Would a Norwegian sweater be acceptable for the "Fair Isle" designed sweater? I love the designs, and the techniques are similar.

The instructions state you can do a Scandinavian or Fair Isle. The stranding techniques are the same...just the designs differ. I did a Norwegian sweater for my Level III.

Arenda

Thank you. I new that you incorporated the Norwegian star in your project, but the Norwegian designs I have seen have a a lot of detail on the top half of the sweater and then small dots of color around the bottom half; I think Alice Starmore calls them perries. I wasn't sure if that was OK.

We would prefer all over design. There are many Scandinavian examples of this type. However, I will run it past the committee.

Arenda

It must be too early in the morning. The small dots of color in a Norwegian design are called Lice. As long as the sweater isn't predominantly comprised of lice and incorporates traditional Norwegian elements in the rest of the sweater, it would be fine.

Arenda

Alice Starmore calls the little repeating motifs peeries.

Ooops! I didn't look it up before posting and spelled it wrong. I have also seen them referred to as a Lice Stitch.

We may be talking about different things here. Peerie is a Scottish word meaning small and it refers to Fair Isle patterns that are from 1 to 7 rows. I've not seen this term used in Scandinavian patterns but then I don't have Starmore's book on the subject. I do have her Fair Isle book. Generally these small patterns are just referred to border patterns in the books I have on Scandinavian knitting. Lice is a completely different thing. "Lice" are the single stitches of a different color separated by several stitches and several rows in the body of a sweater. If you look at any book on Norwegian knitting, you will see lice. The typical design is several different border patterns at the bottom of the sweater, several inches of lice, and then a more complicated design (reindeer, snowflakes, etc.) at the shoulders. The committee would certainly accept a traditional "louse coat" (as this type of design is referred to in several references) but would prefer that the entire body not be lice. Although, it can be difficult maintaining even tension when working lice. One year I knit louse coats in different colors for myself and two daughters. Made a great holiday photo.

Arenda

The winter 2003-4 issue of CAST ON features Flory's wonderful Level III Scandinavian sweater with lice. Wow! I agree with Arenda, knitting lice is tricky. If I do a Scandinavian when I get to Level III (when!), I'm likely to chicken out and do a more all-over adaptation with few or no lice, though they are pretty (the sweater kind of lice, that is).

That issue of CAST ON also has the Argyle patten and the "Why and Argyle" article--worth buying for folks approaching Level II.

Jude