Reindeer Tracks Cardigan Published!

This is the Reindeer Tracks! 

  My daughter Darcy was kind enough to be my model again.  This is a bottom up, all in one piece yoke sweater. The designs are inspired by the Riddarateppid in Reykjavik Iceland. My friend who lives there went to the museum and photographed the wall hanging made in the 16th Century.  It was done in twistsøm. It is a Norwegian embroidery technique with long arm cross stitch.  I found a wonderful Facebook site that does this embroidery. Check it out! Sy tvist

About 2 years ago I started an embroidery called "Opus Magnusson" from my friend, Julia Line  at Long Dog. This is my, changed version. I also have a book of Icelandic embroidery and found some more adaptations of the Riddarateppid.  I fell in love with the Reindeer and you can see the resemblance!                   

I then adapted the reindeer for my sweater and gave him curly horns. The tall motifs,  behind the  reindeer are the Bishop's crook.  The bottom border on the sweater is from the bottom row of the Riddarateppid. I put it on the edge of my embroidery.                                             

Magnus my pup got his name from Opus Magnusson! His registered name is Olav Magnusson.  Since he can never be a father that is very inconsequential!

Back to the sweater. I made better clear charts some in color.The pattern is written for 7 sizes and 2 lengths (body and arms)

It uses Rauma Finull from Norway and the new Tumi. Same gauge and really soft with half alpaca. Remember Alpaca is really warmer that wool. With this combination it is just great for our cold high desert winter. Unfortunately it snowed 12" the day after I took the pictures!!!

It is Kitchener stitched under the arms and front bands knit after it is complete.

The picture with the clasp and Helm of Awe protection rune buttons is below. I get them from https://treasurecast.com   A wonderful shop where the buttons are made in pewter in Boise Idaho.  Clasp from                                                             there too. 

   The yarn is mostly the new heather   finull which is  dyed on grey sheep   wool and gives it a nice depth. The   cast on is done with old twisted   Norwegian longtail alternating colors.   The bottom border is done in 3 colors.   I hold 2 in my left hand and catch     floats easinly with my right. It is not   bad to do after a little practice.

   I put the tracks in the middle of the stars

       and in two places on the yoke.

        You can see the reindeer tracks on the yoke.   They really look like this with 2 little dots. I put them in the middle of the stars too..

 We used to have a reindeer farm near my farm in Oregon!
 They trotted them out every Christmas!

Here is the inside with the facing stitched down, or you can sew on a ribbon.  You bind off the 4 facing stitches at the neck.

      Here are some steek cutting photos!

  Work bands and neck.

                                                                            Then you are finished.

Twisted Tulips Help on Finishing and construction!!!

Darcy on Thanksgiving day!

 

Yoke

Tulip I used in sweater

Tulips for 2 more choices in the "twisted body and

sleeve.  Everything and how to work it is in the pattern.

Try it on at this point. Use 2 long

 cable needles or put a length of 

slippery purl cotton in stitches.

You can put the purl cotton in the 

hole of the needle and pull it through.  

the stitches. After joining

must be divisible by 24 +1. each "pie" 

will add about 3".  I had to actually

 decrease it a lot before the yoke 

on my first go. It fits perfectly now.  

You can see the underarm stitches on safety pins that are to be kitchenered

together.

Sewing the steek. Tulip has stripes too!
Mark it well!

Darcy trying it on before I cut the steeks
and shaped the back neck with short rows
I washed it before I cut steeks to be sure both
sides matched!!!!

 

Front borders are set for clasps, but if you prefer
buttons just make buttonhole loops with yarn for the
fastening.

The back is so pretty it would make a great
pullover!  Just start the row under the arm
and work front same as back. Work the short
rows from the  center front! E mail me at cindy@norskneedlework.com for help!

Hold your hand under the scissors and
be sure not to snip yarn on the back. 
Easier than it looks!!! Make a sample
to cut!!!

Steeks cut and zig zaged edges. Believe
me it will NOT come apart. Work sewing from
same direction= top to bottom

I picked up, from top to bottom both sides, 4 out of
5 stitches on smallest needle to knit front bands.
Work one row of K2 tog. YO  across, then work more rows of stockinet stitch.  Sewing it up is easy if you use the bar on the back between where you picked up the stitches. Then it won't skew to side.

Wear it and Enjoy!!!!

Tips on Finishing your Odin's Creatures pullover

 Here is my gorgeous granddaughter in MY new sweater. I am keeping it.

I took lots of pictures along the way to help you knit it.  It is knit in the round with steeks at the front, and back neck and on the henley opening.

Back with Yggdrasil the tree of the

9 worlds.

