{"id":6063,"date":"2021-02-20T08:26:07","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T07:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/?p=6063"},"modified":"2021-02-20T08:26:10","modified_gmt":"2021-02-20T07:26:10","slug":"knit-spin-sweden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/knit-spin-sweden\/","title":{"rendered":"Knit (spin) Sweden!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sara Wolf has written the lovely book Knit (spin) Sweden and I’m a co-author. The book has been out for a while, but due to Brexit and lockdowns I got my hands on it only last week. Today I give you a sneak peak of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more I read this book the more I’m fascinated by Sara’s thoroughness and knowledge. She leaves no stone unturned in finding answers to her questions. And even when she has no answer she does her very best to present as complete a picture as she possibly can. I am so glad to know her and proud be part of this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sara Wolf<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sara Wolf<\/a> has had a long career in museums as a textile conservator. She has a great passion for textiles in general and knitting in particular. Through her many travels, Sara has developed a deep interest in different knitting techniques and traditions around the world. While she teaches knitting she is always open to learning new techniques herself. I may be partly responsible for dragging her into the deep, deep spinning rabbit hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sara
Sara has a long experience as a textile conservator, knitter and knitting traveller.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Knitting history in Sweden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While knitting is a relatively new textile technique it is still old enough to have a blurry origin. There are pieces of the puzzle, but we don’t have the whole picture. As the structured and organized reasearcher Sara is, she provides us with a lot of pieces that lead us not to a clear picture bot a lot closer to one. One example is an Egyptian sock, dated between the 12th and 14th century. The sock is knit with intricate stranded colourwork and has complex toe and heal constructions. This leads Sara to the conviction that knitting started a lot earlier than the dating of the sock. And together with findings of coins from over 20 different nations in the island of Gotland in the 9th century it makes the idea of an early arrival of knitting in Sweden very appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swedish knitting designers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sara has chosen to portray five Swedish knitting designers and their work \u2013 the two-end knitting patterns of master knitter Karin Kahnlund, Viking inspired cable design by Elsebeth Lavold, floral stranded colourwork by Katarina Segerbrand, everyday cable garments by Ivar Asplund and the work of experimenting designer Kristin Blom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swedish fleece and fibers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the fall of 2018 Sara contacted me via my blog and asked if I could spin yarn from Swedish sheep breeds for a book (this book) she was writing. I was a bit reluctant at first, but we really connected and soon I sent handspun yarns from Swedish sheep breeds across the pond to her. She in turn knit swatches of my yarns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The section in the book about Swedish fleece and fibers is almost entirely focused on Swedish sheep breeds and the wool they produce. This is the part of the book where I come in. While Sara describes the Swedish sheep breeds, I write about my process and what I think of the wool I work with. She has then written about her experience with the yarn in knitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I
I finally have the book Knit (spin) Sweden in my hands! My contribution to the book is handspun yarn and some of the sections in the chapter of Swedish fleece and fibers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My handspun in Sara’s hands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having someone else knit with my handspun yarns is a new experience to me. Sara has some really interesting points as a knitter that differ from mine as a spinner. Some of the yarns are too scratchy as a knitting yarn, which I was fully aware of when I sent them to her. No matter how much I want a yarn to work as a knitting yarn, Sara with her long experience and skill as a knitter can pinpoint what it is that makes a particular yarn less suitable for next to skin garments. This understanding confirms my decision a few years ago to learn how to weave to be able to use yarns from the whole spectrum of spinning possibilities\u2013 from the softest of soft next to skin knitting yarn to the coarsest rug weaving yarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yarn shops, mills and fairs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In three of the chapters in Knit (spin) Sweden Sara goes through places to visit in Sweden \u2013 yarn shops, craft shops, museums, spinning mills, sheep farms, fiber artists, wool and knitting fairs and much more. She writes about how to get there, what to expect and where the real treasures are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Three chapters of the book Knit (spin) Sweden are dedicated to yarn shops, spinning mills, sheep farms, fiber artists and fairs all over Sweden.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sara has visited many of these places during her travels to Sweden and bought their yarns. Just as with my handspun yarns she has test knitted all the yarns and tells us how they feel when knitting and as a fabric and in what kind of technique and use she thinks they will be best suited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knitting patterns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are you curious about trying some Swedish knitting patterns? In the book Sara offers 11 patterns, featuring traditional patterns from different regions in Sweden and from some of the featured designers in the book. Sara has also adapted some of the historically interesting findings into patterns. I have contributed with a pair of two-end knitted wrist-warmers using traditional crook-stitch patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the back of the book Sara provides a Swedish to English and English to Swedish glossary of knitting and spinning terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find Knit (spin) Sweden here<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can find Knit (spin) Sweden in several online bookstores in North America, Europe and Sweden. Check the publisher Cooperative press<\/a> in the U.S., Amazon in the U.S<\/a>., Amazon UK<\/a>, Amazon Germany<\/a>, Book depository<\/a> in the E.U., and Adlibris<\/a>, Akademibokhandeln<\/a> and Bokus<\/a> in Sweden. On all the Amazon options you can look inside the book and read the first few pages, including Sara’s and my introductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Knit
Knit (spin) Sweden is in your online bookstore now!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thank you Sara for all the hard work you have put in to this book and for inviting me on your journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you read the book? Let me know what you think!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy spinning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find me in several social media:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n