Tag Archives: Norwegian knitting

2 new designs: Wild Rose Vest & Doggy Loves Kitty

Posted on February 9, 2022 by twostrands

“Wild Rose Vest” is a traditional Shetland wool vest / slipover with an updated bit of femininity. It’s knit in 12 colors of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. “Doggy Loves Kitty” is a baby blanket knit in Fair Isle technique with some … Continue reading →

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25% off 20 of my patterns for colorwork KAL

Posted on February 3, 2021 by twostrands

Be sure to get the discount code from The Woolly Thistle KAL on Ravelry. You can use the KAL discount code either on my website or in my Ravelry store to get 25% off any of these 20 pattern pdfs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, shetland wool, Special Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cosmos Chullo

Posted on October 28, 2020 by twostrands

My new “Cosmos Chullo” earflap hat knitting pattern pdf gives you a choice of two motifs for a super warm, quick-to-knit hat. The new MadTosh Triple Twist TML chunky / Aran weight superwash merino I used worked beautifully! You can … Continue reading →

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How to get 25% off on Ravelry for ALL of my mitten PDFs through February 2020

Posted on February 1, 2020 by twostrands

I’m thrilled to be a participating designer in The Woolly Thistle’s 5th Annual Colorwork Mitten KAL on Ravelry.  I’m giving a 25% discount on all of my colorwork mitten knitting pattern PDFs all month long (Feb 2020) to anyone participating … Continue reading →

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Nordic Easter Egg knitting pattern

Posted on March 7, 2015 by twostrands

It sure has been one long, hard winter!  But, if you can believe it, we’re just two weeks away from spring. While Mother Nature is apparently still enthralled with winter, someone else has been busily focusing on the colorful, lively … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Special Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Supernova Hat

Posted on October 13, 2014 by twostrands

Thirty, count ’em, thirty quick rounds of short repeat, short float bliss, then *poof*, you’re done.  Should fit most of the adults on your holiday list.  It seems a shame to knit just one, no? Knit yours in any two … Continue reading →

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Blendoku – a great game for Fair Isle fanatics

Posted on April 21, 2014 by twostrands

What’s Blendoku?  It’s an intriguing free app that sharpens your color management skills.  Should disaster strike and you find yourself without your knitting (gasp!) it’s a fun way to sharpen your skills for setting up smooth color gradients for your … Continue reading →

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Circular knitting intro for use with Christmas Balls PDF

Posted on October 1, 2013 by twostrands

When I wrote my “Christmas Balls” free knitting patterns last year (and my free “Star of Bethlehem” pattern this year) I had my “typical” knitting customer in mind.  Not that any of you are typical – you’re all special and … Continue reading →

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Tiger Lily, in the pink

Posted on June 5, 2013 by twostrands

Reason #352 why I love knitting:  Merely by changing the shades of yarn we’re using, we can give an entirely new look to beloved, old designs. It’s true, I do lament when an “old favorite” shade is discontinued by the … Continue reading →

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“More monkeys, please!”

Posted on March 21, 2013 by twostrands

A common request around here lately: “More monkeys, please!” Today’s answer: “Coming right up!” You’re just one click away from one dozen new colorway ideas for my Monkey Hat using Dale of Norway Baby Ull yarn, our hands-down favorite for … Continue reading →

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Riverside Cowl

Posted on October 29, 2012 by twostrands

My “Riverside Cowl” – knit in Dale of Norway Royal Alpakka yarn.  Fair Isle and garter stitch on the outside, solid stockinette stitch on the lining, luxurious warmth all over.  The kit is available through my on-line store, Kidsknits.com.  It … Continue reading →

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Sirdal

Posted on October 6, 2012 by twostrands

I’m very fortunate to have some tremendously talented customers.  This past week, a charming coincidence arose: two of my wonderful customers showed me their very special renditions of Dale of Norway’s beloved “Sirdal” design, a traditional Norwegian knitting classic (which, … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Allamanda Hat

Posted on September 20, 2012 by twostrands

My new Allamanda Hat design.  It’s easier than it looks. It’s first knit in typical Fair Isle style (no more than two colors at once.)  When the knitting is done, you have the option to get carried away with some … Continue reading →

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Christmas Balls – a free knitting pattern PDF

Posted on August 27, 2012 by twostrands

It’s Christmas at Kidsknits!  Oh, okay…it’s still August.  But, I’ve been busy making Christmas presents, and the first one is for…YOU! Around this time last year, the red and white Heilo was flying off the shelves, as fast as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Return of the Vikings

Posted on May 25, 2012 by twostrands

Waaaaay back in ’06, I made these Viking Hats for my dear son #2, Alex. Back then, to the casual observer, Alex was a mild-mannered, studious sort; hence the relatively tame, blue version.  But even in those early years, those … Continue reading →

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Fishy Booty

Posted on March 28, 2012 by twostrands

…Or, how to get maximum cuteness from one tiny pile of sock yarn scraps… The Fishy Booty design is knit circularly and seamlessly, using mainly garter stitch, with a few priceless little rounds of stranded garter stitch (which is explained … Continue reading →

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The Nomad Earflap Hat

Posted on February 21, 2012 by twostrands

Knit in Dale of Norway Hubro yarn at a super speedy, yet oh-so-cozy  3 sts/inch.  Choose any 3 contrasting shades of Hubro; you’ll need 1 ball of each.  (If you have some Hubro on hand, you’ll want an entire 100g … Continue reading →

