Dedicated to my godmother Inga for her warmth and

kindness; to my mother Inge Lucie, who taught me to sew;

and to my big sister Else, who taught me to knit!
OceanofPDF.com
 ANNE BÅRDSGÅRD

SELBU MITTENS
Discover the Rich History of a Norwegian Knitting Tradition

With Over 500 Charts and 35 Classic Patterns

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First published in the United States of America
in 2019 by
Trafalgar Square Books
North Pomfret, Vermont 05053

Originally published in Norwegian as Selbuvotter.

Copyright © 2016 Anne Bårdsgård and MUSEUMSFORLAGET,

Trondheim, Norway
English translation © 2019 Trafalgar Square Books

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, by any means,
without written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer quoting
brief excerpts for a review in a magazine, newspaper or web site.

The instructions and material lists in this book were carefully reviewed by
the author and editor; however, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The author
and publisher cannot be held liable for errors.

ISBN: 978-1-57076-947-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019946787

Interior Design Bodil Mostad Olsen and Anne Bårdsgård

Cover Photo Grethe Britt Fredriksen
Norwegian Publisher’s Editor Laila.andreassen@museumsforlaget.no
Translation into English Carol Huebscher Rhoades
eBook Design Prabhati Content (prabhati.com)

This translation has been published with the financial support of NORLA.

Publication of this book supported by

Printed in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE HISTORY OF SELBU KNITTING BY BIRGITTA ODÉN
WHAT CHARACTERIZES A SELBU MITTEN?
The Cuff
The Back of the Hand (Front or Top Side)
Palm
Side Bands
Thumb
The Tip of the Mitten Hand
Glove Fingers
KNITTING TECHNIQUES AND STANDARDS
Casting On—Two Typical Cast-On Methods
YARN AND WOOL
PATTERN MOTIFS USED IN SELBU
Primary Mitten Motifs
Panels
Side Bands
Palm and Inner Hand Motifs
MITTEN PATTERNS FROM EXCEPTIONAL KNITTERS
Christening Mittens/Baby Mittens
Gloves
Men’s Mittens
Women’s Mittens
RESOURCES
MITTEN REFERENCES

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DIALECT WORDS
binding knitted item
bindstikke knitting needle
bitt to knit
bitt lørji to knit loosely and unevenly
dråk girl
fell tå bind off (UK cast off)
fuggel bird
goffa godfather
gullmo godmother
hainnarbe handwork
hussu stocking or hose of any type
hælvvori good at knitting
dyktag te å bitt
kast på cast on
kjinntyrill butter churn pole
kvennstein millstone
lørji bundi loose/bad knitting
moddernevotta modern mittens knitted with dyed yarn
målde stitch
måldenn datt bound-off stitches
tå
oppsuttu meeting inside a house during the evening and night
where one sat with a collective work—for example, two-
color stranded knitting for a bride-to-be
rosbok pattern book
rosemønster the main pattern on a mitten
rosåt patterned
semmert bundi bad knitting
søm for votten to seam and weave in ends on a mitten
sjenn star
sjennros star-rose/eight-petal rose
snar på quick knitting
stikkenj
stælpe/stø band on the sides of a mitten
totrådvott Selbu mitten
tuftå elf or underworld creature
tå i hop decrease
tå ut increase
tåmmåsfinger thumb
vekk ribbing, cuff
vottros patterning on the back of the hand (front) of mittens
vottsentralen Handcraft Association headquarters

Selbu Handcraft Association (Selbu Husflidscentral) changed its name to

Selbu Husflidsentral in the 1900s and is today called Selbu Husflid AS. In
the text, both of the earlier names are used.

The word mønstre (pattern) refers to ornamentation and surface patterns.

The style and shape of the hand garments are referred to either as
proportions or mitten pattern instructions.
Translator’s Notes
For ease in looking up information about associations and museums,
Norwegian names are used throughout unless the English translation is also
easily searchable. For example, the Selbu Bygdemuseum [Selbu District
Museum] has a Norwegian-only website. Husflid translates as the
Norwegian Home Arts and Crafts Organization, but is almost universally
referred to as simply “Husflid,” so we have used the original term.

Titles of sources appear in Norwegian, with a translation within brackets for

notes and footnotes in the text. In the Resources section at the back of the
book, titles are listed in the original language unless an English edition has
been published.

The primary motifs in Selbu knitting are stars and roses, both called
sjennros in Norwegian. The choice of which term to use in translation was
determined by the shape of the motif under discussion.

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PREFACE
My godmother was named Inga Rolseth (1909-98), but was better-known as
Inga Bakklien. She was skilled at making good food as well as nice, warm
bedclothes, and at chopping wood, raising hens, and doing handwork
(hainnarbe). Every year meant new stranded colorwork mittens for
Christmas, usually modern mittens in blue and white, and then black and
white mittens when I was older. Every year, Inga delivered her mittens to
the Mitten Headquarters.* When she died, her last inventory showed that, in
February and March 1996, she had delivered 14 pairs of women’s mittens,
15 pairs of men’s mittens, and one pair of children’s mittens. When the
price for the yarn was deducted, she’d earned a net sum of 951 crowns—for
work she had, at a minimum, spent 14 days on. That’s how she made her
income; together with a minimal pension and the money she made from the
chickens, it was enough to give my godmother a good and secure life.
__________
* Selbu Husflidsentral.

After each “entanglement,” the pattern “was difficult to see,” the

stitches were bound off, and Inga finished knitting. A work life ended.
 Godmother Inga and her cat Rose. The word for “patterned”
(mønstrete) is rosåt in Selbu dialect.

The daily pattern of Inga’s life was in no way special. Many people in the
Selbu area have a great-grandmother or great-aunt who was skilled with her
knitting needles, usually residents of the village. Inga’s story would have
been familiar to many women who had to find ways to pull together a living
for them and theirs. But together Inga and other knitters in Selbu, with their
hard work and their creativity, their ingenuity and their love of knitting,
made something very special indeed: a pattern tradition that would stand the
test of time—not to mention a rock-solid trademark and valued export, a
product now recognized far outside Selbu and far outside Norway.
Godmother Inga died, leaving a bag of finished mittens behind. Ten
years after her death, many of the mittens have been given away, cherished,
and worn (and worn out). There was no easy way for me to teach myself
how to knit two-color stranded knitting, no one to ask. I began to collect
patterns, and scrutinized the knitting exhibitions at the Selbu
Bydgemuseum. I found many lovely and unusual mittens there, but my
curiosity was awakened when I couldn’t find any of the patterns I
remembered from the mittens I’d been given by Inga. What had happened
to those designs? Where had the ones represented in the knitting exhibitions
come from?
So many times, Inga said, “These patterns should have been written in a
book.” This is the book I couldn’t find when I first wanted to learn to knit
Selbu mittens and compose my own collection of pattern motifs. I decided
to take three years and immerse myself in Selbu mittens, so I could collect
as many as possible and produce the book both Godmother Inga and I
wanted.

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INTRODUCTION
As a child, I often went skiing at Hersjøhytta in Selbu. I remember that my
mother, who was Danish, was excited by the sight of all the mittens drying
on the hooks in the hallway. I remember noticing the endless multitude of
small and large motifs. Years later, as an adult, I wanted to buy a pair of
Selbu mittens at Husfliden and I was surprised at the sparse selection—
almost all the mittens were alike. What had happened to all the motifs?
The purpose of this project has been to recover and expand on the
pattern diversity I remember from my childhood in the 1970s. From the
beginning, the goal was to make a mitten collection that could complete the
knitting exhibit at the Selbu Bygdemuseum. At first, I thought one hundred
different patterns was a suitable goal; but after the first year, I understood
how much more there was to find, and I decided to write this book, which
might be thought of as a memory book meant to hold as many of the
original Selbu patterns as possible.
To start this project, I began with documentation. Mittens were
photographed, first from private collections and later in the Selbu
Bygdemuseum and other museums with mittens in their collections. I also
researched the DigitaltMuseum (Digital Museum) and the patterns of the
Selbu mittens I found there were recorded. In addition, it was important to
collect mitten instructions and star/rose patterns, the main element found on
Selbu mittens.
The term “Selbu mittens” is a national concept, and to a large extent is
applied to all mittens worked in pattern knitting with two colors—two-color
stranded knitting can be found throughout Norway. Mittens with the sewn-
in quality trademark label “Original Selbu” do not necessarily come from
Selbu, a factor that made the task of collecting materials decidedly
complicated. For example, Midtre Gauldal, a neighboring municipality, was
a large producer of Selbu-style goods. Old brand labels from Hovin show
extensive production and tagging of hand-knitted goods from other places
where fine Selbu-style mittens were also made.
 Old rolls of labels from Hovin

As I continued the project, I became aware of a law dating to 17 June

1932, with a subsequent amendment dated 18 June 1936, and, in 1939,
associated recommendations regarding the standardization of Selbu
products. These case papers clarify that the term “Selbu products” was
applied to textiles hand-knitted “here in this country.” The original 1932
law states:

1. Under the designation containing the word “Selbu” or a designation

which might be mistaken for this, textiles cannot be offered for sale or
export here in this country other than hand-knitted gloves, mittens,
caps, scarves, stockings, socks, sweaters, etc., executed in so-called
“Selbu patterns” and satisfying the specific requirements set forth at
any time as applicable and recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture’s
Norwegian Standards for the relevant items, and which are accorded
the registered trademark for “Selbu products” (the Selbu trademark) by
the Ministry of Agriculture.
2. The Ministry of Agriculture, or the appropriate authority, shall decide
which patterns, in this regard, shall be considered as Selbu patterns,
and which colors and color combinations shall be used for the various
patterns.
3. The Ministry of Agriculture will also decide who shall have the right
to use the named trademark and to stipulate further provisions
 concerning the use of the trademark.

The Ministry of Agriculture further writes a clarification in a supplement

following Norwegian Parliamentary Proposition 62 (1936):
The knitting of Selbu mittens and other items has, in recent years, become a very large
handcraft industry in Selbu and the nearest adjacent districts, whereby the residents
have generated significant cash income. Over the course of the last few years, Selbu
mittens, etc., have also opened up a good international market. However, it has been
shown that the turnover rate of the finished knitted products offers difficulties, in that
overproduction has resulted in mittens, etc., bartered in exchange for goods from local
merchants, which, because of great competition, have then offered mittens and other
items at increasingly low prices. This has, in turn, affected product quality. In order to
correct this relationship, over the course of the past few years, a collection center has
been created in Selbu. There are approximately 2,000 items affiliated with the center.
The center receives the accumulated products and pays cash. All the delivered goods
are inspected for quality control and those that pass inspection are approved. Those
products that do not pass inspection are returned to the maker.

The King’s slogan: All for Norway. Postcard by unknown

photographer, Peter Alstrup’s Art Association, 1906.

For trademarked items, a consensus is reached with the Manufacturer Wholesalers

Association to determine a fixed price for various types of products. Likewise, a
consensus with the Export Association determines prices and the conditions of export
for trademarked products. Price changes will benefit the producers.
The board of Selbu Husflidscentral has requested the National Council for Small
Industry consider working together with the exporters for a negotiation with the Ministry
of Agriculture to forbid the export of Selbu products without the trademark and to set
minimum prices. In order to also credit products outside of Selbu, the Council for Small
Industry planned the creation of a collection center for Guldal (with Soknedal and
Budal), which, outside of Selbu, is the largest production district, with as many 1,500
producers who have given their endorsement. Furthermore, consent for endorsement
from those outside Selbucentralen includes Selbu’s fixed producers and merchants and
commercial groups. In total, endorsement has been obtained from approximately 5,000
producers. From exporters, a request has been made concerning other districts
producing items similar to Selbu items which do not meet all the conditions set for
 items from the primary area. To prevent damage to the market already incorporated
abroad, and to protect it, it is necessary to control export products.
This matter has been referred to the National Council for Handcrafts and Home
Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, who are in agreement with the National Council
for Small Industry that it is of great importance that there be control of finished Selbu
products, and seek to prevent poor-quality goods from entering the market at lower
prices, thus destroying the open market.
Accordingly, the department hereby requests that His Majesty shall endorse and
sign a submitted draft of a proposition to the Parliament, ending in law on 17 June
1936, concerning the change of the law regarding agricultural products.

Norway under the German occupation, 1940-45. An example of

the support for King Haakon, knitted mittens/gloves with the
king’s monogram and slogan.

