Kristin Drysdale - The Nordic Knitting Primer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Scandinavian Colorwork

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TO DEXTER, ANNA, XANDER, AND BENJI,
WHO HAPPILY WORE EVERYTHING I EVER MADE FOR THEM.

Thats my approach to knitting in four words. This is a book for people everywhere who 1) love the look of Scandinavian knitting and 2) are motivated by the idea of making something spectacular right from the start. If that describes you, were kindred spirits. No one told me I couldnt start with a sweater, so I skipped the plain scarf stage when I learned to knit. My first project was a Nordic cardigan. Small children in Norway learn this stuff. So can we.

If youre already a skilled colorwork knitter, you may have bought this book simply because you want to make some of the projects. Great! That was the goal. But if youre new to colorwork, or even new to knitting in general, this book is for you. Thats because I carefully organized the projects by difficulty to provide a step-by-step primer for all the skills you need to master the art of Scandinavian colorwork. If youre just a tiny bit adventurous and get a thrill out of learning new things, this will be a really fun ride. Dont think of colorwork as leaving your comfort zone; think of it as expanding your comfort zone in a hurry with new skills and abilities. I cant wait for you to get started.

I have taught thousands of people to knit. Along the way, Ive discovered how to make colorwork click. Use this book as a helpful guide. will teach you the most commonly avoidedbut super importantskill: purling in colorwork. Dont be scared. You can do it. Choose a project from each chapter, and by the end of the book, you will have mastered all the basics of colorwork by making your choice of just four or five projects. After that, the world of colorwork will be yours to explore.

I hope you love making and learning with this book!

Happy knitting,

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

This book is written for the knitter with basic skills who is used to working with one color while holding the yarn in either the right or left hand. It contains all you need to know to start knitting with the yarn in the other hand to help you pick up colorwork quickly and fall in love with Nordic knitting. Before you start, here are some helpful hints that will make any colorwork project a success.

While knitting on the right side, simply follow colorwork charts from right to left. Starting at the bottom right corner, knit stitch by stitch, row by row, in whichever color the chart tells you to knit, and magically, a design will appear. When youre knitting in the round, you get to see the design unfold before your eyes. For purling (on the wrong side), read colorwork charts from left to right instead.

No one wants a sweater that doesnt fitnot even the Weasley children! If it doesnt fit, you wont wear it. And neither will anyone else. The negative reputation of hand-knit items being too big, too small, or just plain weird comes down to one simple thing: gradeschool math. Getting gauge in knitting, every time, no matter what, is really just like tuning an instrument before you play. It only takes a few minutes to figure out if your tension is correct and your stitches are the right size. Its a small time investment compared to all the hours it takes to knit a sweater. But it makes all the difference.

Think of it this way: You would never buy a sweater online or from a store without caring what size it is. That would be crazy. But knitting without taking time to make sure you are on gauge, and that you stay on gauge as you knit, is just that.

Getting the gauge right, and checking your gauge throughout each project, is a process that starts before you cast on and continues through the entire knit. Its not hard, but you do have to do it. When you do, your projects will turn out perfectly every time.

Have you ever heard the phrase Measure twice and cut once? Gauge is the measurement of knitting. Technically speaking, gauge is the number of stitches in a 4 4inch (10 10cm) square.

I always get perfect gauge. If you hear this phrase, its a lie. Every knitter knits differently. We just do. Some knit tightly and some knit loosely. And the variables that affect gauge? Holy cow! There are different methods of knitting, different types of needles, different stitches, different yarns, different ways to hold the yarn, different sizes of hands and fingers, and Ill stop there just to save space. The tiniest variance in any of these factors can make a big difference in your gauge. And, even if every one of these factors were taken out of the equation, your gauge would still be unique to you. Just like a fingerprint. Thats why you have to take charge of your gauge and find the right needle size that will help you match the number of stitches to the gauge the designer recommends for every pattern you knit.

Gauge affects more than size! It also affects the weight and the drape of the fabric. If you want to get the look intended by the designer, you have to get and keep the proper gauge. Am I repeating myself? Good. Its for a reason.

Ive taught many classes where every knitter in the room is making the same thing with the same yarn. With ten knitters in the class, there can be as many as five different needle sizes used to get the same gauge! In each pattern in this book, I note the needle size that I used to get the right gauge for the project. But please remember, in my patterns and everyone elses, needle size is only a suggestion. Think of it as a ballpark estimate or a starting place for swatching.