Folklig virkning - Nås socken Dalarna / Traditional crochet from Nås parish Dalecarlia

Ulla Berglund Brasch - Folklig virkning Nås socken Dalarna

Finally! Ulla Berglund Brasch - "Folklig virkning Nås socken Dalarna" (in Swedish only) is a book on the tapestry crochet tradition from Nås, Dalecarlia. This kind of crochet has been done since the mid 1800´s when the first pattern books for crochet were published in Sweden.

Hjärtvärmare - Heart warmer

It is exceptional that this technique so quickly was incorporated with the traditional peasant costume in Nås, since the traditional costumes at that time already had a relatively strict form. The book is based on an inventory of traditional crocheted items from  Nås done in 1993-1996. The crocheted shawls called "Hjärtvärmare" (translated that would be: heart-warmers) from Nås are famous. The inventory registered 41 of these shawls, most commonly red patterned in black and white.

Crocheted mittens from 1855

Other items that were crocheted were mittens, hats, suspenders, purses, bands  and wrist-warmers. The book gives us the history, the technique, the materials,  and a lot of pictures. It also has patterns for one shawl and a pair of mittens.

Crocheted bands

Crocheted suspenders

My interest for this crochet tradition started when I visited Nås and Dala-Floda in 2014:

Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda - part 3 (Crochet) 

Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda - part 5 (A visit to Nås)

Giant Granny Square

I guess you have seen them - they are all over the internet. The giant granny squares! If you ever have made a simple granny square you have all the skills required.

Just continue adding row after row of mindless crocheting as long as you can stand it, or as long as you like what is happening to your project. I used it as a companion while watching TV or listening to music.

For this project I used skeins of Kauni yarn. All in all a total of 780 grams of various colour combinations and a crochet hook 3,00 mm. Using Kauni meant that I could leave the colour changes to the yarn. It was only in the beginning that I sometimes changed the yarn and chose another colour just to get some variation in the centre of the square.

The finished blanket is 165x165 centimetres (66x66 inches) a bit bigger than I had intended. It also has a lot more pink in it than planned. I actually got used to it while crocheting. The pink now feels more refreshing than scary (never thought I would say that). I have decided to keep the blanket.

Small bag - Tapestry crochet

Trying crochet with finer hook (Boye 4) and 2-ply wool to get a fabric similar to what I saw in Nås. It is very dense.

Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda - part 5 (A visit to Nås)

The arts and crafts association in Nås, Dalarna

We made a visit to Nås, situated about 23 kilometres west of Dala-Floda. Our first stop was at the arts and crafts association situated in very idyllic settings.

Karin Sivertsson

We were greeted and shown around by Karin Sivertsson. She told us about the arts and crafts association, they still meet on Wednesdays and make handicrafts to sell in their shop. Nås is known for their skill in crochet and we saw many crocheted items such as shawls (Hjärtevärmare), hats, bands, mittens etc.

Crocheted shawl

Crocheted woman´s hat, twined knitted mittens and a braided band

Crocheted mittens

Gunnel Lindholm with one of her woven bands

We also met Gunnel Lindholm. She has crocheted many of the shawls that we saw in Nås. She also weaves bands in traditional patterns. She was a quiet person but her handicraft was very impressive.

Oroar

Gunnel also makes "oroar". They are hanging decorations, made originally of bits of wall-paper and straw. Nowadays wall-paper has been replaced by other sorts of paper. They are rather impressive and I wouldn´t mind owning one, but they proved to hard to handle during travel.

Sleeve in twined knitting with traditional pattern from Nås

Twined knitting is a strong tradition in Nås. They have very interesting and, compared to Dala-Floda and Gagnef, different patterns on their sleeves. Truly beautiful. Red and black are the traditional colours.

The shop

We also visited their shop, where a lot of handicraft was for sale. We bought a pattern for a crocheted shawl. I don´t know if I ever will attempt to make it, but I want to keep the opportunity open.

Ingmarsspelen

Before returning to Dala-Floda we saw a performance of "Ingmarsspelen". This play is performed outdoors. It is tradition and it has been performed since 1959. The play is based on the novel "Jerusalem" by Selma Lagerlöf. It is a famous story about 37 people from Nås who decided to sell their homes and farms in Nås and emigrate to Jerusalem. They were all influenced by a charismatic preacher named Hellgum. The story is centred on conflicts between the people whom in God´s name and forcefully urged by Hellgum sell their homes which have belonged to their families for generations, and their relatives and friends that find their behaviour hard to understand and a crime against the will of God to take care of and honour their land. The story is based on real events in Nås in the late 1890´s.