It was therefore clarified by the highest Council that quality control of

agricultural goods should include wool and goods made with wool in Selbu
patterns or similar patterns. Trademarked Selbu goods were required to
maintain specific standards.
In the parliamentary bill concerning standardization of Selbu goods of
1939 it also states: “As regards the patterns themselves, there has been an
occurance of deterioriation, which must be stopped. The standardization
bill, therefore, rules that it be allowed for its own board to decide what
should be considered ‘Selbu patterns.’”
The parliamentary bill from 1939 regarding the standardization signed
into law in 1932 was, I have found, never adopted. Neither have I found any
clear trace of a board established to determine what should be considered
authentic Selbu pattern motifs; but it is clear that the Husflid merchants and
some other sellers held themselves bound to the standardization work of
Selbu Husflidscentral’s first chairman, Kristian Kvennås, and the group
who stood behind the parliamentary bill. There is more in-depth
information on this subject in the chapter on the history of Selbu mittens
(see page 14) and in the chapter on techniques and standards (see page 60).
It is possible that several of the mittens I first collected for this book
were from other places. I have, to the greatest degree possible, chosen to
select for patterns traditionally used in Selbu itself—not to insist on some
standard for what can be considered a “true” Selbu pattern, but out of pure
curiosity. In this book, if there is any uncertainty about the place of origin
or if the patterns have been reproduced from other places, it will be noted.
To find place-specific patterns and the most authentic original variations
possible, we arranged the registration of knitted garments, and especially
mittens, at the Selbu Bygdemuseum in 2014 and 2015. The project was
advertised in the local newspaper Selbyggen, and many people showed up.
Some of the participants said they only had “general” mittens, “such as
were knitted by us…” but fortunately they still took the trip and showed us
their mittens—endless variations and, indeed, many unique mittens with
patterns we had not seen before. We also put out a call for pattern
collections drawn in pattern notebooks, called rosbøker in Selbu. It would
have been impossible to complete this project without the willingness,
interest, and assistance of the district. It is likely that there are still
undiscovered treasures in Selbu, and Selbu residents who are sitting on
rarities that haven’t been registered. It is my hope that someday these
mittens will be donated or at least registered at the museum, so they can be
preserved for the future.
To keep track of pattern diversity, all photographs of mittens and
registered mitten patterns have been organized according to the main
element or pattern star/rose, such as stars alone, hearts only, animal motifs
only, etc. Pattern motifs were drawn from photographs, and all have been
digitized. From there, we could begin to knit prototypes for the book and
for exhibitions. The materials forming the foundation for this project are, on
the whole, old mittens that have been successfully preserved; photographs
of old mittens from museums and private collections; and mittens knitted
from mitten patterns and drawings of mitten roses, where knitters from
Selbu, to a certain degree, have had the freedom to construct the rest of the
mitten as they please. My original idea was to make a selection, but there
was enormous interest, and the desire to examine all the possibilities
became so great that I couldn’t help but show a wider swath. Thus, more
and more people gradually came to register, and to ask for help knitting
mittens. More than 500 different pairs followed.
The oldest mittens were knitted with very fine yarn. Several of these
mittens were registered through this project. Selbu Bygdemuseum has a
relatively large collection of these lovely preserved mittens. Additionally,
they have a large collection of mittens that were reproduced in the 1980s by
Oddlaug Bakken for the knitting museum. These were knitted with Rauma
Lamullgarn (made from lamb’s wool), which meant they were not as sturdy
as the original mittens knitted with considerably firmer and stronger yarn. I
tried to find another type of yarn to use; it was natural to get in touch with
the recently established Selbu Spinneri, as one seldom finds a mill that
specializes in spinning wool from traditional sheep breeds. They
demonstrated that they could spin fine semi-worsted yarn from a variety of
types of wool, which meant our reconstruction of classic mittens could
proceed with yarn very similar to the style of yarn spun in the mid-19th
century. We continued by working together to produce a yarn suitable for
the slightly heavier mittens that were common in the 1930s.
Despite the fact that there are Selbu mittens to be found all over
Norway, there has been very little published literature with a systematic
overview of the motifs and pattens used on Selbu mittens. We can
recommend the following sources:
Janne Reitan’s thesis about Selbu mittens: Selbustrikking—Kompetanse
for morgendagen? [Selbu Knitting—Expertise for the Future?], 1992, is a
valuable work in which Reitan interviews knitters in Selbu about many
details of the mitten knitting. However, the knitters’ descriptions of a well-
knit Selbu mitten define newer mittens knitted for sale in the 1980s. Many
of the definitions these knitters use are, therefore, not applicable to the
traditional dress mittens from Selbu that have been preserved at the Selbu
Bygdemuseum.
Rauma Ullvarefabrikk (Rauma Wool Mill) collaborated with Selbu
Husflidsentral on “Selbustrikk” [Selbu Knitting], an instruction booklet for
Rauma’s Gammelserie yarn published in 1998. These patterns, as well as
other patterns published by Selbu Husflidscentral are, without doubt, Selbu
mittens. Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum also has an old collection of
mitten patterns from Husfliden in Trondheim, some of which are typical
Selbu mittens. Likewise, Heimen in Oslo and other Husflid shops have
produced lines of individual Selbu mitten patterns.
Terri Shea’s book Selbuvotter, translated into Norwegian in 2010, does
not reflect the large collections of Selbu mittens I have seen, in relation to
the enormous amount of knitting in Selbu. It is a fine and interesting pattern
book showcasing Selbu mittens from Annemor Sundbø’s large private
collection, although many of the items are from Setesdal. Despite the title,
many of the mittens in this collection are what my sources would call
“atypical Selbu mittens.”
In her 2012 book Håndplagg til bunader og folkdrakter [Hand
Garments for National Dress and Folk Costumes], Heidi Fossnes presents a
rich selection of embroidered and single-color mittens, plus a few
traditional Selbu mittens. Additionally, she features two-color stranded
mittens from other parts of Norway—discernably not Selbu mittens, in that
various details of their patterning and construction are not found in Selbu.
Examples of such details are: cuffs with fringe or different methods of
pattern composition, similar or matching patterns on the back of the hand
and palm, mittens without side bands, or different thumb gusset
constructions.
 Possibly from Selbu—but more likely from Lesja, Lom, perhaps
Vågå?

Last but not least, we must discuss Annichen Sibbern Bøhn’s book
Norwegian Knitting Designs (1965, original Norwegian edition 1943).
Bøhn was a pioneer in the labor of recording traditional designs, and she
collected many patterns, particularly from Setesdal and Selbu. The first
mitten in her collection is “A Man’s Mitten from Selbu.” However, this
pattern was little known in Selbu, and has only been found since as a copy
or reprint from this book; it is unlikely that this mitten is originally from
Selbu. A review of the photos in the DigitaltMuseum shows that there are
several such mittens: the whole mitten has a background pattern with a
large animal (or some other motif), initals on the back of the hand, and the
date on the palm. The mitten pictured in Bøhn’s book is registered in the
DigitaltMuseum with an unknown place of origin. Three of the similar
mittens are from Oppland,* and one is from Møre and Romsdal—so it
looks like Annichen Sibbern Bøhn has given Selbu credit for knitting in
other regions.
__________
* Gausdal (1897), Lesja (1909) as well as similar mitten compositions in registered patterns
from Våga, in an old pattern collection at Selbu Bygdemuseum.

In the 1980s, Selbu Husflid was given a mission from Anne Petrine
(Annepett) Sandvik, the museum manager, to collect patterns in the various
villages of Selbu. At that time, Husflid was organized such that each village
had a member in the management team, and this collection work was led by
them. Ingeborg Negård Røsset, Solveig Borseth, and others worked
diligently to copy patterns from various knitters in the district. This work
has been preserved in traditional pattern notebooks (rosbøker), some in
private ownership, some at the Selbu Bygdemuseum.
In conversations, Annepett Sandvik and Solveig Borseth related how
the patterns had traveled and that many of the same patterns could be found
throughout Selbu. Likewise, many knitted the same mitten motifs. I chose,
when possible, to record the names of the knitters connected with the
various patterns. The knitters could have developed those motifs
themselves, but we can’t be one hundred percent certain. What is certain is
that these were the stars/roses they knitted most often, and that Husflid’s
collectors have not registered this type of pattern knitted by others.
There are many who are interested in Selbu knitting. For an artist and
handcrafter, it is a natural choice to focus on the artistic and handcrafting
side of Selbu knitting. The knowledge of hand-knitting has traditionally
been transmitted orally and with the help of drawings and knitted
demonstrations. I have been preoccupied with bringing this subject to a
wider audience. Selbu knitting has been and still is a profession, and it has
been essential to collect some of the great technical knowledge involved,
which extends beyond the basic fundamentals of knitting. It is also
important to take care with terminology relating to Selbu knitting.
Early on, it was clear that this work would result in both a book and a
collection of replicas. The collection could be shown in exhibitions and
then donated to the Selbu Bygdemuseum. In consultation with several of
my sources and knitters, I chose to take the opportunity to show the breadth
of the collection pattern materials from Selbu. Part of the purpose of this
book is to portray as many Selbu mitten stars/roses as possible, rather than
to provide completely draw-out pattern instructions. When there are
photographs of the original mittens, it is noted in the text.
In addition, I have taken care to obtain names and technical terms for
patterns and knitting from Selbu residents. It is my hope that this can serve
as a practical and user-friendly pattern collection, a big rosbok for mitten
knitters for many years to come.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I owe a huge thank-you to the Selbu Bygdemuseum’s regional conservator
for Selbu, Birgitta Odén. A book such as this must address knitting history.
A thousand thanks, Birgitta, because you took on the immense task of
summarizing information for this important chapter!
Equally huge thanks go to the teacher, knitter, and museum guide at the
Selbu Bygdemuseum, Solveig Borseth. It was clear that we shared the same
dream. Thank you for contributing everything from contacts in your local
network and information about opening times to coffee making, background
materials for the book, and your proofreading skills—in addition to your
amazing knitting capacity! You met me with open arms, and together we
arranged the registration days where people in the district came with pattern
books and mittens for registration. Several hundred pairs of mittens are now
photographed and saved for the future.

Birgitta Odén.
 Solveig Borseth.

Guri Randi Fuglem.

A big thanks also to the Selbu and Tydal History Association members
Bjørg Kulseth and Guri Randi Fuglem! They have been my foremost
detectives. They found photographs, information about knitters, wearers of
old mittens, and items connected to knitting, and they helped me all along
the way to follow the long thread from the beginnings of knitting history up
to today. Everything they have contributed has been thorough and factual.
Everyone was a delight to work with.
Ann-Mari Aas.

