I am almost at the two-thirds point in my Leftovers Cowl.

It doesn’t look like much all smooshed up, but check this out:

It is approximately 56″ long at this point.

I am starting to re-use yarns now. I still have a few un-used ones, and I am mixing them in with colors already used. And still trying to get a nice mix of light and dark and good contrast. It’s such fun to knit because I am finished with a set of colors before I get bored.

Loki

Loki wanted you to see how pretty he looks right after being brushed:

As you can see, he has a lot of fur! Way more than Lucy had — I could get away with brushing her once a week. I brush Loki every day and get a fair amount of loose fur out of him each time. If I didn’t brush him so often he’d get mats in his little armpits. Lucky for me, he loves being brushed and combed.

First things first, the winner of a copy of  Knit Nordic: 20 Contemporary Accessories Inspired by 4 Traditional Sweater Patterns by Eline Oftedal is GerryART, who has been emailed. As always thank you to everyone who left a comment and a big thank you to Sterling Publishing for offering a book for the give-away.

My Leftovers Cowl has gotten a bit too big for me to drag to the office every day on the off chance I have time to knit a round or two during my lunch break. So I have something more portable on the needles for a commuter project:

This is the first of a pair of fingerless mitts. I am knitting with Shibui Knits Sock, a fingering weight 100% superwash merino wool, in the Abyss, and Roppongi colorways. As you can see, I’ve got a cuff done in corrugated ribbing. I’ve worked up a fun little chart for the back of the hand. All will be revealed in time.

But I do continue to work on the cowl. I’ve not had a lot of knitting time so far this week, but I am plugging along.

However, a certain furry little somebody has been requesting a lot of lap time this week. I am putty in his paws.

This came in the mail a couple of days ago:

This is Knit Nordic: 20 Contemporary Accessories Inspired by 4 Traditional Sweater Patterns by Eline Oftedal to be released this coming Tuesday, February 4.

Very clever idea for a book! Marius, Voss, Setesdal, and Fana are four of the iconic traditional Norwegian knitting patterns. I’ve knit several Norwegian sweaters and the patterns for these 4 are so familiar to me.

What the author has done in this book is take these four traditional patterns and offer 5 patterns for contemporary accessories based on each.

At the front of the book is a nice intro with information on the four iconic patterns.

First up, Marius. There are lots of vintage photos and some good information about the design on this page. And there are lots of Marius patterns on Ravelry.

The Marius index page of Knit Nordic:

The Marius patterns are for a handbag, a racerback tank top, hot pants (yikes), a teddy bear (awwwww!), and a Christmas stocking.

Next, Setesdal. There’s a lovely pattern for a Setesdal sweater listed in Ravelry.

The Setesdal index page of Knit Nordic:

Setesdal patterns: an iPad cover (I love this), a necktie, slippers, wristwarmers, and a beanie hat.

Next comes Fana. Here’s the Dale of Norway Fana pattern in Ravelry.

The Fana index page of Knit Nordic:

The Fana patterns are a beret, a “half-sweater” (like a small poncho), armwarmers, coffee press cosy, and cup cosies.

Finally, Voss. Here’s a pretty Dale of Norway Voss pattern in Ravelry.

The Voss index page of Knit Nordic:

The patterns are for a toilet roll cover, potholers, a cowl (she calls it a snood), a cushion cover, and an iPhone cover.

The skill level for each pattern is noted and the instructions look nice and clear. The colorwork is charted, in large, easy-to-see charts. There is a nice detailed techniques section in the back with information on knitting in the round and stranded knitting. Also included is information on working from charts, finishing techniques, and linings and fastenings.

The patterns are all very cute (though you will not catch me knitting stranded wool hot pants any time soon) and some of them are definitely easy enough for a colorwork newbie or wanna-be. The cowl or coffeepot or cup cosies would be very easy to make, and what great gifts. I can see almost anything in this book making a wonderful gift knit, and they are all fairly small projects so they would knit up quickly. The yarns used are listed by weight, not by specific brand (sport, DK, worsted, etc.) and there are some projects using bulky weight yarn that would knit up in a snap.

Sterling Publishing is once again sponsoring a giveaway for WendyKnits readers. Who’d like a copy of this great book?

To be entered in the drawing for a free copy of Knit Nordic: 20 Contemporary Accessories Inspired by 4 Traditional Sweater Patterns by Eline Oftedal (generously supplied by Sterling Publishing), leave a comment on this post by noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. At that time the Random Number Generator will select a winner.

Leftovers Cowl

Work continues on my Leftovers Cowl:

I am close to half done — I have 2.75 repeats done at this point and I plan to knit to 6 repeats. And I have yet to use a yarn twice. But I will soon be repeating yarns as I am running out of new balls of leftovers!

Loki

Loki wants to get in a game of hide and seek before the Superbowl.

He’s waiting for me. 🙂