onsdag 25 april 2012

Ore Tradition - Sampler in Twined Knitting



 (This is a repost from my Ravelry account)
 During one week in July 2010 my husband and I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop for twined knitters in Dalecarlia, Sweden. The event took place at Näsets Bystuga, Furudal and we were 14 knitters that shared four intense days focused on twined knitting. Since Dalecarlia in many ways can be regarded as the very center of the twined knitting tradition in Sweden this was a rare chance for us to learn more about the local tradition and patterns.


We spent the days knitting away until lunch, and in the afternoon we made visits to collections and exhibitions of twined knitting and old crafts. Thanks to the organiser´s many local contacts we were able not only to visit museums, but also got to see collections usually not available for viewing.
The Ore tradition is old and, as in all of Dalecarlia, the old traditions are honored. We saw amazing things during the week and I charted some patterns from the old pieces that we got the chance to view. 


Sometimes we were even allowed to touch and study the old mittens, stockings and wrist warmers and I can say that it is quite an experience (YES I am a nerd!) to touch something that was knitted more than a hundred years ago. The craftsmanship was truly amazing and if I ever doubted the saying that twined knitting can never be too densely knit I am now proven wrong. The materials were so dense that it was sometimes hard to understand that they were knitted. Gauge at 50 stitches to 10 cm was common (12.5 stitches per inch) sometimes more.

The visit was rewarding in so many ways and I really got smitten with the “feel of Dalecarlia”. The nature and views are spectacular and a lot of it reminds me of Lapland (in the north of Sweden) where I grew up.  

On the last evening of the workshop I was sitting by the open bedroom window late at night. I was knitting on a sampler of some of the patterns that I had encountered during the week. All of a sudden I heard wolves howling. That eerie sound going through the centuries made me shiver. I listened to it for more than an hour, fascinated. It was so typical for Dalecarlia: a place where old times are ever present and part of daily life.



7 kommentarer:

  1. Hör du någon yla nu är det tvåändsstickningsvargen söder om stan:-)
    SÅ Vackert!

    SvaraRadera
  2. I agree that sounds like an amazing experience!!
    When I visit museums in Europe I am always interested in the centuries old textiles.
    I love the red and white colours. Do you know wht sheep the wool originally came from?
    I have Finnwool from my ewe to use in my twined knitting :-)

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. The old sheep held could be local breeds hard to name or trace today. But there are breeds today (Conservation Breeds) that we think are similar or descendants to the old ones. E.g.
      - Rya
      - Roslag
      - Spelsau
      - Swedish Finewool
      - "forest sheep" such as Åsen, Värmland, Helsinge, Gestrike, Svärdsjö

      Radera
  3. Men herregu' vad snyggt! Den resan hoppas jag kunna vara med på någon gång....ja ja inte hjälper det mig i själva stickningen men ett och annat korn kan jag väl fånga :-))
    ha det bäst//kramen Gun

    http://pysselfarmor.bloggplatsen.se/

    SvaraRadera
  4. What a wonderful experience you both had. The wolves were the frosting on the cake along with being able to handle old examples of knitting. Your sample is beautiful and shows your patience and skills.

    Roberta

    SvaraRadera
  5. Vad ska man säga så vackra provlappar.
    se vi i höst på HV månne? Jag ska gå forts 2.
    Har haft ett fantastisk år med tvåändsstickning.snart måste man väl börja med att han får, så man får den rätta ullen.

    SvaraRadera