Marit Renå.
 Joril Solli.

Diligent knitters, with Selbu Bygdemuseum’s Solveig Borseth at the

helm, have been in full swing knitting up mitten reconstructions for our
collection. Without them, the collection would never have reached its final
size. 500 pairs in a year and a half was just amusement for this group!
Solveig Borseth alone knitted more than 150 pairs. The others who helped
me to knit are Solveig Evjemo, Jorun Skrødal, Marit Renå, Joril Solli, Ann-
Mari Aas, Paula Petrine Borseth, Bodil Græsli, Målfrid Tangen, Mia
Gjessing, Liv Ranum, Grete Hjelmeland, Gerd Oline Uthus, Reidun
Sesseng, Ingeborg Grønseth, and Solfrid Mjøen. Thank you for knitting and
for also sharing patterns, knowledge, and contacts. Thank you to Marit
Veflingstad Rød for copying old hand garments in shepherd’s knitting and
nålbinding.
Jorun Skrødal.

Paula Petrine Borseth.

 Solveig Evjemo.

A special thanks to all the Selbu residents who came and registered their
knitted garments. Thank you for letting me see and reproduce your mittens!

Thank you to:

- Annepett Sandvik, earlier employed at Husfliden in Selbu and manager
of the Selbu Bygdemuseum, who shared her vast knowledge and fine
mittens and lovely hand work. I will continue the work you began.
- Selbu Husflid AS, for working with and granting permission to
reproduce the patterns in this book.
- Inger Kjelmo Kristiansen, previously leader at Original Selbu A/S, for
exciting conversations about old patterns.
- Selbu Spinneri, with Frida Tove Meland, Maren Espelien, and Ingvild
Espelien, for having met all these challenges, searching out special
types of sheep and developing new yarn types to knit old mittens. You
are all so knowledgeable, open, and persistent, your work couldn’t help
but turn out well.
- Selbu Province and Selbu and Tydal History Association for financial
support for the yarn and salaries for the knitters.
- Selbu Savings Bank for financial support for the photographs in this
book.
- Heidi Garberg, Aina Bye, and Grethe Britt Fredriksen for good
collaboration and the fine photographs in the book.
- Heidi Fossnes and Annemor Sundbø for trailblazing for me and for
giving me good tips at the starting gate.
- Museumforlaget’s Laila Andreassen and Turid Sødel Breistrand for
your belief in this project.
- The book designer, Bodil Mostad Olsen, who made the interior as
beautiful as the Selbu mittens deserved.
- Liv Ranum for her librarian’s expertise and corrections.
- Joril Solli, Jorun Skrødal, and Ann-Mari Aas for correcting the text and
patterns.
- Good colleagues for their help and enthusiasm.
- Merete Christensen, my better right hand, for all her help and good
contributions.
- Oddvar Brønstad, who never stressed and never failed.

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The history of Selbu knitting
BIRGITTA ODÉN
The kitchen at Håggabakken, 7 April 1934. Guru Hårstad (1888-
1969), with her ten-year-old daughter Gunhild (born 1924;
married name Gjønnes). This photo graced the front page of the
magazine Urd in 1934.
Selbu is in the county of South-Trøndelag, Norway, about 43 miles / 69
kilometers east of Trondheim. County Road 705 connects the district with
the neighboring communities of Stjørdal and Tydal. Selbu Lake is situated in
the center of the district. In earlier times, the sea was an important waterway
to Klæbu, and from there it was a short way to Trondheim. The municipality
covers 484 square miles / 1,254.2 square kilometers, and it is divided into
seven areas: Øverbygda, Innbygda, Selbustrand, Vikvarvet, Flora, Sjøbygda,
and Mebonden.
The most essential industries have been—and continue to be—farming
and forestry. From about 1500 until 1900, copper mining and especially
millstone production were important sources of income. In the mid-1800s,
about 300 men worked in millstone quarrying. Selbu has the largest
concentration of millstone quarries in Norway, and millstones from Selbu
were widely recognized for their good quality. The market was primarily
within Scandinavia, but exports were also shipped to the rest of Europe.
Revenue from millstones was mainly concentrated in the hands of three
prominent businessmen from the village: Fredrik Birch, his son Paul Birch,
and Gustave Christophersen. When Selbu millstones could no longer
compete against cast concrete blocks and steel rollers at the beginning of the
20th century, two-color stranded knitting and the knitting adventure were
already well underway. Knitting with two colors, preferably white and black,
became the new source of income for the village—the primary income for
some, and a supplementary income for others. Women and men, old and
young, took up their needles wholeheartedly.
In the second half of the 19th century, Selbu’s population fell. A total of
about 2,300 people emigrated from Selbu and Tydal and went elsewhere. In
proportion to its resident population, Selbu was one of the districts in
Norway with the largest emigration to America. People from Selbu took
their knitting and knitting techniques with them, and sources have revealed
that many also knitted as a means of earning income in their new land.

TWO-COLOR STRANDED KNITTING

Today, Selbu mittens and their distinctive quality trademark are well-known
around the world. Mittens with eight-pointed stars (or eight-petal roses)
became a national symbol quite a long time ago. Today, as for several
decades past, we recognize these mittens by their black eight-petal roses on a
white background. However, as it turns out, the look of these mittens has
changed over time, and the patterns have gradually been simplified. In the
19th and early 20th centuries, pattern traditions were considerably richer,
with much more variation and complexity. Among other factors, the
handspun yarn previously used was finer than the yarn most often used
today. Two-color stranded knitting (totrådbindinga) was passed on from old
to young, and it was not uncommon for children to learn this technique when
they were five or six years old.

OLDER SOURCES
One of the earliest written sources describing two-color stranded knitting is
taken from “Village Stories” by the parish priest Ole Stuevold Hansen from
1873.1 Among other aspects of village life, the parish priest wrote about
wedding customs:
When the ceremonies were underway, they all went up to the bridal loft where the
knitted gifts were displayed, and then the bride divided up her gifts. These consisted of
knitted bands, stockings, and mittens. Her friends had helped her produce these,
because it amounted to a considerable number of items. The girls participated happily
and held knitting evenings (dugnad-help) so everyone could contribute. The Selbu girls
are masters at knitting artfully. They have their own way of knitting, which is called two-
color stranded stockings and two-color stranded mittens and are done with only roses
and stars preferably. The bride gives her father-in-law a shirt, all the bridegroom’s
godchildren should receive stockings from her, etc.

Oscar Tybring, a doctor and author born in Selbu in 1878, also described the
Selbu women’s knitting abilities: “They have a special expertise at knitting
stockings and mittens with all sorts of figures and flourishes.”2
The identity of the first Selbu resident to knit patterns with two different
colors is unclear. Various sources suggest a few names. In an article in the
newspaper Nidaros, 7 January 1925, Peder Morset wrote that Marit
Sessengsjari was the first to knit patterns with two colors:
About 70 years ago, two young girls worked at Kjøsnes. One was named Marit
Sessengsjari … she was a servant girl. The other was a girl named Marit Gulsetbrua, a
goat herder. Concerning the first, I know that she was ahead of her time … One winter
she was asked to make a pair of stockings for the farmer Jo Kjøsnes. The knitting on
these stockings was anything but common. Marit had knitted with two strands of
different colors, forming streaks and lines all up the stocking legs. It was simple but
something completely new, and the farmer was so happy when he received these
stockings that he called to the herd girl and said to her: “Maybe you could also make
something as pretty, girl.” This gave the young Marit Gulsetbrua something to think
about. The next summer she worked at Andersgarden (Gulsett) together with the
 daughters at the summer pastures and the first true two-color pair was produced. It was
knitted with two strands all the way through and with true colorwork stars in it.

Another source, Anne Hårstadli, was interviewed by a broadcaster in the fall

of 1936 and, according to her, two other people were the earliest to knit
patterns with two colors:
It was Old-Ragnhild Kulset who was the first with two-color stranded knitting. She made
white wrist warmers with black patterning in about 1845. Around 1850, Jo Kjøsnes had a
servant girl named Stor-Innbær (Ingeborg) Sessengsjari. She knitted a pair of white
stockings with two strands so that the black snaked all up the leg. Jo Kjøsnes received
them as a Christmas gift. He also employed a servant girl named Mærit Gulsetbrun.
When he received the stockings, he was so happy that he said to his servant, “Maybe
you can knit something just as pretty.” In the village she came from, she had several
sisters who were known throughout the village for their skill at sewing with linen and at
weaving. During that summer at Kjøsnesvolla, Mærit practiced to see if she could knit
with two strands to make a pair of mittens with a white background and black stars
covering the mitten. The stars were inspired by the storbrurplagget (the large bridal
cloth) that they had embroidered. This was the first pair of mittens with true stars on
them. They were small, but Jo Kjøsnes was very happy when she gave them to him.3

MARIT EMSTAD
According to oral tradition, it was the last person mentioned above, Marit
Emstad (1841-1929; née Guldseth)4, who was given the credit for being the
first to knit patterns with two different colors in Selbu, and she was called
“the mother of two-color knitting.” She was supposedly the first to knit star
mittens in Selbu, with patterns adapted from a storbrurplagget.5 Marit was
also one of the instigators for developing these patterns and organizing
production and sales at the beginning of this knitting adventure. By 1897,
she had already delivered the first Selbu mittens to sell to the Norwegian
Friends of Handcrafts (Norsk Husflids Venner)6 in Trondheim. Marit Emstad
was well versed in several handcraft techniques, and she won awards for her
work a number of times.
 Marit Emstad (1841–1929).

Marit was the third of her parents’ seven children. Her parents were Ola
Nilssen from Andersgarden and Anne Olsdatter Kjøsnes from Oppigarden.
Marit married Per Ingebriktsen Flønesaunet, and took the last name Flønes.
Later in life, she changed her last name to Emstad when she moved to the
home of her daughter Mali, whose married surname was Emstad.

The story is that two-color knitting truly began in Selbu when Marit and her
sisters went to church one Sunday during the winter of 1857, wearing their
star mittens. Their pretty mittens were admired by those in the churchyard,
and two-color stranded knitting spread quickly throughout the district, from
farm to farm, from neighborhood to neighborhood. Various patterns were
designed and many patterns and pattern combinations were directly tied to
individual personal names and farms. Knitting became a natural part of life
in Selbu, both for everyday clothing and festive wear.
 John Sjurdsen married Brynhild Olsdatter Slind in 1886. Several
of the guests are wearing their two-color stranded mittens, which
they had received as gifts.

WEDDING TRADITIONS
It is an old and well-recognized tradition that special garments are sewn and
knitted for festive occasions such as christenings and weddings. In Selbu, it
was common for the bride to knit special mittens for the bridegroom and
these had especially complicated and intricate patterning. The bridegroom’s
initials and usually the date of the important occasion were often knitted in.
Dress mittens were often red (see page 28).

Ytre Øverbygda mission association, 1907. A meeting at the

home of Brynhild Kulset Einan.
 Knitting was an important component of the wedding ceremony in
Selbu. A Selbu girl had to begin her preparations in good time before the
wedding because traditions had to be upheld. In the bridal loft, the bride’s
bedroom, there were cords or rods where all the knitted goods were hung for
everyone to behold during all the wedding festivities which could last for
three days. The bride herself was responsible for knitting fine stockings for
the bridegroom which he wore under his black suit. She also had to knit fine
stockings for her father-in-law, the groom’s brothers and brothers-in-law. In
addition, each of the groom’s godchildren got a pair of stockings. All of this
went under the name of goffakånnåhussu (“godfather’s wife’s stockings”).
The mother of the groom would receive good-quality dress fabric and the
sisters-in-law blouse fabric. The bride traded knitted goods at the shop for
the fabric. All of the male guests at the wedding each got a pair of mittens to
take home, but these mittens were not the bride’s responsibility. They were
knitted by the female guests, who, a few days before the wedding, brought
their mittens to the bride’s home so they could be displayed in the bridal loft.
Together with these mitten pairs, the bride might also receive a “mitten” gift:
a pair of coffee cups, a mug, a little bowl, or something similar.

Mosletta bridge association, 1907.

After two to three days of celebrating, it was the bride’s responsibility to

divide the mitten pairs correctly. For the married guests, each man was to get
the pair of mittens his wife had knitted. It was important to be careful and
make sure each pair of mittens returned to the home where they had been
knitted. If the bride gave the wrong mittens to someone, she would certainly
look foolish. At that time, the number of wedding guests could be large, and
it was not uncommon to wind up with 15-20 pairs of stockings and 80-100
pairs of mittens, so the bride had to keep a careful watch. For young girls, it
was always exciting to see who got the mittens they had knitted, and it was
equally exciting for the boys to find out who had knitted the mittens they
received. Perhaps the bride gave special consideration to who was paired via
these mitten gifts? The viewing of the bridal loft lasted throughout the
wedding period so everyone could see how capable the bride was. A lot of
work was put into the patterns and knitting so as to make a good impression
and be noticed. Young girls had reason to show off their handcrafting skills
as a prospective wife, and this custom therefore contributed to the
continuation of knitting traditions, while also furthering the development of
new patterns and pattern combinations. In addition to their role in weddings,
mittens functioned as typical lovers’ gifts between young people and it was,
of course, important for the young woman to demonstrate her ingenuity in
pattern design and quality.

The Kallarstrø women, Petrine Kirkvold and Kari Kallarstrø.

WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS
Local women’s organizations, which originated in the Christian movements
and mission associations in the district, became more and more common by
the end of the 19th century. The first women’s organization in Selbu started
in 1863 at the home of Rosa Nordbye, and during the 1880s there were
fifteen such groups in Selbu, one in each school circle. Women met at each
other’s homes with the main goal of producing knitted goods to be sold at
auctions at the end of the year. The money earned constituted income for
charitable causes. Their primary activities were knitting, preparing wool, and
making sure the yarn was spun well for fine and desirable products.
A large part of the income generated went to missionary work, but these
associations also contributed to local socially beneficial purposes—for
example, financing for bridge building. The Old Teigen Bridge and the
Mosletta Bridge were partially financed by the knitting production of the
women’s association. In the 85-year account of the Mosletta women’s
association in 1962, we find the following: “During the first years of the
women’s associations, their activities were completely different than today.
They brought in wool and took their spinning wheels to their meetings.
Some carded the wool while others spun and yet others knitted.”7 During the
20th century, the women continued to work for good causes in the village
through various women’s organizations, housewife associations, and village
women’s teams. Among other projects they supported, the women’s
associations contributed to the restoration of the Selbu church in 1888 and
the purchase of assorted church inventory.

Laila Gullseth, 1957.

THE FIRST YEARS
There was knitting in every neighborhood and on every farm in Selbu.
People knitted everywhere: as they walked or stood, and also while
performing other activities. Most of them knitted as they walked to the
shops, or when they worked in the summer pastures. It was expected that
one stocking could be ready in a 9-mile / 15-kilometer walk at a leisurely
pace. In these early years, people mostly knitted for their own use, and
knitted work also served as gifts for family and friends. By the end of the
19th century, knitted work became a saleable product, and the revenue
generated by knitted products represented serious income in the years
leading up to the first World War. Sales were organized as knitting was
delivered to the many business associations in the district. An invoice for the
amount earned could be exchanged for other goods.
The earliest named businessmen in the area were Fredrik Birch and
Gustav Christophersen, two key trading links. Both had earlier managed
large-scale exports of millstones, and through that business had gained a
well-managed marketing line and a large network of contacts at home and
abroad. By 1883, Fredrik Birch had already sent a pair of Selbu mittens to
the Industrial Exhibition in Kristiania (now Oslo)8, and it was certainly the
first time that Selbu knitting won the notice of a larger public outside the
district. Birch also sent six pairs of mittens to a ski exhibition in Kristiania in
1896.9

AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INCOME

Knitting (bindinga) was a necessary livelihood in the hard 1930s and
knitting saved many homes in Selbu. Knitting was particularly important as
a source of income for the vulnerable in society, including single women, the
elderly, and children. “If it weren’t for our mittens, we don’t know how it
would have gone,” Selbu residents have said.
 Kristian Kvennås, 1944.

In 1925, Peder Morset expressed his concern for the health of young
people because they spent too much time sitting inside and knitting: “There
is a danger with this work some people must do. Many young girls who
support themselves with this can too easily spend too much time inside. Day
after day, the whole winter through, it is of no benefit for them to sit inside
by the wood stove with their knitting; the inside air and coffee affect their
health very adversely.”10
The large demand for and great output of Selbu knitting between World
Wars I and II produced negative results. Some knitters produced as many as
three pairs of mittens a day, and, working at such speed, it was naturally hard
to maintain quality. Mittens were knitted on large needles with heavy yarn,
and much of the richness of the patterning disappeared. The knitting was
looser, and the mittens could no longer hold their shape. The knitters might
also be sloppy with motifs, and mistakes were not always fixed.
Trademarked goods from Selbu were no longer well-regarded. Something
had to be done.
 Karen Garberg.

THE SELBU HOME ARTS AND CRAFTS

ASSOCIATION (HUSFLIDSENTRAL)
The Selbu Home Arts and Crafts Association was founded in 1934 to answer
the need for quality control and to centralize distribution of knitted goods.
However, even in 1924, ten years before the Husflidsentral was established,
a demand for quality control was formulated by the central organization with
a missive “To the Knitters of Selbu.” This letter was written by the
Management for the Norwegian Home Arts and Crafts Association in
Kristiania and the Management for the Friends of Norwegian Handcrafts in
Trondhjem. The letter went on:
Knitting of black and white patterned gloves and mittens in Selbu in recent times has
strongly deteriorated with regards to the quality and look of the products, according to
the undersigned management for the Husflid Association in Kristiana and Trondhjem,
which must be corrected. Our request to all the knitters in Selbu is that, in future, they
should deliver only top-quality work and use only high-quality materials. The great
demand for Selbu gloves and mittens over the last few years has resulted in lower-
quality products, which have found wide dissemination through private companies, but
the public has now noted that these products are not the quality they should be and,
therefore, the interest in Selbu knitting has lately been much less than previously. If this
condition is not corrected, the result will be that Selbu knitting will find little distribution in
the future. It is self-evident that this will cause great harm to many knitters who cannot
otherwise support themselves except by this work, as well as to the district and the
Husflid. The undersigned association would like in the best way possible to help in
correcting this situation, but if the knitters themselves do not do what they can in this
regard, nothing can be achieved.

The letter ended with the following appeal in bold type: “Deliver, therefore,
only top-quality work, preferably knit with handspun and undyed yarn.”
 Selbu Husflidsentral at Skarodden.

There was an urgent need for quality control, for collective organization,
and for the coordination of turnover and exports. Seventeen businesses in the
district had for quite long accepted knitting in exchange for goods, and each
especially had responsibility for the turnover and setting of prices, both
within Norway and abroad. Much could be accomplished through
cooperative and coordinated distribution.
The first group who took “the warning” seriously was the Neadal Youth
Association. As part of Norway’s Youth Group, the Neadal Youth
Association worked to promote home crafts in the district, and in 1926
gradually began to develop the idea of a common concept for quality control
of all knitting. It would take many years for these plans to be realized, but in
the meantime goals for the future of home crafts moved forward in the
district.
At their annual meeting in 1927, the Neadal Youth Association worked
to ascertain the financial situation of local knitting and to ensure knitting
quality. In 1928, it agreed to work for a local home arts and crafts central
(husflidsentral), and that was the first time the word husflidsentral was used.
Their plan was to arrange all business associations into one organization
where producers would also be represented. The same year, some businesses
also joined in closer cooperation and formed Vottringen [the Mitten Ring].
But Arne Flåtten, later manager of the husflidsentral, wrote that between
1955 and 1961, Vottringen was a disappointment. This was partly because
the organization lacked the necessary trust and funds to enforce their
adopted rules.
 IN 1929, 15 business organizations in Selbu conferred and jointly wrote
the following recommendation to the producers:
To the Knitters of Selbu:
The undersigned business traders hereby direct the following request that the knitters of
Selbu mittens make a strong effort to improve both the quality and sizing of mittens and
gloves. If not for this important industry, Selbu could be completely destroyed, so every
individual must take a certain amount of responsibility and deliver quality products—or
risk that in the near future we will be uncompetitive with other district organizations that
now knit a great number of mittens, which already have a reputation for being both
sturdier and larger than those made in Selbu. Our mittens must, in the future, be knitted
more firmly, and knitters must not use large needles, as has been the case in the past.
Likewise, you must completely avoid stretching them out on lasts [blockers], because
this is totally reprehensible. Gloves especially must be made with greater diligence. The
fingers must lie neatly against each other and be shaped to the form of the hand. They
must be roomy, without loose strands on the inside, and the length of each finger must
be in proportion to the others. Women’s mittens and women’s gloves should be knitted
with a loose wrist (for a knit and purl long cuff). There have been constant complaints
that our mittens have been badly washed. Therefore, wash the mittens until clean and
dry them well before delivering them … As it is in your own and the district’s interest, we
hope that you will now accede to this request so that higher values will come into play,
for the sake of the many concerned about the only living they have. Therefore, do your
duty and knit good products.

Selbu in March 1929.

Selbu Business Association. John Stokke. A/S Aksel Nilsen. Selbu Cooperative
Group. G. Christophersen. M. Kulvik, Vikvervet’s Consumer Association, Vikvervet’s
Cooperative Group.
Kristine Voldseth. Selbu Internal Business Association. H. Langseth. The Domestic
Business Association.
B.J. Hegseth. Alfred Waagan. Floren Business Association.

It took time for the Selbu Husflidsentral to become a reality.

Recommendations for overseeing revenue created doubts and uncertainties
among the businessmen. However, it was important to deal with issues of
quality control, and to secure a central location for collection and
distribution, not least because there was increasing competition from other
districts, including Tydal, Singsås, Budal, and Holtålen. In these local
communities, knitting Selbu mittens had become a good source of income.
In 1925,11 German manufacturers also came along with cheap machine-
knitted mittens. Selbu knitting also had unwanted competition both within
and outside Norway.
At the management meeting of the Youth Association on 26 March 1933,
representatives from 18 different business associations and private
businessmen met, and it was agreed that the management for Vottringen and
the management of the Neadal Youth Association should work out concrete
plans for this new form of organization and its laws. On May 3 of the same
year, the social department announced that they could contribute an interest-
free loan of 10,000 crowns, along with an annual supplement of 2,000
crowns. In the Adresse newspaper, an article about the project on 27 April
1934 reported on the particular conditions for repayment of the loan, and
that “finally, the Husflidscentral should coordinate with the Husflid
management and the national Husflid outlets, and become subject to directed
professional supervision.”
A constituent meeting was held at Gimle on 8 July 1934—and at last the
Selbu Husflidscentral was a fact. Much thanks was due to tireless efforts by
Johan Hårstad. Hårstad was chosen as the first manager of the organization.
He was also the leader of the Neadal Youth Association. The cooperative
was established as a share company, with the traders directly affiliated with
the members, and the ownership of the organization was divided, half from
the traders and the other half the producers.12 In the statutes, it is stated that
members from Tydal could be admitted “when considered expedient,” and
that there were many expert producers from neighboring villages that
regularly delivered Selbu knitting.
 Advertising poster for Selbu Husflidscentral.

