loom last summer and wanted to weave the Norwegian patterns
found in Katherine Larsons Book: Woven Coverlets of Norway.
I found Berit's fantastic weavings or åklær in a deflected double weave.
Every design picked out by hand with a weaving sword. Painstaking!!!
I can do some things with my 10 harness loom, but not this!!!
I don't have enough lifetime left! I kept looking at her coverlets and
thought what a great knitting design it would make. Little Pelicans for
Christian Charity marching across the top, åtte blade rosen in double hearts.
Protection wrapped in Love. The branch symbol of life and death, and the
crown of Saint Hallvard, the Patron Saint of Oslo.
The pattern just came together and was a dream to knit.
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| Katherine Larson's wonderful!!! Book, (find on Amazon) |
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| Saint Hallvard Vebjørnesson From the Nidaros Dommen in Trondheim |
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| My friend Mollie and her horse, the wonderful photogenic Melvin |
I made "Glittens" in this pattern too, Tops that flip back for driving
or whatever. Really cozy and warm. The pattern is in Norwegian also,
for my friends over there.
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| Top |
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| Baclk too |
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| Opened up! |
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| Close up of one of Berit's coverlets |
Berit Hilmo was born in 1764 in Tydal, Sør-Trøndelag county in Norway.
She married a farmer Ole Gudmundsen Hilmo, called Pedar. They had huge
financial problems after their home burned. A short while later Pedar died
leaving Berit a young widow. She moved her children to a croft and began
weaving åklær to support the family. It is believed she wove about 50
before she started counting, and made it up near 500!!! She often wove in
lines from hymns, the initials of the people it was made for and the number.
The oldest surviving is # 157 and the newest 455 in 1837. The full story can
be found on the
Norwegian wickipedia site: http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berit_Hilmo
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| Berit's # 421 from a museum in Molde Photo: Anna-Lisa Reinsfelt Creative Commons |
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| Anno 1830 Beautiful layout of pattern |
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| These last two are modern day weaving by my friend Berta Stiva Lid in Norway, with her permission |
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| Berta's hanging on a loom just like mine! She learned from her mother. |
on Norsk Needlework.com. Hat to come.....