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Zinnia Mittens, Twist Collective Winter 2011

Posted on November 15, 2011 by twostrands

Yippee, the new Twist Collective is out!  There are so many beautiful designs in this issue! I’m honored to have my Zinnia mittens among them: The links: Zinnia on Twist Collective, main pattern page Zinnia on Twist Collective, detail page … Continue reading →

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Snow Day Hat…

Posted on October 5, 2011 by twostrands

…or “How I Survived A Sweltering September With One Easy Project”: And all it took was 2 balls of Dale of Norway Freestyle yarn (plus a lot of wishful thinking.) Are you starting to “Think Snow”, too?  Here’s the PDF, … Continue reading →

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How to make a tassel

Posted on August 22, 2011 by twostrands

A few folks have asked me how I made the tassel on my Fair Isle Hat that’s in the Fall 2011 edition of Vogue Knitting.  Not too surprisingly, to save space and to fit more designs into their biggest issue … Continue reading →

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Fair Isle Hat, Vogue Knitting Fall 2011

Posted on August 4, 2011 by twostrands

ETA: Link to PDF available through Vogue Knitting. That’s my “#08 Fair Isle Hat” that just came out in Vogue Knitting Fall 2011.  While I was waiting for the black and white Cascade 220 Sport to arrive from Vogue Knitting … Continue reading →

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Tulip Mittens, a Fair Isle / Norwegian / Turkish stranded knitting design

Posted on February 4, 2011 by twostrands

I knit my ladies’ Tulip Mittens in 3 shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift jumper weight wool –  two 25g balls for the medium blue, “Merlin”, one ball of the light “Natural White” and one ball of the dark “Prussian Blue”.  … Continue reading →

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“Norwegian Sweater Techniques for Today’s Knitter” by Therese Chynoweth

Posted on August 28, 2010 by twostrands

I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on “Norwegian Sweater Techniques for Today’s Knitter” by the wonderful Therese Chynoweth. At last, it made its merry way to my desk last week.  What a treat!  I’m so delighted by this … Continue reading →

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Amaryllis Hat, a Fair Isle / Norwegian knitting design for a ladies’ hat

Posted on May 10, 2010 by twostrands

My new ladies’ Amaryllis Hat coordinates with my old Amaryllis Mittens.  Kits for the hat and/or mittens are now available through my Kidsknits site.

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Transatlantic Name Calling

Posted on October 16, 2009 by twostrands

Last week, all eleven new Heilo colors arrived.  What fun! Delving into that colorful pile of woolly goodness brought back memories of leaping into piles of freshly-raked leaves and revelling in nature’s colors or filling goodie bags from the candy … Continue reading →

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Two Strands Headband, a free knitting pattern

Posted on July 13, 2009 by twostrands

Some folks in my Two Strands Ravelry group recently asked me to recommend a great project for a first try at stranded knitting.  I could point out a few  fine places to start but, to tell you the truth, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

First Glimpse

Posted on June 25, 2009 by twostrands

Although the US pattern booklet for Dale of Norway’s new Olympic design won’t be released until mid to late August (whaaaaa!), they’ve sent out a peek at some of their new designs for Vancouver: Of course, there will be the … Continue reading →

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Like the blog? Join the group!

Posted on June 6, 2009 by twostrands

I’ve just started my own Ravelry group, “Two Strands”.  I’m hoping it will grow into a fun place to discuss stranded knitting in general and my work in particular.  You’re all welcome to join in the fun, talk about whatever … Continue reading →

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Vancouver 2010 in Fall 2009!

Posted on April 3, 2009 by twostrands

I’ve just hung up from a conversation with folks at Dale of Norway US and, boy, do I ever have good news for knitters!  There will be a Vancouver 2010 Dale of Norway sweater for the Olympics.  It’s scheduled to … Continue reading →

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Steeks

Posted on September 11, 2008 by twostrands

A number of knitters have been looking around this blog, wondering where the heck I’ve hidden my steeks article. Actually, it’s on my Kidsknits store site, right where it’s always been. You can get to it through the menu bar … Continue reading →

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Chrysanthemum Mittens – a free knitting pattern for ladies’ Norwegian mittens

Posted on September 11, 2008 by twostrands

UPDATE:  This pattern has been moved to my new knitting website, MaryAnnStephens.com.  Here’s a link directly to the free Chrysanthemum Mittens page.

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Chrysanthemum Mittens and the Mystery of Hauk vs Heilo

Posted on March 6, 2008 by twostrands

UPDATE:  This post discussed the fine points between the two long-ago-discontinued yarns used for this free pattern.  While I can’t get you those yarns anymore, my free Chrysanthemum Mittens knitting pattern pdf is available on my new website, MaryAnnStephens.com.  Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How to knit a hem

Posted on December 16, 2007 by twostrands

A few knitters have asked me lately how I finish a knitted hem. I just came across the above old photo and thought it might be useful in answering that question. This photo shows how I slipstitch the hem inside … Continue reading →

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Grafting 911 – How to save your knitting with kitchener stitch

Posted on June 7, 2007 by twostrands

Knitting patterns start with the presumption that we will all follow every direction to a “T”. Experience teaches us that none of us is perfect, and, no matter the skill level, we will all eventually make some mistakes. Furthermore, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Knitting, Norwegian Knitting, Technique | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments