in fourteenth century Norway and was inspired by Icelandic Sagas.

Like any book made into a movie, there are big differences between the two. First, the movie leaves off at the end of "The Wreath", while the books continue to tell the story of Kristin's whole life. The film is a beautiful, dramatic romance. The books have a different feeling, the background of Norway's history and every-day life have just as much presence as Kristin's life.

The trilogy is so detailed and gives a view into medieval Norwegian life, how people lived and thought. The movie is so rich and beautiful. I highly recommend both.