In PieceWork’s ninth edition of Knitting Traditions, we explore the practical and creative evolution of knitting. Beginning with a visit to the Orkney Islands, we learn how gansey and lace stitch designs evolved there both through everyday life and because of its particular geography. Then we sail to The Netherlands where, through the colorful lives of fisherfolk, ganseys and their stitch patterns developed into a rich Dutch tradition full of its own symbolism and history.
Carol Rhoades’s spectacular mittens based on those believed to be knitted by Karin Eriksdotter from Sveg, in the Jämtland province of Sweden. The mittens are knitted in red, a color prized in Swedish textiles, and feature foral decorative motifs on the cuff and back of the hand.
And there are other sorts of adaptions in this issue. You will discover how one knitter used an eighteenth-century embroidery pattern as inspiration for a stunning colorwork mitten design. Another knitter translated a 1920s golf stocking pattern into a stylish, yet practical, liner for a pair of Wellington boots. And yet another knitter acquired an intriguing pair of slippers at a farmer’s market that were knitted in Iran with handspun yarn. She reverse engineered a sweet pattern perfectly connecting cultural tradition with contemporary design. Galina A. Khmeleva combined elements of Orenburg knitting with Scandinavian design to create the gorgeous shawl that graces our cover.
In this issue, I hope that you’ll discover your own knitting connections through the people and their land, the culture, the history, and best of all, the beautiful knitwear.
Enjoy!