The Vikings, Norway's ancient explorers, warriors and merchants travelling all the way to America 5oo years before Columbus, did not knit. However, I have made this knitted hat with inspiration from the Viking King Audbjorn of Fjordane (the Fjords), buried in a large burial mound at my hometown Nordfjordeid, Norway, in the year 870. In the hat design you find King Audbjorn's warrior mask and the flames burning the King's dead body, inside one of the largest Viking longships ever built. The hat is knitted in Fair isle technique in the round, and come in sizes for toddler, child, woman and man. Magni Hjertenes Flyum
Hat pattern
Size: toddler (child) woman (man) Yarn: Dale Falk yarn, 100% wool. 50 g colour 3309 orange (CC), 100 g colour 0090 black (MC). Use only 50 g black for the smallest size. Needles: Small circular needle 3 mm (US 2,5), small circular needle size 3.5 mm (US 4) and 3.5 mm (US 4) dpn Gauge: 24 sts per 10 cm. Cast on MC 104 (120) 136 (152) sts on smaller circular needle 3 mm (US 2,5). Knit 3.5 cm stocking st. Purl 1 rnd to make fold. Change to larger circular needle 3,5 mm (US 4). Knit MC 2 rnds.
Knit charts
vritten, reading from right to left. When chart A ends use black in this area Knit chart B 9 (11) 13 (15) times, knit first stitch in chart B (=37 (45) 53 (61) stitches), knit chart A, work chart B 9 (11) 13 (15) times. In chart A it's a good idea to twist the colour you do not use between the stiches every 3-5 stitch. Make sure you are not knitting to tight. Continue until the hat measures 12 (13) 14 (15) cm. Place markers to divide the rnd into three parts. Divide the stitches as follows: Toddler 34sts, 36sts and 34sts between the markers = 104sts. Child 40sts, 40sts and 40sts between the markers = 120sts. Woman 46sts, 44sts and 46sts between the markers = 136sts. Man 51sts, 50sts and 51sts between the markers = 152sts.
Decreasing
Start decreasing while continuing the charts as above. When chart A ends use black in this area. 1. rnd: \* Knit 1sts CC, ssk MC , knit 3sts MC, work chart to 5sts before marker, knit 3sts MC, k2tog MC. \* repeat 2 times. You have no fields 6sts round of thanksgiving. 2. rnd: \* \* Knit 1sts CC, knit 4sts MC, work chart to 4sts before marker, 4sts MC \* repeat 2 times. Repeat these two rnds until 12sts left. Switch to dpn when suitable. Last round: \* Knit ists CC, slip1, k2tog MC, psso. Repeat from \* 2 times. Break yarn, thread end through live sts and pull tight.
Finishing
Fold stockinet edge on the inside of the hat and sew to secure this on the inside. Be careful not to tighten the thread too much. Weave in ends and block hat lightly. Go out and keep warm!
Chart A (31 sts)
X = CC, orange Main colour, MC, is black.
History
Norway is home of the Vikings: Ancient Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic from the late 8th to the mid-11th century. The Vikings used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far west as Greenland and Newfoundland in North America. This period of Viking expansion - known as the Viking Age - forms a major part of the medieval world history. In the middle of the village Nordfjordeid at the west coast of Norway, a huge burial mound from the Viking Age still exists: Rundehogjen. Inside the Rundehogjen mound is the grave of the Viking King Audbjorn of Fjordane (840-870), buried in what probably is the largest Viking longship ever known in Norway. The ship hid in Rundehogjen is almost 30 m long - larger than the more famous Gokstadskipet and Osebergskipet found in the eastern part of Norway. However, due to the traditions in the western part of Norway at that time, the ship was put to fire as part of the burial ritual, and is therefore less well preserved than Gokstadskipet and Osebergskipet. In the summer of 2012, King Audbjorn returned from his burial mound to rule Nordfjord again, for the first time since he was killed in a battle in the year 87o - a battle described in the ancient Norse sagas. A play put up on an open-air stage in the main street of Nordfjordeid featured King Audbjorn and his dramatic life, with actors in costumes and with artifacts typical for the Viking Age. The main symbol of the "King Audbjorn" play is the king's mask: A mask used by the Vikings in battles to protect their face and scare their enemies. The unique King Audbjorn mask design is, with permission from the developers of King Audbjorn, here transferred to a knitted "King Audbjorn" hat, to keep tough Vikings of all ages warm in the cold Norwegian winter.
