"An indispensable milestone
in 20th century knitting literature..."

Naturally, the acclaim the book has received has made us happy and proud. The fact that it is, to the best of our knowledge, the first book on knitting to be reviewed in the scientific magazine Forskning och Framsteg ("Research and Progress") is of course flattering, as well as knowing that the book is used in wood carving education.

We believe this is because Viking Patterns for Knitting is so much more than "just another knitting book" with a set of instructions. Sure, there are 14 complete designs for the reader who prefers guidance all the way. But in addition, there are analyses, with swatches and charts, for knitters who want to create their own Viking sweaters. There are 97 patterns charts, identical to the ornaments on Viking age artifacts or variations thereof, including the entire runic alphabet. The book enables you to knit a sweater with your name in runes.

But apart from the systematic analysis of the entrelac, there are photos and drawings of a great number of Viking age objects, from minute ornamentation on bone needles to the impressive picture stones and rune stones. People with a general interest in archaeology, cultural history and design have a lot to discover in Viking Patterns for Knitting. To quote the back cover text from the Swedish edition: "a visual adventure of Nordic form, spanning a millennium".

The cover to your right indicates that we are in the middle of a second invasion of Viking culture across the Atlantic Ocean, a bit more peaceful this time, though.

The first spread shows how artifacts, swatches and charts are displayed for direct comparison.

The second spread is an example of a complete project, here a man's pullover and a child's sweater, sharing the same pattern: the word kysmik, knitted in runes. This is the old Nordic expression for "kiss me", and was found, carved into a Viking Age piece of bone, in Norway.