Knitting Sweaters from Around the World: 18 Heirloom Patterns in a Variety of Styles and Techniques

260 Pages·2012·45.95 MB·English

by  Kari Cornell

KNITTING SWEATERS
FROM AROUND
THE WORLD
18 HEIRLOOM PATTERNS
IN A VARIETY OF STYLES AND TECHNIQUES
Kari Cornell, Editor
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION BY DONNA DRUCHUNAS
SWEATERS OF SCANDINAVIA
Finnish Sweater: Päivätär
Icelandic Yoke Cardigan
Icelandic Fimmvörðuháls Sweater
Swedish Ullared Pullover
Norwegian Rein and Snow Sweater
SWEATERS OF EUROPE
Estonian Kihnu Troi Sweater
Bavarian Cropped Lattice Pullover
Bulgarian Roses Intarsia Cardigan
SWEATERS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND
St. Olaf Men’s Fair Isle Sweater
Levenwick Fair Isle Jacket
Kinloch Aran Pullover
Eriskay Gansey
SWEATERS OF THE EAST
Turkish Delight Sweater
Russian Peasant Blouse
Japanese Kimono
SWEATERS OF THE WEST
Cowichan-Inspired Swallows & Ivy Wrap Cardigan
Andean Condor Hoodie with Handwarmers
Northwest Forget-Me-Not Pullover
ABBREVIATIONS
YARN SOURCES
STANDARD YARN WEIGHT SYSTEM
ABOUT THE DESIGNERS
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
By Donna Druchunas
Although legend has it that Jesus wore a seamless sweater knitted in-the-round,
in reality, knitting was not invented until several centuries later. Originally used
to make socks, mittens, hats, and many other small projects, knitting was first
used to make the various styles of shirts worn as outerwear that we know of as
sweaters today sometime between the seventeenth and nineteenth century.
Knitters made shirts as early as the fourteenth century, but these were worn as
undergarments. Even the blue silk shirt knitted in an allover knit-and-purl pattern
at a gauge of 22 stitches per inch (yes, per inch, not per 4 inches!) worn by
England’s King Charles I when he was executed in 1649 was likely made to be
worn as an undershirt.
Danish blouses with knit-and-purl patterning were the first sweaters made to
be worn as outer garments. Woolen nightshirts called nattrøjer were commonly
worn by people of all classes for centuries. Those who could not afford two
separate garments wore a vest or bodice over the knitted shirt during the day.
The earliest nattrøjer were worn by both men and women. Over time, men
stopped wearing them, and the nattrøjer evolved into a short, body-hugging style
that accentuated a woman’s figure and complemented the traditional Danish
woman’s costume.
The word “sweater” was coined in the nineteenth century by British
sportsmen who wore the knitted garments while riding horses and rowing.
Before that, sweaters were known as jumpers, jerseys, or frocks. Today, the
word “jumper” is still used to refer to a knitted pullover in most of the English-
speaking world.
One of the first cardigans, defined as knitted jackets that open in the front and
are normally secured with buttons, was made in Germany and worn by Count
Palatine Ottheinrich, who died in 1559. The word “cardigan,” however, refers to
the 7th Earl of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell, who wore a knitted jacket
during the Crimean War in the 1800s and is credited with making the style
famous.
These earliest sweaters were knitted in-the-round, on multiple double-pointed
needles, producing seamless garments that were custom made to fit the wearer.
Sweaters made with multiple colors, such as Norwegian pullovers, were usually
knit as plain tubes and cut open to create neck and armhole openings, while
others made with single-color texture patterns, such as British fishermen’s
others made with single-color texture patterns, such as British fishermen’s
ganseys, were shaped as they were knitted.
Later, most often when garments were being made specifically for sale or
publication, traditional designs, like Aran cable sweaters, were knit flat rather
than in-the-round to make it easier for production knitting and to create multiple
sizes. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, dressmaking techniques were
often used in sweater design; sweaters were knitted in flat pieces and sewn
together to allow for more complicated shaping and a more contemporary and
stylish fit.
Some of the designs in this book, like the Cowichan-Inspired Swallows & Ivy
Wrap Cardigan on page 120, the St. Olaf Men’s Fair Isle pullover on page 70,
and the Eriskay Gansey on page 88 are very traditional garments, allowing you
to try the same stitches and techniques used by the knitters who invented these
designs. Other sweaters, such as the Bulgarian Roses Intarsia Cardigan on page
62 and the Turkish Delight Sweater on page 100, were inspired by patterns and
stitches used on accessories in a particular country or region. And some
sweaters, like the Japanese Kimono on page 112, which was adapted from
traditional woven clothing, or the Kinloch Aran Pullover on page 82, which is an
updated version of an early-twentieth-century idea, are modern knitting designs.
I hope that as you browse through these pages, you’ll be inspired by the many
wonderful sweater designs in this book. Select one or two, pick up your yarn and
needles, cast on, and celebrate the accomplishments of knitters from around the
world.
Albanian girls gather to knit, c. 1923. Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division #LC-USZ62-106363

SWEATERS OF SCANDINAVIA
Finnish Sweater: Päivätär
Icelandic Yoke Cardigan
Icelandic Fimmvörðuháls Sweater
Swedish Ullared Pullover
Norwegian Rein and Snow Sweater