Knitted Kurbits

I´m having a great time with my new pattern that I´ve named Karin the Kurbitsmitten, inspired by traditional folk art – kurbitsmålning – from Dalarna. 

 

This is what the colours look like in daylight.

The second mitten is done, but none of them has thumbs. But I´m going to use the time until New Year to finish everything – or as much as possible – that needs finishing. That´s my Old Year Resoulution anyway.

It would be lovely to start 2010 with an empty knitting basket ready for new projects.  But that could also be solved by Santa bringing me a new basket, of course.

I intend to knit a pair of Karin mittens with a white background too, just to see which looks best. And I am also working on making this pattern into a matching hat – or two. One black and one white.

This is what the colours look like when using a flash.

It´s lovely to hear that there are already requests for the patterns – both for Karin and the other mitten Ulrika Nejlika, in my last blog post. Maybe there will be time over Christmas to work on the patterns. 

But all work and no play makes Johanne a dull girl.

So the other week I went to the opening of an exhibition at Marias garn. It´s an exhibiton of Ivar Asplund´s knitting.

 

Ivar is a wonderful knitter and it was lovely to meet him for the first time IRL. He has a his own blog.

He does stranded, cabled and twined knitting and makes his own designs. The sweater that he is wearing in this picture is a piece of art. One cable runs along the entire sleeve and continues on the saddle shoulder. It took a lot a calculations to work this sweater out, Ivar told me.

Ivar´s exhibition runs until December, 19. Do hurry on over there if you haven´t already been. 

 

Comments

[Fríða]

härliga vantar, och tack för linket till Ivars blog, så många fina saker.
hälsningar från Island
Frida

[maria]

Vad fint det blir!
Har precis fått int Zauberball i rosa/vitt/grönt...vet inte varför jag tänkte på dej direkt moahaha

[Johanne]

Jag ser ett besök i en viss garnbutik inom en snar framtid... Men så är jag ju också lite synsk!

[Johanne]

Hej Fríða!
Så fantastiskt att ha en bloggläsare från Island! Vilken fin blogg du har.

Och Ivar stickar som en gud. 

/Johanne

[Nancy]

Love the mittens!

Two of the sweaters behind him are Meg Swansen's "Russian Prime"! It's in both the Interweave "Meg Swanzsen's Knitting" and in a 'Woolgathering'.

[Tenna Draper]

Just want to say that I can't wait until you put out a pattern for those Kurbits...but I have a question. I see you use a piece of waste yarn to mark thumb stitches--so your mitts have no increases to allow the thumb to hang out to the side? I'm familiar with the technique, have never made a pair for myself because I fear the tightness when I stick out my thumb--how is that handled?

[Johanne]

Hi Tenna!

I make a thumb gusset. I increase the mitten by approximately 15 stitches that make plenty of room for the thumb. 

When the mitten is finished I remove the waste yarn, pick up the stitches for the thumb on the top and bottom, plus and extra on each side and knit the thumb. It´s real easy. But I still put off doing it for as long as possible because I´m so lazy!

[nicole]

the yarn on the latest mittens turned out soo well! one never knows somehow no matter how much experience we have. looking forward to seeing how they are changed by a white background.

god jul o gott nytt år

[Vanessa]

I love the color combination on the Karin the Kurbitsmitten. You mentioned that the colored yarn is Zauberball; what is the black one? I want to make sure I have something comparable. Then I'll just have to wait until the pattern is available!