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The Nordic Knitting Primer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Scandinavian Colorwork
Kristin Drysdale, founder of Scandiwork, shares her innovative and approachable method for mastering colorwork knitting. With a family heritage in Denmark and Norway, Kristin is an expert in traditional Scandinavian knitting and has been teaching colorwork to beginners for years. Kristin’s clear techniques make it easy for knitters of all levels to create the colorful designs of their dreams. Her unique, friendly instructions talk readers through each step, so achieving impressive results is fun and foolproof.
Beginners won’t believe how easy it is to knit up gorgeous patterned mittens, slippers and hats. More advanced knitters will love creating beautifully ornate yoke sweaters with simple execution. Readers can create snowflakes, swirls, stars and other creative motifs, along with beautiful geometric designs. Plus knitting with multiple yarns creates a warmer knit fabric, for high-quality garments and accessories to gift or wear all winter long. With a wide range of sizes for adults and patterns for little ones, the whole family can enjoy the trendy yet timeless Scandinavian look. This is more than a pattern collection—packed with essential techniques and clever tips, it’s the ultimate guide to colorwork knitting.
Beginners won’t believe how easy it is to knit up gorgeous patterned mittens, slippers and hats. More advanced knitters will love creating beautifully ornate yoke sweaters with simple execution. Readers can create snowflakes, swirls, stars and other creative motifs, along with beautiful geometric designs. Plus knitting with multiple yarns creates a warmer knit fabric, for high-quality garments and accessories to gift or wear all winter long. With a wide range of sizes for adults and patterns for little ones, the whole family can enjoy the trendy yet timeless Scandinavian look. This is more than a pattern collection—packed with essential techniques and clever tips, it’s the ultimate guide to colorwork knitting.
192 pages, Paperback
Published January 25, 2022
72 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 9, 2023
I love this designer and her book so much! Kristin’s love of knitting and her heritage just shine through. I love that her family are her models in the pictures and that she is so encouraging to start with a project that excites you, not what someone thinks is a “beginner project”.
If you have any interest in learning to knit or are already an experienced fiber artist, RUN DON’T WALK TO BUY THIS BOOK. It’s phenomenal.
If you have any interest in learning to knit or are already an experienced fiber artist, RUN DON’T WALK TO BUY THIS BOOK. It’s phenomenal.
January 4, 2024
After learning basic knit/purl in 2021 after the pandemic started, I really wanted to start colorwork but was intimidated by the challenge and didn't really know where to start. I came across Kristin Drysdale’s work when I happened to live in her neighborhood in SLC for a period of time and saw her pieces displayed at the local yarn store, Blazing Needles.
This book came out at the perfect time for me. It provided essentially all the guidance I needed to go from only knowing how to make the knit and purl stitch with yarn in the left hand to making a beautiful colorwork sweater in just a couple months. I've now since progressed to much more complex pieces, all with the foundations I learned from the Nordic Knitting Primer. My Magnus sweater and Sander cowl are still staples of my colder weather wardrobe, though!
This goes for any of Kristin's work, but I love how much she weaves family into her pieces. For me and many knitters and crocheters, it's tied to family. My grandmother taught me basic crochet stitches and techniques, which started my love for fiber arts, and many of the pieces I make now are headed to various family members. Whenever I knit one of Kristin's patterns, I am reminded of my own connections to family through fiber arts.
This book came out at the perfect time for me. It provided essentially all the guidance I needed to go from only knowing how to make the knit and purl stitch with yarn in the left hand to making a beautiful colorwork sweater in just a couple months. I've now since progressed to much more complex pieces, all with the foundations I learned from the Nordic Knitting Primer. My Magnus sweater and Sander cowl are still staples of my colder weather wardrobe, though!
This goes for any of Kristin's work, but I love how much she weaves family into her pieces. For me and many knitters and crocheters, it's tied to family. My grandmother taught me basic crochet stitches and techniques, which started my love for fiber arts, and many of the pieces I make now are headed to various family members. Whenever I knit one of Kristin's patterns, I am reminded of my own connections to family through fiber arts.
November 16, 2024
Great photos in this book, and I enjoyed the intro stories to each pattern. Helpful to see which patterns really highlight which new skills. Some of the slippers will be the first on my list to try.
