Recently Kara asked where she can find free Nordic knitting techniques?

I’ve found Nordic knitting techniques in books and patterns. 

Free knitting techniques can be a challenge.  Nordic knitting is usually for intermediate and advanced knitters.  And finding free knitting patterns for a smaller audience can be challenging.  When you know where to look, it’s easier though…

Here are several places you can look…

• Sometimes you can find the techniques explained in knitting patterns.
• Another free source may be a library book on Nordic knitting.
• The largest selection of free online Nordic knitting patterns I’ve found is on Ravelry, a membership site for knitters, crocheter, weavers, designers, spinners and dyers.  Ravelry has 89 free Nordic knitting patterns listed. A Ravelry membership is free.
• Nordic knitting is a large topic.  You could try searching by region or country, or by the type of project you want to knit.  Examples include Faroese shawls or Icelandic sweaters.
• Nordic knitting techniques are described in some books.  One of my favorite books is “Folk Mittens.“  It has nice descriptions of the different techniques with patterns for knitting around the world.  I used it to make my Norwegian Mitten pictured in this post.  You may find a copy at your library or perhaps you can borrow one from a knitter you know.

My Snowflake Christmas Knitting Balls Pattern is a Nordic-inspired pattern.  They make nice Christmas gifts, and are small projects you can take with you.   Click here to download it now. 

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder of www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Creator of A HEART PLAN
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

Have you recently had unusual challenges?

Maybe it’s been the economy. Your family. Or the weather.

So far this winter has been unusually cold here. It’s been 20 to 30 points below normal. Water frozen outside in the morning — and even the afternoon some days. This is the longest stretch of cold weather in this area in about a century. Of course, the cold weather brings it’s own challenges. Like, not one but two mice decided my dryer vent was a nice entrance into my warm house.

At least I hope it’s only two!

This week, my problems challenges became very small. The earthquake in Haiti dwarfs many concerns.

Crafters helping Haiti

If you’re  like me, your first instinct is to help. But how? And where?

Knitters and crocheters have a unique opportunity. Sure, we can donate money to appropriate places.

We can also donate our handiwork.

Ravelry has a new group that is looking for afghan squares. Knitted or crocheted. Sizes from 6 inches to 14 inches are being offered. The group even has links for knitting instructions.

I like the idea of making a square or perhaps a few and sending them. Imagine hundred or thousands of knitters and crocheters sending just one or two squares. And they can be made from your stash, or even leftovers.

The group, Hugs for Haiti, wants washable squares. It looks as though that’s the main requirement.

Here’s the first square I’m working on:

Log cabin afghan square in progress

Log cabin is one of the free patterns the group links to. I like log cabin quilts, and knitting a log cabin square reminds me how much rebuilding the Haitians need to do.

If you don’t feel up to making a complex square, make a simple one.

Free garter stitch square pattern

Garter stitch is easy to make a square. Its Rule of Thumb is two rows for each stitch makes a square. So, if you cast on 10 stitches and knit 20 rows you have a square. Or approximately. Usually I need to knit a couple of rows less than twice the number I cast on when I’m knitting with acrylic or cotton. It’s still easy to make a square.

For example, if you want to make a 12 inch square and have 4 stitches per inch: cast on 48 stitches.

4 stitches / inch X  12 inches = 48 stitches

Knit approximately 48 ridges, or 96 rows. In my case, it’s 44 or 46 ridges. Bind off.

A slipped stitch edging helps the square lie flat, and more square. Here are my video knitting instructions.

Join Hugs for Haiti now: you do need to be a Ravelry member to join. Ravelry is free and well worth your time if you’re a crafter.

Disclosure:

I may have a marketing connection to a brand, topic or product listed on the website. Through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.

cmp.ly/5/kf4rlc

While I prefer to let dishes air dry, sometimes I still need to dry them by hand.

The other day, as I used a dish towel, it left the water untouched.

Next I tried a second, then a third.

All of them refused to wipe the dishes dry.

The best drying towel seemed to be one that’s probably at least 15 years old. Unfortunately, it also has a large hole in its center.

Have you noticed most if not all the dish towels lately in the stores are manufactured outside the USA?

The ones I’ve had the most problems with are new. Perhaps it’s the yarn, the dyes, or even the manufacturing process?

After exhausting the available dish towels, I reached for a knitted cotton dishcloth. Surprisingly, it did a nice job of drying the dishes. Perhaps a bit small, but the pattern could be easily enlarged.

Have you noticed there aren’t many knitting patterns for dish towels?

Oh, it’s easy to find dishcloth knitting instructions online.

Knitting Pattern Central has 277 dishcloth patterns, and 1 dish towel pattern. Even Ravelry lists 46 patterns for dish towels, but it appears only 25 or so are actually towels. And they have over 3000 patterns for knitted dishcloths listed!

Some are for dishcloths, just mislabeled as dish towels!

Why? Three possible reasons for the scarcity of dish towel knitting instructions:

• Maybe they’re less popular because they’re a larger project?
• Maybe many folks don’t hand dry many dishes any more?
• Maybe designers just assume knitters enlarge dishcloth patterns themselves to make dish towels?

Making a dishcloth larger makes sense. An all-over pattern is easy to enlarge by simply adding more stitches — by keeping to the pattern repeat — and by adding rows to make a rectangle rather than a square.

You can see the dishcloth I enlarged by adding additional “bricks” to make a dish towel:

Dish towel made from ballband dishcloth knitting instructions

I found the ballband dishcloth knitting pattern inside the label of the Peaches & Creme blue denim cotton yarn.  Peaches & Creme cotton yarn is made in the USA from American materials.

When you want to hang the dish towel on a handle in the kitchen, you may want to customize the top, making it easy to hang or tie on the handle.

Of course, if you’re adventurous and don’t mind ripping and re-knitting if needed, you could try to make a top without knitting instructions.

Dish towel hanger top made without knitting instructions

You may find knitting dish towels with and without hanging tops easier — and faster — than you think!

When you’re looking for more specific instructions for a dishcloth and towel, check out my Garter Ripple Kitchen Set pattern.  It’s a knitted dishcloth pattern, using a simple lace stitch.

Garter ripple kitchen set

It’s available through Ravelry.  Here’s the link to buy now.