Sven & Solveig Scandinavian Knitted Friends

Should you prefer, there is a printed version of this pattern. CLICK HERE to purchase. However, when buying from Ravelry, using the Buy it Now button above, a PDF is saved to your library.

A little bit of Sven history…

The raw beginning of this pattern, as well as the company named Cottage Creations happened after my attendance at Elizabeth Zimmerman’s 1981 knitting camp. On a cold night the following January, I was playing with some orphaned balls of Norwegian wool—not enough for a sweater, but probably enough for a cap or mittens. But instead…

“Camp” rumbled through my mind, especially Elizabeth’s admonition about using our heads along with pencil and paper to accomplish our knitting goals. With her words echoing I decided to attempt a knitted “ball.” In less than an hour I had a “beige half/ball.” I didn’t really have a desire or need for a ball, so changed my goal to try for a “head.” Using techniques from knitting “baubles” plus blue wool I knitted eyes. A row beyond I began a “thumb gusset,” and when complete gathered up the stitches and punched in a small amount of stuffing for his nose.

Suddenly, my little experiment took on a personality and I had to continue. My Scandinavian heritage kicked in—my little friend resembled a classic nisse’ or tom-ten. I skipped a mouth, because I knew he’d need a beard, and decreased for the chin the opposite of how I’d increased at the beginning.

Somebody was holding my hand or had His hand on my shoulder, because in the course of the following evenings, Sven developed. I knitted a second and a third, this time recording the steps. And I named the trio, Sven, Ole, and Eivind. (My father’s name was Eivind, born in Hamar, Norway, emigrated to the US in 1901 at the age of four.)

At the age of forty-six, I was teaching special needs students by day and vocational school students one evening a week. On a cold February 1982 Sunday afternoon, I received a call from Kristi Williams, an evening student who lived nearby. She explained, “”My husband isn’t home, my kids are sick, and my knitting is in shambles. Do you ever make house calls?”

I drove over to her home, packing my three little nisse along. Kristi loved them and wondered what I had in mind for them. I was clueless, but before our visit was over we’d decided to “publish our own pattern.” Kristi had a computer and would take care of business and I would knit. We borrowed $500 each from our family savings accounts, Meg Swansen plugged the pattern in a Schoolhouse Press “Wool Gathering” and today Sven, with addition of Solveig, have enjoyed nearly forty years of popularity.

About knitting one? Sven and Solveig each measure 12” tall and can be knit from sport or Shetland wool. Begin by casting on head stitches, then knitting a colorful ski sweater, trousers (or skirt), socks and lastly, boots. Seamless, with minimal finishing: beard or hair and a cap.
Kitchener stitch finish on boots. Personally I’ve knit over sixty—no two alike, and enjoyed knitting each one.
Carol Anderson

eBook published in 1983 by Cottage Creations