Norwegian knitting (strikking) has a history dating from the 16th century. [1]
Norwegian knitting (strikking) has a history dating from the 16th century. [1]
Knitted garments found in Norway have been dated as far back as between 1476 and 1525. Some of the most well known sweater patterns attributed to Norwegian colorwork knitting are the Setesdal Lusekofte and the Fana Fanacofte patterns. Selbu in Trøndelag county is also well known for the Selburose pattern motif. Selbu mittens first appeared as a vertical column of two snowflakes on the front side of the mittens. The origin of these mittens is attributed to a young girl named Marit Emstad who in 1857 attended church wearing what we now know as Selbu mittens, effectively sparking the imagination of knitters at the time who had never seen anything like it before. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Today, there are over 300 registered mitten patterns attributed to Selbu. There are several brands of Norwegian yarn available today for knitters, including Dale of Norway and Rauma Garn. Dale of Norway has been a manufacturer of ready wear sweaters, which have been worn by Norway's Olympic athletes since 1956. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Many of their sweater patterns most closely associated with knitted ski sweaters have been published in English by the manufacturing company. The heritage of Norwegian knitting has been preserved, documented and translated into English language history, and pattern books, that are available to modern knitters, mostly notably by the author Annemor Sundbø. The yarn factory Rauma Ullvarefabrikk has also released a substantial number of Norwegian knitting patterns translated into English. [10] [11]
Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
A knitting needle or knitting pin is a tool in hand-knitting to produce knitted fabrics. They generally have a long shaft and taper at their end, but they are not nearly as sharp as sewing needles. Their purpose is two-fold. The long shaft holds the active (unsecured) stitches of the fabric, to prevent them from unravelling, whereas the tapered ends are used to form new stitches. Most commonly, a new stitch is formed by inserting the tapered end through an active stitch, catching a loop of fresh yarn and drawing it through the stitch; this secures the initial stitch and forms a new active stitch in its place. In specialized forms of knitting the needle may be passed between active stitches being held on another needle, or indeed between/through inactive stitches that have been knit previously.
Selbu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mebonden. Other villages in Selbu include Flora, Fossan, Hyttbakken, Innbygda, Selbustrand, Trøa, Tømra, and Vikvarvet.
In Norwegian knitting, a selburose is a knitted rose pattern in the shape of a regular octagram. It is traditionally used for winter clothing such as the Selbu mitten (selbuvott) and sweaters. Of ancient origin, the pattern is associated with the town of Selbu in Norway, and has become an international symbol of Norway, Christmas and winter.
The Aran jumper is a style of jumper that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. A traditional Aran Jumper usually is off-white in colour, with cable patterns on the body and sleeves. Originally the jumpers were knitted using unscoured wool that retained its natural oils (lanolin) which made the garments water-resistant and meant they remained wearable even when wet.
Knitting is the process of using two or more needles to pull and loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to create a finished garment or some other type of fabric. The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, "to knot". Its origins lie in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements. More recently, hand knitting has become less a necessary skill and more of a hobby.
A knitting machine is a device used to create knitted fabrics in a semi or fully automated fashion. There are numerous types of knitting machines, ranging from simple spool or board templates with no moving parts to highly complex mechanisms controlled by electronics. All, however, produce various types of knitted fabrics, usually either flat or tubular, and of varying degrees of complexity. Pattern stitches can be selected by hand manipulation of the needles, push-buttons and dials, mechanical punch cards, or electronic pattern reading devices and computers.
Elizabeth Zimmermann was a British-born hand knitting teacher and designer. She revolutionized the modern practice of knitting through her books and instructional series on American public television.
Slip-stitch knitting is a family of knitting techniques that uses slip stitches to make multiple fabrics simultaneously, to make extra-long stitches, and/or to carry over colors from an earlier row.
The "sweater curse" or "curse of the love sweater" is a term used by knitters and crocheters to describe the belief that if a knitter or crocheter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, it will lead to the recipient breaking up with the knitter. In an alternative formulation, the relationship will end before the sweater is even completed. The belief is widely discussed in knitting publications, and some knitters claim to have experienced it. In a 2005 poll, 15% of active knitters said that they had experienced the sweater curse firsthand, and 41% considered it a possibility that should be taken seriously.
In knitting, binding off, or casting off, is a family of techniques for ending a column of stitches. Binding off is typically used to define the final edge of a knitted fabric, although it may also be used in other contexts, e.g., in making button holes. In principle, binding off is the opposite of casting on, but the techniques are generally not mirror images of one another. Sometimes, however, they can produce a mirror image appearance.
The lusekofte, also called the Setesdalsgenser is a traditional Norwegian sweater, dating from the 19th century.
Hand knitting is a form of knitting, in which the knitted fabric is produced by hand using needles.
Cowichan knitting is a form of knitting characteristic of the Cowichan people of southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The distinctively patterned, heavy-knit Cowichan sweaters, popular among British Columbians and tourists, are produced using this method. Cowichan knitting is an acculturated art form, a combination of European textile techniques and Salish spinning and weaving methods. From this union, new tools, techniques and designs developed over the years.
Dale of Norway is a Norwegian clothing brand known for their production of high quality pure wool knitwear. The textile factory for the company is located at the village of Dale in Vaksdal Municipality, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. In 2018, Dale of Norway was acquired by the Rossignol Group.
Aran knitting patterns are heavily textured knitting patterns which are named after the Aran Islands, which are located off the west coast of Ireland from County Galway and County Clare. The patterns are knitted into socks, hats, vests, scarves, mittens, afghans, pillow covers, and, most commonly, sweaters.
Marius sweaters are Norwegian-style knitted sweaters with patterns inspired by traditional Setesdal sweater, but without lice, a type of pattern. While the traditional sweaters used the natural colors of sheep wool - black, gray, brown and white - Marius sweater designs incorporated colors, with the most common being red, white and blue, the colors of the Norwegian flag.
Selbuvott is a knitted woolen mitten, based on a pattern from Selbu in Norway. Like all mittens, the purpose of selbuvott is to keep hands warm during winter, with one large space for fingers and a separate smaller section for the thumb. The pattern is a Selburose, which is a traditional rose from the Selbu area, shaped like an octagram. Marit Guldsetbrua Emstad first knitted the pattern into a pair of mittens in 1857, and sold it through Husfliden in Trondheim in 1897. Selbuvott is possibly the most-worn knitted pattern in Norway.
Sam Barsky is an American artist and internet celebrity. He knits sweaters of landmarks, then takes selfies in front of the landmarks while wearing them. He also knits sweaters of Jewish and other holidays.
Twined knitting is a traditional Scandinavian knitting technique. It refers to knitting where two strands of yarn are knitted into the fabric alternatively and twisted once and always in the same direction before every stitch. The technique is called tvåändsstickning in Swedish, tvebandsstrikking in Norwegian, and tvebinding in Danish. Their literal meaning is "two-end knitting", referring to the traditional way of knitting with both yarn ends from one ball of yarn.
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