Windrose

Old Icelandic shoe inserts that were worn in soft shoes made of sheep, fish skin or sealskin were decorated with all sorts of motifs in many colors. The motifs didn’t seem to have any particular meaning and were purely decorative. They were on the other hand the occasion to use all the bits of yarn. The windrose was a popular insert motif that I reinterpreted in the form of a little decoration. Two roses are knitted separately, then sewn together and stuffed.

If you want to know more about the tradition of Icelandic intarsia and teh shoe-inserts, read my book Icelandic color knitting: using Rose patterns (Search press 2009)

Design: Hélène Magnússon

Finished Measurements: 15 cm / 6” across

You can achieve all the sizes you want by changing yarn and needle sizes.

Gauge: not essential but rather tight.

10×10 cm/4×4” = 32 sts and 64 rows in garter st on 2.5 mm/ US2 needles with Einband-Loðband.

Wool: Einband from Ístex, 70% Icelandic wool, 30% wool, fine lace-weight, 1-ply worsted, 50gr/skein = ca. 225m/246 yds: in the colors of your choice. You can have each petal and the middle heart in a different color if you wish.

Or just any yarn you want of any thickness, changing needle size in consequence, to obtain roses of different sizes.

For example oddments of Gilitrutt Tviband og Grýla Tvíband.

Needles: a set of 2,5mm/ US 2 DPN’s

Notions: stitch markers, tapestry needle

Other material: a ribbon about 30 cm/12”, stuffing material (yarn ends, carded wool, polyester filling, etc…)

Techniques: Icelandic intarsia

Pattern: once you’ve made your payment, you will receive an email with a link to download the pattern PDF. We don’t send patterns by snailmail.

Errata: no mistake was found in this pattern.