On the eve of the New Year, we all think that to give to our near and dear ones. One of the most stylish, cozy and warm gifts is knitted socks with deer. If you have already held knitting needles in your hands and have at least a little knitting experience, then why not try to create such a winter accessory for someone as a gift? Or for yourself.
History of Norwegian Knitting
Clothing with Norwegian patterns is always associated with weekends spent outside the city and cozy winter evenings. It is not surprising that such knitting patterns appeared precisely in Norway, which does not indulge in warm days.
Women knitted their husbands warm sweaters, scarves, hats, socks. Patterns were prompted by nature, and color combinations were mostly black, white and gray - the color of unpainted sheep’s wool, from which yarn was spun. Due to the interweaving of two thick threads of the product, they were very dense and warm, not blown by cold northerly winds.
Since the famous Italian duo Dolce & Gabbana has released a whole collection dedicated to Norwegian patterns, they have not gone out of fashion, and every needlewoman has been striving to create a product decorated with snowflakes, Christmas trees and deers.
One of the simplest products that can be associated with the use of Norwegian patterns is socks with deer. Let's consider this knitting technique in more detail in order to thoroughly prepare for the New Year's Eve.
What is required for work
Knitting socks with deer should begin with a choice of model and pattern. Decide on the length, color, type of yarn and the pattern itself.
For work you will need:
- Yarn of at least two contrasting colors: black and white, red and white, or dark blue and light gray. Choose soft and not prickly yarn. As a rule, 100% wool is very warm, but tends to irritate sensitive skin, consider this if you knit socks as a gift. Socks made from a mixture of wool and acrylic or mohair and acrylic will be no less warm, but much more gentle and pleasant to the touch.
- A set of five knitting needles suitable for yarn size.
- At will - a thimble for knitting jacquard. This device is put on the finger of the left hand, and threads of different colors are pulled through special dividers, so they do not get confused and do not twist.
- Scheme with a picture. It will be much more convenient to use the scheme if you print it out and mark already connected elements with a pencil.
How to do work
Before knitting socks with deer knitting needles, we recall the basic technique. We start with gum. To do this, dial the loops, distribute them between the four knitting needles and tie an elastic band of the required length. Then we divide the number of loops into two, one part is the beginning of the heel. We knit the front surface smoothness. Now you need to form the transition of the heel to the sole. Divide the number of heel loops by three and in each row we reduce the loops from the side sections (by knitting in two) until only one central one remains.
We continue knitting in a circle. We pick up the sides of the heel on the knitting needles and knit in a circle to the place where the toes begin, then you need to close the toe. It can be closed both on both sides, and in several sections, according to your desire.
Jacquard patterns usually begin to knit after the gum on the ankle or throughout the toe.
How to knit jacquard
First you need to choose a pattern that will adorn socks with deer. The scheme is divided into cells, one cell is one loop. It is important to make the correct calculations so that the pattern fits into the product.
Jacquard is knitted simultaneously with two threads, without breaking them during operation. The yarn crosses from the wrong side. The more often you make crossings, the more neat the product will look from the inside out.
Schemes are read like this: the front row is from left to right, the wrong one is from right to left, but in our case, each row is read only from right to left, since the socks are knitted in a circle. Carefully follow the scheme, and if possible, mark with a pencil what is already tied.
Keep in mind that a sock with a Norwegian pattern will practically not stretch, this must be taken into account when calculating size. If the height of the foot is high, it is better to make the sock a little looser. Do not tighten the threads too much, because of this the pattern is deformed, and the product completely loses elasticity.
It’s easy to knit Norwegian jacquard, most likely, this kind of knitting will drag you. Try, experiment, give yourself and your loved ones warmth!