Selbu Husflidscentral began its business on 1 May 1935 in rented

premises in the Dypeng home of Emilie Eidem, Milla Plassa in the local
dialect. Anton Kristian Kvennås was hired as the manager, having earlier
served as manager of the Floren Trade Association. Kvennås was associated
with the sentralen for almost 20 years, until about 1952. He was later the
day-to-day leader for sales to the association of Friends of Norwegian
Husflid in Trondheim (1956-74). Kvennås could take much credit for
ensuring that many older patterns were collected and recorded. He also
designed new patterns. Karen Garberg was hired as a permanent shop
employee on 16 June 1936, and she worked there faithfully for 24 years,
until 1960.
In 1947, Selbu Husflidscentral bought a building at Skarodden, and the
new business site was ready for occupation in 1953. The Selbu township
administrative board guaranteed two loans for a total of 100,000 crowns.13
Sales took place on the first floor, while the second floor was a furnished
apartment with four rooms and a kitchen for the managing director, Arne
Flåtten, who had been hired in 1952. Between 1993 and 1998, there were
multiple other floor locations for the Selbu Knitting Museum
(Strikkemuseum). The premises were sold in 1998, and the collections
packed up. These items didn’t again see the light of day until 2004 when the
new knitting exhibition in the Selbu Bygdemuseum opened.
Besides mittens and gloves, other garments, such as sweaters and
jackets, scarves, stockings, socks and caps were produced. Around 1935, a
new sales item was developed—miniature mittens. In February 1937 one
could read in the newspaper Selbyggen: “A couple of years ago, a knitter
from Selbu made a pair of miniature Selbu mittens, joined with a piece of
twisted thread…It is fun to see how many of the tourists purchased these
pairs of miniature mittens…”14 Miniature mittens were produced from then
on and are much sought after as souvenirs. In recent years, the little mittens
have been joined by mini stockings and mini caps.

Mali Eidem delivers mittens to Annepett Sandvik at Selbu

Husflidsentral.

Husflidsentral’s main task was to oversee training and quality control as

well as to coordinate and organize the business with the products of the
district. The Sentral collected the Selbu articles from the various businesses,
trademarked the acceptable goods, and sorted out products which did not
meet standards. Acceptable goods had the trademark sewn on, which
guaranteed quality. Lower-quality knitted goods were reduced in price and
sold in the village, or were returned to the producer. Local oral tradition
went that Selbu Husflidsentral was also called Vottsentralen (Mitten
Headquarters).

Mini-mittens became a very popular item in more recent times.

HARD COMPETITION
With the creation of the Husflidsentral and institution of quality control, the
Selbu people believed they had saved the local brand. However, there proved
to be a problem with maintaining the same quality outside the boundaries of
the district, and the Selbu mitten was once again disdained. Earlier, Selbu
knitting functioned as a source of income for the districts around Selbu, but
as Selbu items became more and more desirable, there were more places
around the country with an eye on the possibility of earning an extra bit of
money. Even in Finnmark (Norway’s northernmost county), people were
knitting two-color stranded work with Selbu patterns.15 Quantity increased
while quality diminished. To remedy the situation, several places established
centers to control the knitted goods brought in. Individual distribution
centers also found reasons to attach trademarks as a quality guarantee for
“real” Selbu quality. Products were required to satisfy certain standards,
which were based on a decision by the Norwegian Board of Standardization.
The demand for standardization came by request from the Agricultural
Department.16 There were also requirements for materials, execution,
shaping, and color. This competition from other districts was very
unwelcome for the Selbu community. Two-color stranded knitting was a
very important source of income for the district, and the Selbu people could
not turn a blind eye.

A gathering at Kallarstrø. From left: Karen T. Stubbe, Petrine

Kirkvoll, Laren Lise Stubbe, Kari Kallarstrø, Mali Løvseth and
Solfrid Hoven (married name Mjøen) with her back turned.

MITTENS FOR BARTERING

During the early years before the Husflidsentralen were established,
merchants in Selbu accepted mittens as payment for other goods. This
practice was widespread throughout the district, but it sometimes resulted in
individual country merchants building up a large inventory of mittens. In
order to sell these stores of mittens, Selbu mittens were used as a means of
payment for purchases from various non-district wholesalers—for example,
butter merchants. An article in the Adresseavisen on 21 November 1935 had
the following headline: “Selbu mittens pay for butter. Barter hurts the
market.” Country merchants in Selbu said it was self-evident that they had to
offer mittens to pay for their purchases at all types of shops. But, for their
part, the shop owners also had problems with provisions; they struggled with
those large inventories and often were forced to sell them at a loss. This
problem occurred on a wide basis, and it took some work to end it.
 “[It is] a very thankless task to explain to workers and country merchants that Selbu
mittens are not, in inexhaustible amounts, an even exchange with the Norwegian Bank’s
bills, and it is not unreasonable for wholesalers to show restraint here. It seems,
unfortunately, that there is only one way to resolve this issue: namely—within
reasonable limits—it must be possible to refuse Selbu mittens as a means of
payment.”17

The issue persisted for a time, but gradually it became more and more
common to pay both producers and wholesalers with cash.

Selbyggen 28 March 1952.

 Report of Selbu Husflidsentral 1 September 1952, signed by
chairman Johan Hårstad and manager Arne Flåtten.

OPPSUTTU—SOCIAL GATHERINGS
An oppsuttu was a social gathering where the people of Selbu came together
to do volunteer work during the evenings and into the late-night hours.
Among other things, it was common for women to come together to help
with wedding preparations. At one point, because the stock of mittens had
become too large at Husfliden and shipping to other merchants during that
period had stalled, Husflidsentral sent notice to mitten producers that they
would no longer accept any mittens after a certain date. This lit a fire under
the knitters, and that date became like a “red flag.” Neighboring women
gathered at each other’s homes with their knitting, and the needles clicked
long into the night. It was important to deliver as much knitting as possible
before the deadline arrived. “We gathered before the stove, several women.
Many men also knitted with us, but they weren’t up at night … A drop of
coffee and a slice of bread and we were satisfied,” Gurine Bakken told Bjørg
Aftret in 1986.18 These social gatherings were important events. It was a
chance to exchange and trade patterns. Sofie Marstad told Kirsten Røset of
Nea Radio in 2005 that she participated in the oppsuttu many, many times to
knit mittens. Sofie recalled that the tradition of oppsuttu ended sometime
around the close of the 1950s.

Noted to Selbu Husflidsentral 1943. Revenue 1935-43.

