A Sweater and Mittens for Berit Hilmo, Norsk Weaver Extraordinaire

I discovered the weaving of Berit Hilmo when I got my new Glimakra
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.

Katherine Larson's wonderful!!! Book, (find on Amazon)

Saint Hallvard Vebjørnesson From the Nidaros Dommen in Trondheim

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.

Top

Baclk too

Opened up!

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

Berit's # 421 from a museum in Molde
Photo: Anna-Lisa Reinsfelt Creative Commons

Anno 1830  Beautiful layout of pattern

These last two are modern day weaving by my friend Berta Stiva Lid
in Norway, with her permission

Berta's hanging on a loom just like mine! She learned from her mother.

Patterns are now available on Ravelry under Cynthia Wasner Designs and
on Norsk Needlework.com.   Hat to come.....

Growing Wool in Central Oregon: Fiber Market Day 2014

My own booth! New Berit's Double Hearts finished in time... more about this later

 Fiber Market Day for High Desert Wool Growers of Central Oregon
was a huge success. Vendors were kept very busy with patrons buying
fiber in all its forms, roving, bats, spun yarn, woven pieces and some felted.
Some hand dyed and some natural.  Fiber from alpacas, lamas, sheep
and mohair or pygora goats were available. I had my own booth for
Norsk Needlework    

Michele's booth    Frolic Fibers with Ginger spinning

Michele's Kromski Symphony wheel
This really nice wheel is still for sale. Contact me for info!

Mohair/ merino bats and handspun, hand dyed yarn

Hand carded bats of Mohair from Michele's goats
I carded the navy/green one lower right.... fun to do

Ginger's wonderful woven rugs   all fiber hand-spun!

Toots LeBlanc... all natural fibers and colors

Michele Le Blanc had a wonderful booth. Her yarn is fabulous, angora, pygora, and

different blended wools. No dye! Super fine quality. Her site: Toots LeBlanc

You can buy yarn on her site. I love the angora blends!

Barb Peters: Baabaara's Handspun and Rugs

 Her site for Baabaara's Handspun

Yummy rugs woven by Barb from Pendleton wool

 

great hand spun colors and fiber

Kalamath River Alpacas/  cool hats!

market booths

My friends Mollie (my new model!) and Helen in the NWRSA booth

 This was the booth of my spinning guild in Redmond. Nicest women ever!!! Talented too.

Shaggy Bear Farm's wonderful yarn

Lovely Fiber Market Day. Cute Alpaca outside too with friends. 

Weather wasn't too bad.

I loved participating in this market and will do so again! 

It is fun to meet my customers face to face.

I will do a blog about my new patterns soon!

Nashville!!! TNNA and Pat Metheny!!!!

My daughter Tracy (InkCircles.com)  had a booth
at the Nashville Needlework Association show for designers.
I was her minion for the duration!
You can't imagine the fun of seeing all my favorite designers
new charts and worked up designs in person. I will try to
post enough pictures to give you the flavor. Great year of new
stuff!!!

My favorite pattern of Donna's: Spin Out designed for her students
to show the "Lacy Edge", a pretty Hardanger favorite stitch.

Donna Olson's Satin Stitches

 I LOVE hardanger. So fun to stitch.

Myself and Donna

Picture This Plus hand dyed linens, fabulous new colors

Some examples of new charts out using PTP, Tracy's Peace Wheel is
on the bottom center.

Gentle Arts Sampler Thread, my favorite overdyed cotton

Tracy Horner's InkCircles new 3

Birds & Bees on 40 count, one of my personal favorites

More of InkCircles including the 4th Bad Neighborhood

Seasons of Beth Ann Seal's Summer House Stitche Workes

Beth's site: Summer House Stitche Workes

Summer House Stitch Workes

Beth was using this fabulous woven place-mat to show her finished
designs off. It is from the Family Heirloom weavers who make lovely
 woven items. Being a new weaver I looked very closely and love it.

Dinky-Dyes silk

New Long Dog designs now carried with
 Dinky- Dyes & European Cross Stitch

Tracy's new pattern Four de Lys using Treenway silk

Gorgeous Treenway silk which now carries a 10 yard 6-strand/ see above

I was so impressed with Susan and Treenway silk. They carry many yarns and

floss for weaving too.

Always my favorite Rosewood Manor! Karen's whole group of seasonal Quakers!

Karen's Black Lace Sampler

 I bought the Black Lace and the Autumn Quaker patterns, both lovely!!!
You can purchase them at any fine needlework store. Rosewood manor site link

so... after the TNNA we stayed in Nashville for and extra 

day and there is sure a lot to do there! I had purchased tickets to

 the Pat Metheny Unity Group concert Sun night at the old 

Ryman Theater, built in1892. Absolutely fantastic acoustics, all wood interior.

The group was exceptional. Chris Potter on the

alto and regular sax was just out of this world. All 4 

of the guys were great. Best jazz concert I have ever been to!!! 

Metheny must have used 6 different guitars, one a harp guitar with 2 heads.

New Unity Group Home page Listen to this video if you wish.

Minnie and Roy at the Ryman!!! Loved this!! I actually remember
seeing her price tag on her hat when I heard her as a kid!!!

stage right before the concert... then no pictures allowed!

I swiped the picture of the old Ryman from Wickipedia

Pat Metheny Unity Band

On to the Frist Visual Art Center!

I love these original architectural drawings!! They have the
Art Deco trim and even a picture of the Eagle.

Hall of the Frist

Art Deco designs around grill work. Original building was the Nashville Post Office.

Inside was work by Monet, Mary Cassatt, Munch, Van Gogh and Degas.

Western artist looking East to Japan was the theme. Really a worthwhile visit.

Frist Calandar  It doesn't matter if they wouldn't let me take pictures

as their site has it all.

Flying saucer restraunt in Nashville after the Frist, just
across the street! We ate with our friends from "We, of the Needle"
super great lunch!!!

More inside the Flying Saucer

Nashville's Old Custom House built in 1875.

So, I said I had a lot of pictures, probably too many but there were none

I wanted to leave out! What a great 6 days!!! Great trip and lovely time

to visit with my daughter Tracy.