In the past, people knitted to make warm clothes. Some years ago, a Norwegian knitting duo started knitting Christmas balls. Arne & Carlos set no boundaries. They began knitting birds. The Norwegian knitting guys are now in love with birds.
Their book “A Field Guide to Knitted Birds” (Fugler – Fargerike og fantasifulle) has been translated into Danish, Dutch, German, English, French and Finnish – and probably some more. With their trademark style, clarity and humor, Arne & Carlos guides you on a journey into a delightfully knitted bird kingdom. Inspired by the nature of their native Norway as well as far-off fantastic places, they’ve made an ideal guide for knitting bird lovers, whether creating with decorative purpose or just for fun.
Related: Faroese Knitting Festival
The creative duo from Etnedal in Valdres, Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison have knitted slippers, dolls and garden decorations. Their latest mission is birds – some adorned with sequins, others with feathers and some with scarves and hats. Many of them thrive extremely well in Christmas trees.
“We are very happy with the design we came up with, and in no way were we ever thinking of “hiding” the birds feet inside the body of the bird. Our version of the birds in the book is more of an abstract “designer bird” and we don’t want to copy anything from nature, but create our own version. We really love how the feet came out, although they do remind us a little bit of walkers for the elderly,” explains the duo.
Arne and Carlos don’t take themselves too seriously and are happiest when they see the light. “We like that ‘nerdy’ style, which is something that we have had throughout our career in fashion, and now in handknitting. When designing knit-wear we always focus more on the patterns and colorwork than the silhouettes. This comes from a Norwegian way of thinking that if you make something by hand it should have a longevity beyond fashion trends, so that it lasts for generations. So, we aim to design with simple, classic shapes that will still be beautiful in fifty years’ time.”
Related: The “Black Sheep” of Norway
“I find it hard focusing on one thing at a time, I’m always all over the place and thinking about many projects at the same time, but then I lose control and I can’t finish any of them,” says Arne and adds, “so that’s why it’s good to work together, so we can edit each other and have a continuous discussion.”
The Norwegian Knitting Guys – In Love With Birds, written by Tor Kjolberg
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