Danish Folk Sock

I knit this pair of socks for my sister's 50th birthday. My mother came from Odense and I was told that our great-grandmother lived in this house, which is now a museum.

The original sock is in the collection of the museum, I have not seen it, the pattern comes from this book - Bondestrik - strømper til mænd og kvinder. S.m. Lisbeth Green og Gitte Nødskov, Landsforeningen Danske Folkedansere, 1983. But I like the idea that a man or a woman has actually worn this star pattern on a dress sock 150 years ago.
The pattern on each side of the small of the leg is called "svikkel". And it was "designed" to disguise and cover the ankle knuckles. They are not particularly pretty, perhaps even ugly but the purl patterns transform your leg into a slim, delicate part of your body.
I cannot publish the pattern, however if you want to knit a pair like this you can follow this recipe:

Old Danish Folk Sock

You will need 100 g of fingering sock yarn in natural, blue, or black.

A set of 5 dpn needles size 2 mm or 2,25 mm

A vanilla sock pattern, there is one here on this site.

An original sock pattern. On this website you will find two different patterns on page two.

Cast on the amount of stitches from the vanilla pattern on four needles, and work the border from the Danish pattern.

Continue with stockinette stitch and seam pattern for a couple of cm. Skip all the increases and decreases.

Begin the "svikkel" pattern using this trick: the center of the first pattern is the first stitch on needle 2 and the last stitch on needle 3 is the center of the second pattern.. Remember to start from the top of the chart or turn it upside down.

When the "svikkel" is finished, enjoy your work, and continue with a couple of cm of stockinette and finish the sock using your vanilla pattern.
There is also a pattern for lovely red cap to go with the outfit.

Kvindetrøje fra Fyn - 1775 - Woman´s Pullover from Funen

I have been looking forward to showing you this gorgeous pullover by Åse Lund Jensen and telling you the story about it.
The pattern is from 1970 bought as a kit at Frilandsmuseet, an open air museum, by a Danish woman, who knit the pullover it as part of her Danish national costume. She emigrated in the 1950ies to Canada, bringing her 7-year-old daughter with her. This daughter is now a Canadian, and also a raveller and thanks to Ravelry, we have come across.
Knowing my interest in historic knitting, she offered me the Nattrøje pattern and I was really thrilled. The yarn brand ÅLJ is still available in a knitting store in my town, so I just followed the pattern exactly as written. It was an easy knit. I just had to hit the gauge, for me it was on needle size 2½ mm,
The original color was red, however this color is discontinued and I chose an anthracite gray.

The construction is based on a Nattrøje from 1775 from the Danish National Museum.
For more than 150 years this woolen pullover was a part of the clothes worn daily by Danish rural women.Over a linen shirt, under a waistcoat. Knit in wool by professionals they were an imitation of the nobles´silk shirts.
Fashion changed and gradually from 1850 it became a full dress, a national costume, worn Sundays and for celebrations.
Nowadays the costume is worn by people who is interested in maintaining old Danish folk dance.

The knit designer Åse Lund Jensen was trained as a dressmaker in Haute Couture ,which is obvious looking at this tailored piece.

Åse Lund Jensen died in 1977 only 57 years old. She had met Marianne Isager, a talented young knit designer in 1973 and left her all her works and Marianne continued her work of making knitting an art form.
Many of Marianne Isager´s designs are based on Åse Lund Jensens work. This model, 77, is built on the same 1775 model and can easily be added some of the Nattrøje patterns.(Only in Danish)

My pattern is personal. However, there are several options if you want to knit an old Danish Nattrøje.

 

Uuve Snidare: Fiskertrøjer og andre klassiske trøjer. Her book is available in Swedish, Danish, and German. Search the library.

 Vibeke Lind :Strik med nordisk tradition Danish and English, also library stuff.

Why these two books are not republished is a mystery to me.

And of course Beth Reinsel- Brown´s Nattrøje sweater from Interweave Press

"Bette Mand i Knibe" means Small Man in Trouble.

 If you have 1½ minutes to spare, look at this dance. For me it looks like knitting and weaving. Can you also see the purls?