Thursday, March 12, 2015

Norwegian Hats

Norwegian Hats

Hello, again, everyone. As promised, I am posting more regularly. I have had this piece for some time now in my store. One because I like to show customers and general visitors alike, what fabulous creations they can make together with a great imagination, a good knitting needle, and both the right kind and high quality yarn.


And two, because, I feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I complete a project applying both great skill and a great imagination, a good knitting needle, and both the right kind and high quality knitting material(s).

The piece you see in the background is a hat made in the Norwegian style of knitting.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Norwegian style hat, and more specifically, Norwegian style knitting, Norwegian knitting is hundreds of years old.

A quick search on the Internet will let you know that historical accounts suggest that Norwegian knitting might have come Denmark as early as 1500.

As with many traditions that are transplanted from neighbouring geographical locations, or from one part of the world to another part of the world back then, and even now. Historians believe that the Danish tradition/custom of knitting brought to Norway through trading seaports.

Also, as with many traditions/customs done by one part of the population based on socio-economic status, geography, language, etc., that eventually becomes an accepted activity amongst people at the other end of the ‘social spectrum’. Knitting was not was…how should I say this…cool?

Knitting was looked down upon, as a hobby or social activity for commoners, thieves, and persons of the ‘lower classes’.


In any case, I am not a history teacher. Check out my fellow knitter, Beth Brown-Reinsel at Knitting Traditions for all things knitter/knitting-history related.

Bringing it back the piece shown in the background is a hat, which made with the Norwegian style of knitting in mind.

I have already told you about the knitting of the hat, but I have not talked about the yarn I used.

If you look at the picture, you can see that I have used Naturally Loyal Pattern Prints.

At Knitters Attic, we have quite a few variations of this product. Some come in multi-coloured yarn options, and some come in one, solid colour.

The Naturally Loyal Pattern Prints yarn has the following breakdown:
  • Weight is 8 ply (11 wpi) or 22 stitches(Light)
  • Length is 104 meters
  • Unit Weight is 50 grams.
  • Gauge is 22.0 stitches or 4 inches
  • Best Needle size to use is 6 or 3.25 – 4mm
  • Fibers – material is made out of 100% Wool (great for keeping your head warm, but with room to let your head breath so it is not a sauna under there)
  • Texture is Plied.
  • You are in luck. Naturally Loyal Pattern Prints has you covered by providing you with this machine washable material for all your present and future knitting needs. Mild machine-wash, though. I would recommend this most machine washing – helps the item and the material last longer and keep its original quality that made you want to buy it in the first place.
Stay tuned for more of my knitting projects on the Knitters Attic blog.

For more information on Knitters Attic, visit our website at KnittersAtticOnline.com
Give us a call at 1 (905) 508-5637. And/or you can visit the store – we are located at 10119 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4C 1T7.

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