February 23, 2022
This is a beautiful book! And a great choice for knitters looking to start doing colorwork. I love the way to author has structured the book with practical advice and tutorials up front (as well as throughout), and then patterns of increasing difficulty so you can start simple and build up your skills. But I also love her nod to "breaking the rules" & jumping to any project that strikes your fancy, since I'm often too impatient to start with the simple stuff. The handwarmers and cowls are gorgeous, but I want to hurry up and make the beautiful sweaters because some of them are SO LOVELY!! In actual fact, I'm turning the library copy I borrowed back in and buying my own copy so I can enjoy this treasure of a book for as long as I like!
March 5, 2022
This is a beautiful book! And a great choice for knitters looking to start doing colorwork. I love the way to author has structured the book with practical advice and tutorials up front (as well as throughout), and then patterns of increasing difficulty so you can start simple and build up your skills. But I also love her nod to "breaking the rules" & jumping to any project that strikes your fancy, since I'm often too impatient to start with the simple stuff. The handwarmers and cowls are gorgeous, but I want to hurry up and make the beautiful sweaters because some of them are SO LOVELY!! In actual fact, I'm turning the library copy I borrowed back in and buying my own copy so I can enjoy this treasure of a book for as long as I like!
April 19, 2023
The instructions on how to do two-handed colorwork and catch floats were great. Before I heard about this book, I was really struggling with the colorwork on a top-down sweater. It took forever for me to knit just 1 round and the results were inconsistent. (This sweater was my first real colorwork project.)
When I employed Kristin’s method, the colorwork went quickly and looked great. I could knit and catch floats almost as quickly as I could knit a single color round. Instead of hating colorwork I found I enjoyed it now!
The patterns in this book are beautiful and progress in difficulty, so you learn more advanced colorwork techniques as you move through the book. I’m looking forward to making many of the patterns in this book.
When I employed Kristin’s method, the colorwork went quickly and looked great. I could knit and catch floats almost as quickly as I could knit a single color round. Instead of hating colorwork I found I enjoyed it now!
The patterns in this book are beautiful and progress in difficulty, so you learn more advanced colorwork techniques as you move through the book. I’m looking forward to making many of the patterns in this book.
May 29, 2024
Every single pattern is stunning in this book. And I love how it has a colorwork 101 section at the beginning, so even beginners can learn everything they need to before they begin. Even the book is organized from beginner to master, so this book appeals to a wide skill set! All patterns are size inclusive, and several have step-by-step pictures of techniques needed.
Thank you, Page Street Publishing, for the review copy!
Thank you, Page Street Publishing, for the review copy!
December 30, 2022
The copy I obtained from my local library is a paperback edition. This is an excellent book to learn how to start knitting Fair Isle sweaters with patterns in the Nordic style. Lots of good information for beginners, lots of good instructional photos, and patterns for beginners to more advaced. Also patterns for cowls, mittens, and hats.
February 2, 2023
Lots of tips for colorwork. Loads of photographs and instructions for patterns. Given my love-hate relationship with colorwork, I didn't see any of these patterns that would bump out the colorwork patterns I already have to work.
July 14, 2022
Good beginner information for how to knit Nordic patterns. Lots of good photos. Simple patterns.
June 27, 2023
Lovely patterns - I'd consider making a few of them! Great guides on continental vs English knitting and how to knit two-handed colorwork.
November 16, 2024
The Nordic knitter
Excellent and easy knitting instructions to read as nd follow. Terms given and explanations clearly written and understood. Good luck with your future projects.
Excellent and easy knitting instructions to read as nd follow. Terms given and explanations clearly written and understood. Good luck with your future projects.
July 24, 2023
Lovely book on Nordic knitting. I expected many more and bulkier sweaters, though. Many of the pieces in this book are of a fairly fine gauge. I didn't realize that "colorwork" was such a big deal and, in my ignorance, have done many pieces where I didn't pay much attention to which color was where on my fingers as I knit. (They came out fine. I think...) I have made note of how the author suggests one should capture floats. Also, I only flagged one pattern in this book, the Stjerne Slippers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews