The Nisse

I'm going to Norway in June and have become a somewhat obsessed with Norwegian knitting patterns. I really want to make some traditional cross-country skiing socks. But, alas, I've got way too many projects on the go to start a new one, so I've been satisfying this all-knitted-things-Norwegian craving by gazing longingly into my computer monitor as I surf and surf and surf.

And who did I find hiding amongst the fairisle? The Nisse.

I MUST MAKE ONE! And how will I accomplish said task? By patiently waiting for the pattern to arrive inside the British magazine that I just bought on the internet for 11.95 Pounds. I think that's about CDN $25. Ha! For a magazine. That's one coveted little troll. The unnerving part is that there was no description of shipping costs in the check out process. Oops, should of bought it on eBay.

Anyway, the pattern is by Alan Dart, designer of soft toys, and appears to be so popular that it is printed in 3 magazines by Simply Knitting. I ordered it in Irresistible Gifts to Knit. I think the photo above comes right from the publication. There's lots (173 and counting) of these on Ravelry, but I didn't want to poach photos of anyone's project. I'm new to blogging, and to Ravelry, so I don't know if it's cool to take other people's photos. What's the ettiquette?

Perhaps I will knit this little fellow before my Norway trip, bring him along and take a series of photos with him in unusual locations. Just like the ever-tacky, but ever-amusing, international traveler extraordinaire: the North American garden gnome. Hmmm... An unlikely agenda.

Oh, and finally, to learn more about the mythical creature called Nisse, click here.

Next mission: Figure out how to make my blog look good.