Front has The horse Sleipnir  and the two wolves Geri and Freki

No steeks at the side but by carefully marking the side stitch you sew the middle stitch about 1/4" less than the width of the upper sleeve and sew it on with yarn along a garter ridge on the sleeve. Picture to follow.

I knit the neck in the round with a steek in the middle decreasing on both sides to match every row. Clearly marked on the pattern. No need to work back and forth and the way I knit the neck it makes it lovely rounded!

There are bindrunes all over this sweater. They are named on the pattern, all good ones like Spiritual health, Protection, Wolf, Horse and "A conspiracy of ravens"!! Who knew this is what a group of ravens are called. Huginn and Munin live on the upper sleeves.   There are a lot of charts and big so you can see them. Don't try to connect them around the body. I put the 3 lower front charts on the top of a magnet board and the 3 lower back charts below. It is easy to tell what row you are on by the pattern and the solid black lines every 10 rows.  You can number the lines if you wish. The top is easy to follow by watching where you are on the animals. You can see the rows done below the magnet strips and just move it every row. Don't move the charts, only when you need to flip the panels over and work on up.

The sleeve is charted the same way. If you can't understand this please write me at cindy@norskneedlework.com for help.

Increases are charted but you can change the lines to your desired size and length on the sleeve.

This is the steek mid front     You hold 3 sts on a holder

then cast on 9 sts which will be cut after sewing 4

rows of small machine stitching around the 3 center

stitches.  You can see the back stitching at the

bottom.  It is not scary.. Practice on the back neck!

Hold your hand under the steek and you won't cut through to the back

Some of us have a nice glass of wine after the cutting!  First measure, then sew then cut... Hope these pictures will help

You can see the center background 

stitch between front and back.  Sew  

the same 4 rows. I cut and then zig

zag the edge. All the stitching will 

be well hidden!

Seriously after you do a little it is easy.  I measure the width of the upper sleeve and sew around the 3 side center stitches. 4 rows of small stitching. Mark the depth well and down the center stitch  It is a great idea to use a different color thread so

you can see it.

Sew with the color of your garter ridge doing 

matress stitch on the body (keep it really straight

vertically)  Work into the garter bump on the

sleeve side.

This is from last years sweater but shows the arm

stitching better! You have to ease in stitches on the body size.

 Match the shoulder patterns exactly and do a 3 needle bind off from the inside.

  The neck is double and covers

the steeks.  This is my antique 

necklace hand stitched and 

bought in Germany when I 

Nice woven braid I stitched on to cover front steeks.

Mythical Creatures Too will be published this week!!! + Life in Nevada

My family in my sweaters   New hat and sweater on Paul my son

I want to introduce my new patterns (3) for this fall but also to give
instruction for finishing a Norwegian style sweater knit in the round
with steeks. The above sweater on my son Paul is my new Mythical
Creatures Too. The "Too" is to distinguish it from the earlier Mythical
Creatures hat. It had a different design. That other hat is in the last blog....

Men's or Women's Pullover with Placket and Pewter clasps in Rauma Finull PT2

Upper Back of Mythical Creatures Too.... Fabeldyr means mythical creatures
 in Norwegian (Dyr does not meen deer! but animal!)
this word may be omited if you want the grey boder all the way around.
See picture below for this border at sides...

 Note: you mark sides, that do not have steeks! Measure width of sleeve and
mark and cut body  slightly less than width. About 4-5 sts at edge of body are
lost at each side.

Armholes marked

Back of placket with 4 machine stitching rows ready to cut

Cutting placket open after sewn as above

Picking up sts along placket edge... Pick up 4 out of 5 sts for good ease
with smallest diameter needle.

Front Placket finished, cut, sts picked up along side and garter border knit on each side.

Sewing garter row on border to body with matress stitch on body side,
matching the garter bump on sleeve side.
You need to match sleeve to armhole in about 4 places and ease in body edge.
Facings is tacked to inside over cut edge later.

 Keep the body stitches exactly in the same line!

Upper sleeve with Gargoyle

I reproduced gargoyles from my daughter Tracy Horner's   http://inkcircles.com
"Castle Walls" Embroidery with her permission, of course.

Ink Circles "Castle Walls" with multiple wonderful Gargoyles!!!
I am stitching this too....

Hemming neckband to inside with whip stitch, keeping
 cut edges of steek to inside.

Mythical Creatures Too hat to match sweater

Ladies smaller Mythical Creatures Too hat .. Finishing up quickly then
to write the pattern!
I showed this picture so you can see how I follow the pattern
with a magnet board.

New St Olav cardi for children (in progress!!!)  Darling Kinley, my lovely model!!!

Back of childs sweater

Child's Olav

Viking ship on sleeves

What Annie and I do to get away from this computer!!!! This is
in my backyard. Fantastic small lake!