I’ll be pulling wool over your eyes today, Mo…
All crafty and traditional now. This is a lusekofte:
It’s almost the exact pattern my grandmother used when she knitted one for me when I was about 9 or 10 - 35 years ago. I’ve still got it, or rather, I’ve given it to #4 Brat, and she uses it in the winter. I tried to find it today, to take a photo of the “real thing”, but it was nowhere to be found, so you’ll just have to make do with this.
This type of pattern is actually very old, and originates from the valleys of Telemark in Norway.
Why this for pull? Well, it’s not a pullover, it’s a cardigan, but these patterns were used for both. Lusekofte litterally means “louse jacket”, from the little “lice” in contrasting color that are knitted into the pattern. The contrasting yarn is carried through the whole thing, thus making an extra insulating layer of wool within the pattern. Kids who’ve been made to wear these may actually give you another explanation for “lice”… These are made from pure wool, and they itch! At least they used to with the coarse wool of days gone by. Wool yarn is smoother these days, and the itch isn’t as bad…
Here are two examples of pullover lusekofte - all photos here have been found at Dale of Norway, and are part of their 2008 Heritage collections for men and women. They’ve been Norway’s leading manufacturer of knitwear for generations, and you can get your yarn and your knitting patterns from there as well.
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