All actors wear traditional costumes. The costumes are the real thing, many of them a hundred years old and very beautiful. Some of the jackets that we saw at the arts and crafts association´s house had been used in the play until very recently but were now stored because they risked being damaged.

Ingmarsspelen

Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda - part 3 (Crochet)

Various crocheted items

In Dala-Floda crochet was not as common as knitting or weaving but it had its place in costume parts such as crocheted bands placed at the hem of skirts as well as crocheted belts and garters. The traditional crochet is tapestry crochet in many colours. It is not uncommon to see four or five colours carried in one row.

Crocheted bands

The colour red is the most common in the old items, it was seen as the most beautiful colour. In nearby Nås crochet had a more prominent role. Nås is famous for "Hjärtevärmare" - tapestry crocheted shawls in beautiful patterns. They were wrapped tight and fastened with bands. They were beautiful, but they must have taken ages to crochet.

Crocheted shawl

Seeing these old items changed my view about crochet. The work is so dense that the fabric does not feel as I am used to. The many coloured tapestry technique that requires many yarns to be carried at the same time in a row (you carry the ones not used "inside" the crochet and form the stitches around them) makes the fabric even thicker and denser.

Crocheted shawl from Nås

Craftsmanship and technique was impressing and flawless. These old items are excellent pieces to be inspired by, in so many ways.

Garters and bands in crochet

Tapestry crochet bag

I am usually not a man of many colours, but the days spent in Dala-Floda a couple of weeks ago were so full of multi-coloured crafts that I could not avoid being influenced. The result is a bag worked in tapestry crochet. Bags like this were, in parts of Finland, often used as gifts between couples about to marry or between friends. They were used for carrying tobacco, money and small items. Parts of Sweden and Finland  (among other countries) have a tradition of tapestry crochet. Often used for making bags, belts, shawls, caps and garters in bright colour combinations.

I have also seen Tapestry crochet called "many-coloured crochet", "dense crochet" and "fair-isle crochet".
For this bag I used a crochet hook Boye 2 and z-plied yarn from Wålstedts in Dala-Floda.

Kurser i Dala-Floda under Juni 2014 / Courses at Dala-Floda, June 2014

Jag har tidigare varit deltagare på kurser som arrangerats av Anna-Karin Jobs Arnberg och Karin Kahnlund på Dala-Floda värdshus. Det var en väldigt givande upplevelse. Nu när årets kurser ligger ute på nätet vill jag hjälpa till att sprida informationen.
Mer information om kurserna finns på Dala-Flodas värdshus hemsida. 

I have taken classes at Dala-Floda arranged by Anna-Karin Jobs Arnberg and Karin Kahnlund and it has been very rewarding experiences. Now that this years courses have been decided, I want to help spread the information. More information (Swedish only) can be found on the Dala-Floda Inn´s home-page. The courses are held in Swedish.

Tvåändsstickning 29 maj-1 juni 2014 / Twined knitting May 29 - June 1
Lite info om kursen: Studie av tvåändsstickning, både praktiskt och kulturhistoriskt. Huvudlärare är Karin Kahnlund, erfaren kursledare inom tvåändsstickning och Anna-Karin Jobs Arnberg, intendent på Nordiska muséet. Du bör ha grundkunskaper i tvåändsstickning.

Under några dagar får du möjlighet att fördjupa dig i tvåändsstickningen från Floda men vi gör även utblickar till grannsocknarna. Du får möjlighet att prova olika tekniker och mönster, studera äldre plagg och titta på samlingar, rita av mönster, göra kavelfransar på olika sätt samt prova på att brodera Flodas typiska broderi ”påsöm” som är vanligt på vantar och andra stickade plagg. Se: Kursprogram 2014

Rosor i Broderi, virkat och stickat i Dala-Floda 16-19 juni 2014 / Roses in embroidery, crochet and knitting in Dala-Floda June 16-19 2014.
Under kursen får du prova på att brodera ”påsöm” på flodavis, flerfärgsvirka som i Nås, tvåändssticka och göra fransar som i Västerdalarna. Kursledare i tvåändsstickning är Karin Kahnlund, lärare i stickning vid HV-skola och erfaren kursledare i bl.a. tvåändsstickning. Kursledare i broderi och virkning är Anna-Karin Jobs Arnberg, textilintendent vid Nordiska museet och tidigare länshemslöjdskonsulent med gesällbrev i broderi.

Förr var folket i byarna kring Västerdalälven kända för sina textila skicklig- heter i olika tekniker. I Malung bedrevs skinntillverkning, flerfärgsvirkning i Nås, påsömsbroderier och vävning i Dala-Floda samt knyppling i Mockfjärd och Gagnef. Det textila hantverkskunnandet var starkt kopplat till tillverkningen av dräktplaggen. Speciellt i Floda och i Nås har man älskat att dekorera med färgsprakande rosor. Stjärnliknande mönster, som är vanligt i tvåändstickningen, har i dessa trakter också kallats för rosor. Se program: Rosor i Broderi 2014.

Påsömkurs, yllebroderi i Dala-Floda, 23-26 juni 2014 /Wool embroidery in Dala-Floda, June 23-26 2014.
Välkommen till kurs i yllebroderi-”påsöm”. Kursledare är Anna-Karin Jobs Arnberg, textilintendent vid Nordiska museet och tidigare länshemslöjds- konsulent. Hon har även gesällbrev i broderi.

I Dala-Floda syr man yllebroderier i många färger på ylletyg. Stygn som plattstygn, schattersöm, klyvstygn, stjälkstygn är vanliga och man bygger upp blomster och bladslingor med hjälp av pappersmallar. Broderierna utfördes ursprungligen på delar av folkdräkten och har genomgått en utveckling från enkla slingor till frodiga yllebroderier. Under kursen gör vi två utflykter. Den första går till Wålstedts ullspinneri som ligger i Dala-Floda. Där får du följa den svenska lantrasullen från otvättad ull till färgat glansigt garn av högsta kvalitet. Den andra utflykten går till en fäbod där vi äter lunch och broderar ute i naturen. Se program: Påsömkurs 2014.

Lord Grey - More crochet and more wrist-warmers

 

These are crocheted wrist-warmers in wool. I now have to admit that crochet can be fun and extremely inspiring. I find the fabric very nice and dense. With this technique I will be able to make crocheted items that are both nice looking and warm.

For this pair of cuffs I used a stitch pattern from a Russian sweater. I did not use it in its original shape since that was far to wide to be suited for cuffs. I charted it and then I split it in two. After that I turned it 90 degrees and repeated it until I got a match for the required amount of stitches for the cuffs.

The yarn used is 2-ply wool (the red is my own dyeing) and a crochet hook Boye 2.

Red and green crocheted cuffs

It was time to use my dyed yarn for some more crocheting. I decided to make another pair of cuffs.

I used an old traditional knitting pattern as an all over design.

Red and green is a traditional mix of colours in Sweden. Not easy to take a good photo of them. The colours in the pictures are not quite right. Wool: 2-ply. Crochet hook: Boye no. 2.

Potholders

New pot-holders were needed. I thought it nice to make some crocheted ones (the old ones were made in Tunisian crochet).

They are not as thick as the ones in Tunisian crochet, but I think they will be good enough.

Yarn used is Kampes Soft 8/8 cotton, crochet hook size 4.00 mm.

Crocheted wrist-warmers/cuffs

Practising crocheting - this time I am making wrist-warmers. I am rather pleased with these since they are warm and comfortable (we have had some chilly mornings despite that it is still August, so I have tried them out).

Wrist-warmers are very simple in shape so there is no challenge there. I am however learning to crochet with two colours. It is a known Swedish/Nordic tradition to crochet cuffs, mittens and hats in this technique.

Sadly there is not a lot of documentation easily found on this tradition. So I have to make do with what I can find and then it is up to trial and error.

Crochet is a bit quicker that twined-knitting ... It is nice to try something new - it gives perspective. Next project with crocheting will be using my home-dyed red and green yarns.

Dyeing yarn for crocheting

I found old grey yarn (2-ply wool) that I intend to use when practising crocheting. I dyed some of it to have something more colourful to work with. Red and green in combination with grey will give a traditional feeling to the finished items.

Crocheted hats

I never thought that I would crochet a hat. I associated crochet with doilies and lace and could not muster a real interest for the technique. But when I was crocheting granny squares last month I decided to make a hat. 

Initially I had to frog quite often due to my mistakes. But after a while I got the hang of it. I started with a simple beanie to learn how  to shape a hat.

 After that I decided to try crocheting with two colours in the stitch pattern. 

I chose colours and pattern to get a traditional feeling.