In French, bucheron means “wood cutter” or “lumberjack”. My Bucheron Mitts are in the Winter 2014 issue of Interweave Knits which should be on the newsstands now.
I was delighted to find they are the lead project for the “Out by the Woodpile” story with a stunning double page spread…where the model is actually handling wood. Yay! The colors were inspired by the brown of Carharts and the red of old barns accented with the ocher of winter-faded grass.
I designed the mitts to be sturdy enough to really use while stacking wood, thick enough to repel splinters, but with fingers free. Let me tell you, I wish I had them now because it is wood stacking time again here in Maine. The yarn is Harrisville’s new Watershed line which is heathery, beautiful and strong – perfect. Yet Bucheron are pretty enough for a weekend in the city. Again, I wish I had them so I could wear them to A Gathering of Stitches in Portland Maine, where I’m teaching this coming Saturday November 23rd. I will bring the magazine along though!
Those of you who know me know that there is a lot of time and talk devoted to wood around my house. We cut it, split it, stack it and burn it for winter fuel. Each one of us has our own idea about the proper way of doing things. We are not alone in this obsession – last year Norway broadcast a 12 hour long television show devoted to burning wood. Four hours dedicated to chopping, splitting and stacking offering many differing opinions. The final 8 hours are left for live action wood burning. EXCITING! (link: Norway’s National Firewood Night)
Here’s Sophie in front of one of our woodpiles, wearing a family favorite – Cabled Chullo.
What about your family – any wood obsessions?
A Gathering of Stitches
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Two Color Knitting – Let’s Begin 9:30 – 12:30
Scandinavian Colorwork 2:00 – 5:00
I spent my childhood splitting, cutting, moving and stacking wood with my brothers and father. And winter nights standing a foot from a burning hot wood stove was the reward. My parents installed apparatus that held all of our handmade mittens, scarfs and hats around the stove and the smell of wet wool was evident. Now, I try my hardest not to touch any piece of wood more than twice before its burned. There are times early in the morning I’ll throw on a log of cherry or birch and go outside to catch the scent. Its my winter aromatherapy.
Dreamy images. I find it hard to stick by the only touch wood twice rule, but I didn’t grow up heating with it. Only for the last 25 years. I love the smell of drying wool too, we’ve got these giant antique andirons that have pomegranate shaped balls on the top that are just the right size to dry a hat on. Mittens go on the arms intended to hold boiling cauldrons.
My studio has a lovely little Vermont Castings stove that I use every day in the winter. In the house, we have a fire in the fireplace nearly every night. It’s so comforting. I try to have the fire going when my husband comes home from his vet rounds because I know how much he enjoys the smell of woodsmoke when he gets out of his truck. Thankfully, the woods here on the farm offer us an unlimited supply of downed trees to cut up for firewood. I’m happy to leave the stacking to the man of the house!
The scent of woodsmoke on a crisp evening is such a comfort.
Whoa! Now that’s a wood pile! My hubs is currently working on this winter’s wood pile. We’ve had so many discussions on wood, and he’s soooo opinionated on the subject. We installed a wood stove that pretty much looks like a fireplace to our home about 4 years ago. I don’t know what we ever did before then. The fire in the fireplace is just part of the ebb and flow of our family’s daily life. The kids love to play in this room, and the glow is just so therapeutic. It just draws you in.
I love that you designed a handknit that is intended for everyday use. I’ve been working on some designs with our farm in mind lately, and thinking about the joy of making something that is to be used in work, and not just for special occasions. The carhartt color reference made me giggle a little.
Our current stove has a window too and it makes all the difference, it just seems warmer even though I know it isn’t. Who needs TV when you can watch wood burn?
wow that is a fabulous woodpile (also, great backdrop for the hat on sophie. Is it a problem that I think of everything in the world as a great backdrop??). I miss having a woodstove. One came with our house and we used it for a couple of years–until we realized it was attached to a very cracked 100 yr old unlined chimney. Lining the chimney grew into an unaffordable masonry & wall opening project…
but I digress! The mitts are perfect.
So sad about the chimney, always a huge undertaking to replace. xoxoxoxo glad you like the mitts!
I love those Bucheron mitts! I also love the pictures of the wood, stacked high to keep you warm this winter. We used to live in a log house that had a wood furnace and every fall there would be the ritual of “getting the wood in.” There is nothing warmer than wood heat. I must confess to being a bit jealous. 🙂
I am probably going to have to move and the comfort of the woodstove is going to be very hard to leave behind. :9
Ohh wood. We had a very large tree that had to come down. Hubby got a neighbor to do the hard part (bringing the tree down) Hubby borrowed a splitter and did the tree the entire summer. It is stacked and curing. Every so often one of us will load up the wheelbarrow and load the wood onto the front porch wood rack. That is the “wood fairy” our fireplace insert heats the house. life in the country.
Beautiful beautiful life in the country!
Oh yes, wood is big here too. We use about 17 cords of wood per winter to heat our house and it is a time consuming activity! My husband works in the woods during the winter cutting and splitting, then we stack it in great piles behind the house to dry. The 30 or so cords for sale are stacked elsewhere. When the time comes to put it inside, it is a long, job. As much as I love your mittens, I can’t imagine using them for actual work. I would have too many splinters!
Holy cow! I cannot even imagine 17 cord of wood. I do use fingerless mitts like these to stack in the fall, and when I bring in the wood, that is until it gets too cold and I need my fingers covered!
I needed to thank you for this great read!! I certainly
loved every bit of it. I have got you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post…