The Winter Winds Hat is a clever little sampler that allows an individual to experiment with what could be an intimidating technique in an unintimidating format: tvåändstickning, also called twined knitting or two-ended knitting. With this Swedish technique the knitter works with two strands of yarn at the same time, traditionally from both ends of the same ball of yarn, twisting them between every stitch. 

This course came about as a result of the instructor’s curiosity: how does the texture and fabric of Scandinavian twined knitting different from regular stranded knitting and twisted or slipped stitch fabrics? She decided to experiment with a technique she had been reading about, the old Swedish technique of tvåändstickning, or “twined knitting.” Practicing with a hat made the perfect knitted sampler: a hat is easy to turn inside out to see results and compare the swatches, it is wearable, and it only requires knitting one to wear it!

Here is another practical tip: the first two swatches in the hat require two strands of yarn, but you don’t need to buy two skeins of yarn or even wind two balls from one skein in order to knit it. Just wind your skein into a yarn cake with both ends available to use and pull from both ends. After those two sections are complete, you can cut one yarn end and finish the hat with one strand only. The Winter Winds Hat can be made for a child, man or woman, with the pompom added or left off, depending on the wearer’s preference.