Workshops: Destination Arne & Carlos

Scandinavians Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison are highly regarded designers, textile artists, and authors. They are best known for their original, colorful, and visually striking designs as well as their craft books. Their work is highly influenced by their Scandinavian background and their everyday life in rural Norway. They work under their artist name ARNE & CARLOS, which they established in 2002. In 2010, ARNE & CARLOS’s first craft book, Julekuler (55 Christmas Balls to Knit), became an immediate Norwegian bestseller and consequently went on to become a bestselling book in North America, Europe and Asia. Today, ARNE & CARLOS have published 10 books that are enjoyed by people all over the world. Their books are available in Norwegian as well as English, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

The two Scandinavian designers have collaborated with many prestigious international brands, including Urban Outfitters (2009) and high-end Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons (2008). Today, they design for and work closely with Rowan, Regia, and Schachenmayr yarns. ARNE & CARLOS’s creative base is located 170 kilometers north of Oslo, Norway, in the mountainous region known as Valdres.

This day-long class is the only instruction you'll need for a lifetime of beautifully crafted and well-fitting colorwork hats from Scandinavian design superstars ARNE & CARLOS. You'll learn the designers’ tips and tricks to take your stranded knitting to the next level as well as learn know about the history and uses of traditional Norwegian stranded colorwork. A project like this is a great way to perfect your stranded knitting in the round. As long as you know how to knit and purl, and have experience in stranded colorwork, this class is made for you! The most interesting part of this class will be to work with a yarn that is not usually chosen for traditional colorwork. Knitting the hat in Kidsilk Haze combined with Felted Tweed may seem an unusual choice, but using two ends of this mohair yarn blended with the tweed works beautifully for Fair Isle knitting and gives the traditional Norwegian look a new, updated, and modern twist.

Technique Requirements: Intermediate knitting skills needed. Participants should be able to knit and purl, increase and decrease, as well as have some experience in knitting stranded colorwork. This project is suitable for intermediate and advanced knitters.

Homework
None

Supplies to Bring
Yarn will be provided. Needles to bring: Set of 4 double-pointed 3¾mm (no 9) (US 5) needles
Set of 4 double-pointed 4mm (no 8) (US 6) needles

Knitted Birds

We all deserve a flock of our own! Learn to knit a covey of feathered friends in this introductory class exploring the basic tenets of the knitted bird, a charming, quiet, and extraordinarily clean species comfortable in all manner of domesticated scenarios. Scandinavian design superstars Arne & Carlos provide expert guidance for intermediate and advanced knitters with an interest in hatching their own handmade avian companions. You’ll learn the fundamental steps from beak to feet to tail, leaving you well prepared to spread your wings and explore the possibilities all on your own. In addition, Arne & Carlos will teach you how to knit and purl the Norwegian way. Plus, they’ll share their tips for the easiest method of tensioning yarn correctly to get even stitches and perfect gauge, whether knitting or purling. And you’ll learn how to read a chart, so you don’t have to rely on the written pattern! Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn the art of the knitted bird, as well as essential knitting techniques, from the very best in the business.

Technique Requirements

Knitting skills needed. Participants should be able to knit and purl. This project is suitable for intermediate and advanced knitters.

Homework
None

Supplies to Bring
Yarn will be provided. Needles and Hooks: 1 set of DPNs size 3 mm (U.S. size 3, U.K. size 11); 1 Crochet hook size 3 mm (U.S. size D-3, U.K. size 11). Other Supplies: Wool or acrylic stuffing. Needle and thread. 2 beads for the eyes.

New Nordic Knitting—An Introduction to Norwegian Stranded Colorwork

Norwegian stranded colorwork is all about tension. In this class, you will learn the basics of Norwegian-style stranded knitting with two colors from expert Nordic knitters Arne & Carlos, who will show you the easiest and most relaxing way to hold the needles and the yarns, and teach you important techniques and tricks that will help you achieve perfect tension while keeping all of your stitches even and beautiful, in true Norwegian style! We will work with bulky yarn and thick needles and practice our colorwork while knitting a hat with the traditional X and O pattern, which is the easiest Norwegian pattern that you could possibly work with. Whether you are an inexperienced or experienced knitter, if you have ever wanted to learn how to knit stranded colorwork as it is done in the Norway and the other Nordic countries, by master knitters who come from that part of the world, this is the class for you!
Important Note: We will be focusing on stranded colorwork techniques, so please do not expect to finish the entire hat in the class, as the hat itself may take longer than 3 hours to complete. However, Arne & Carlos will give you lots of tips to take home with you, so you can finish later.

Technique Requirements

Basic knitting skills needed. Participants should be able to knit, purl and decrease. This project is suitable for inexperienced and intermediate knitters as well as advanced knitters who want to learn Norwegian stranded colorwork or who want to improve on their colorwork skills.

Homework
Yarn will be sent two you two weeks before the event. With smaller size circular needle and color #813 Seascape, CO 64 sts. Join, and work around in k2, p2 ribbing for 10 rows.

Supplies to Bring
Remaining yarn will be provided. Needles: 1 standard circular needle (length: 60 cm / 24 in) size 5 mm (U.S. size 8, U.K. size 6); 1 standard circular needle (length: 60 cm / 24 in) size 6 mm (U.S. size 10, U.K. size. 4); 1 set of 5 DPNs size 6 mm (U.S. size 10, U.K. size 4).