Since beginning on the research for my book with Josefin Waltin on Swedish knitting and spinning, I’ve become a little cranky about the term twined knitting. This translation of the Swedish term tvåändsstickning arose in 1989 when Robin Hansen translated the book Tvåändsstickat by Birgitta Dandanell and Ulla Danielsson into English. In the introduction to that book, Ms. Hansen writes of the process she used to arrive at the term, and while I greatly respect what she did and am truly grateful that she introduced English-speakers to the technique, I have an issue with the term twined.
Twining is a legitimate term for a textile technique found in both fabric and basket weaving. It involves two elements (or yarns) twisting around a 3rd element as shown here. Generally, the 3rd element sits perpendicular to the twisted elements.
Twined structure from the University of Kentucky Extension Service.
Tvåändsstickning is worked using two yarns, one from each end of the ball (thus “two-end”). The two yarns alternate, twisting around each other as each stitch is made. This only works if the yarn singles are first spun in the “S” direction, and then plied in the “Z” direction (nearly all knitting yarns are spun Z and plied S). If you try to work the stitches with standard knitting yarns, the yarn will over twist and make a mess. This means that spinners and knitters learned early on to spin the singles in the S direction and ply them in the Z. This holds the plies together and makes a sturdy, robust yarn.
Another interesting fact is that tvåändsstickning is worked with the right hand, and all of the instructions are written that way. Right-hand knitting – also known as “throwing,” or “English style” was the predominant method used in Sweden until the Slöjd movement of the late 19th century. That movement regularized handicraft teaching in schools using the left-hand (“picking” or “Continental) method that remains prevalent in Sweden today. Interestingly, the older folk tradition of tvåändsstickning does not seem to have been a part of that curriculum, and today’s students often find working solely with the right hand somewhat difficult.
Tvåändsstickning, is a uniquely Scandinavian technique found throughout Sweden. Whether it originated there or not, it certainly was present at a very early date. Radio-carbon dating of this glove found at the Born Foundry in Dalarna province places this technique in the mid-late 16th century.
Unlike other early surviving pieces like 17th century silk waistcoats imported from Italy to Sweden, the Dalarna glove is rustic, made of wool, and most certainly was worn by an average citizen rather than the wealthy or royalty.
The other difference between the silk knitting and tvåändsstickning is that tvåändsstickning represents domestic knitting rather than workshop or professional knitting. We can assume, then, that tvåändsstickning was done by women. Further, from the sophistication and understanding of how the wool needs to be spun for this technique, its roots must extend back further in time.
17th century silk waistcoat from the Göteborg Museum; likely imported from a workshop in Italy.
Older examples of this technique often were worked in a single color (primarily white), although there are many black and white mittens as well. It’s easier to see how the stitches are worked using two contrasting colors as above (I hope there is enough contrast here to make this obvious).
Here it is clear that the red-violet yarn is moving completely around the purple yarn to make the next stitch (left). The purple yarn then twists around the red-violet yarn for the following stitch (right). Unlike other kinds of stranded knitting, tvåändsstickning places a doubled, twisted together yarn behind each stitch, while, for example, a Fair Isle knit has the yarns laying side-by-side. This not only makes the structure warm, but it also produces an extremely durable fabric.
The term twined knitting may have become common in many English patterns, but in recognition of the fact that this is not a twined structure, I have chosen to use either the Swedish name (tvåändsstickning) or the term two-end for this knitting technique. It’s perhaps a picky thing, and a bit of a rant, but there you are!
In other news…
From Friday night to Sunday we sat snug in our house feeling like we were in the middle of a snow globe. While people closer to the coast had high winds and more snow, we got a healthy foot + here. Waking up today it was about -3 degrees F. As my friend Josefin would say, “a bit brisk.” I’ve been re-reading the mystery series written by Louise Penny that is placed in southern Quebec in Canada. Her winter scenes feature blasting winds that can quickly produce frostbite. Maybe I should be reading something from the tropics!
Meanwhile…
Writing about two-end knitting and getting out my unfinished mitten makes me think it’s about time to pick that knitting style up again. The mitten above only needs the top decrease rounds and the thumb. Hopefully since that’s not a huge amount of knitting, I can sustain the effort through a second one.