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.