REVENUE AND PRODUCTION

In 1934, an article was published showing that the manager Lien at Selbu
Øvre’s business association had a stock of over 12,000 mittens and gloves.
The same association had traded 30,000 pairs of mittens the year before.
Further on in the same article, it was stated that the collected revenue in the
district in 1933 was around 150,000 crowns, and Lien calculated that the
revenue in Selbu in the previous ten years was around 2 to 2.5 million
crowns. Before World War II, three-fourths of these knitted items were
exported to America, Canada, and Europe.19
 In 1935, the first year the Husflidsentral was in business, revenue
amounted to 51,033.70 crowns. In 1936, the revenue was 124,064.98
crowns, and in 1937, when the sentral was in fully operational, the income
generated climbed to 141,127.98 crowns.20 Production in 1937 was about
90,000 pairs of mittens—which is to say Selbu Husflid took in about 290
pairs per day. In 1939, revenue from knitting added up to the same value as
1,000 metric tons of grain, and in 1956, annual revenue went up to between
800,000 and 900,000 crowns.21
In Aktuelt in 1947, Jostein Nyhamar wrote that Husflidsentral in Selbu
had in stock between 100,000 and 120,000 pairs of mittens, gloves, and
stockings, etc., and that about 3,000 Selbu residents were involved in the
knitting. In 1957, the annual revenue was 1 million crowns, and the Selbu
Husflidsentral was one of the biggest in the country. According to an article
in Hamar Arbeiderblad (28 March 1958), the number of knitters that year
sank to about 2,000, and it was recorded that payment was about 50-80 øre
per hour.
In the 20th century, exports beyond Norway’s borders increased and the
speed of knitting production increased likewise. World-wide exports went all
the way to Hong Kong. American forces in Germany were steady mitten
customers, and knitted goods were also sent out to various expeditions.
“Selbu outfitted a South Pole expedition with mittens and stockings,” was
the headline in Adresseavisen in 1959.22 On the same occasion, Manager
Arne Flåtten stated that one-third of their goods were exported. “The largest
customers are the USA and Denmark, but we also ship goods to other
countries in Europe, including Switzerland and Germany. In connection with
these exports, we should also mention that we have sent outfitting for 50
men who will take part in the South Pole Expedition.”
The popularity of skiing was also important for demand, and Selbu
Husflidsentral was among the suppliers sending shipments to the Norwegian
Olympic teams in 1948, 1952, 1960, and 1964. In the Oslo Olympics of
1952, Norwegian athletes including the Trønder Trio, Torbjørn Falkanger,
Arnfinn Bergmann, and Hjalmar “Hjallis” Andersen all promoted knitwear
from Selbu. In 1960, for the Olympics in Squaw Valley, the athletes Håkon
Brusveen, Knut “Kuppern” Johannesnen, Harald Grønningen, and Astrid
Sandvik were a good advertisement for the district’s knitted woolens. “A
representative squad is a great advertisement for Norway,” declared the
Adressavisen.23
 An article in Adresseavisen dated 3 October 1964 revealed that over the
thirty-year existence of Husflidsentralen, their total revenue was about 13
million crowns. In 1963, the revenue was 675,000 crowns, with exports
accounting for 209,000 of those crowns. According to records of the
Husflidsentral’s annual meeting in 1966, the total revenue for 1965 was
985,500 crowns. The number of knitters in 1964 had dropped to 1,500; in
1968, the manager Jørgen S. Hamre told the Arbeider-Avisa that the
headquarters had connections with about 2,000 knitters.24 By 2015, the
number of knitters had dropped to fewer than 100 knitters still delivering
items to Selbu Husflid AS.

The Norwegian ski jump team for the Olympics in 1952. At back,
from left: NN, Arne Elingsen, Georg Thrane, Sverre Stallvik.
Hallvar Næss. Front, from left: Hans Bjørnstad, Arnfinn
Bergmann, Arne B. Kristiansen (leader) Torbjørn Falkanger, Arne
Hoel.
 Advertisement in connection to the window display competition in
Trondheim, December 1939. The yarn distributor Jens Hoff won
first prize in his class for an exhibition of Selbu items.

Selbu Husflidsentral, 1959 price list.

KNITTING INCOME
Husflid and handcraft products have, in general, almost always been poorly
paid as a line of work. The hourly wage for such products has traditionally
been, and continues to be, low. When knitting in Selbu was important as a
source of income over the years, the work was easy to take along during free
moments between farm work and caring for children. No time went to waste,
and a considerable number of mittens could be knitted in a week. Thus,
overall family income could be relatively large. Knitting income was small,
though, compared to that from other sources of work, particularly for the
female part of the population. However, it was possible to contribute
significantly to household funds by using one’s time well.
Women do not get sole credit for sustaining the family with Selbu
knitting. As in so many other places in Norway, it was not uncommon in
Selbu for men to also take up their needles. It was said that men might stay
home from logging during periods when they could earn more from knitting
than forestry. Arvid Enoksen, manager of the Selbu Husflidsentral from
1961 to 1964, told the Morgenposten newspaper that, at the beginning of the
1960s: “Men logging in the forests took their knitting needles and yarn with
them. They could sit and knit in the huts in the evening and whenever the
weather was bad during the day.”25 Enoksen also said that the brother of
Selbu’s town doctor delivered knitted goods to Husflidsentral. He was
confronted by the low hourly wages and agreed that it was silly to work at
their knitting for twenty øre per hour, but he thought women didn’t see it like
that, because they could combine knitting and mission work or knitting and
reading. So they could earn more than ten crowns, and do well with it.
It was common for young boys to earn money for their confirmation
outfits by knitting. Several men interviewed said they also knitted to earn
money for their first pair of skis. There are also many examples of boys and
men who knitted an entire wardrobe consisting of stockings, mittens,
sweaters/cardigans, and hats. Some men were especially technically expert,
and took their knitting to sell at Husfliden for many years.
81-year-old Beret R. Stokkle was interviewed by the Hamar
Arbeiderblad in 1958, and she related that when she was a candidate for
confirmation, she was paid 80 øre for a pair of men’s mittens.26 Some years
later the payment for the same product had risen to between 1.20 and 1.25
crowns for a pair. For one pair of gloves, she got two crowns. The sisters
Gurine R. Kallar and Ingeborg Mogård had both knitted since they were
children, and they mentioned in the same newspaper article that they earned
9.25 crowns for one pair of gloves in 1958.

Sven Bernhard Uthus, 1955. Sven was one of ten industrious

young children from Uthus. All the young people knitted.

Motifs from Selbu Husflidsentral.

Simen Aas. From an article by Brage Berg in Dagbladet in the
1960s.

Peder P. Hegseth’s bridegroom mittens, 1886. Knitted by the

bride, Anne Johnsdatter Røsset. Patterns: Star, twelve-cross
block rose and hook panel. The roses are framed by the letters P
P S H (Peder Pedersen Hegseth).
 Extract or aniline dyes.

They continued on: “It was only the speediest who could produce a pair of
gloves in an 8-hour day, so there wouldn’t be much to live on, when the
price of the yarn was subtracted.” Knitters had to provide their own yarn, so
their net earnings would have amounted to very little. Ingrid Aftret said that,
as a six-year-old, she knitted her first mittens and sold them for 90 øre. The
yarn cost 60 øre, and so her earnings were only 30 øre.27 The actual wage
this amounted to per hour, of course, depended on how fast one knitted. It
also accounts for why the amounts differ.
In an article published in Aktuelt in 1986,28 Berit Oline Krogstadmo
reported that the payment for a pair of patterned mittens that year was 12
crowns. With her knitting speed, she earned about five crowns an hour. She
began knitting when she was seven years old and it was not uncommon to
knit three pairs of mittens a day, she said. Sofie Marstad added that they
were better paid for animal motif mittens. “Before the war, I remember that
we got 80-90 øre for a pair of mittens, and ten øre more if we knitted animal
motifs—preferably moose, foxes, and dogs. That was a whole crown more
for ten pairs.”29

DYEING HISTORY
Even if Selbu knitters are best known for black patterns on a white
background, through the years many different colors were used for both
backgrounds and patterning. Synthetic dyes were used early on in the
business, and registration materials show that these were already heavily
used by the second half of the 19th century. Red and blue were especially
popular.
The first synthetic dye for textiles was violet/purple, discovered in 1856
by the Englishman William Henry Perkin. That dye later received the name
mauve. A breakthrough in chemical aniline dyes occurred around 1870, and
after that a rich color spectrum quickly spread through the textile industry
and local dyeworks around the country. The earliest dyes were industrially
produced from stone coal tar in Germany.30 Aniline dyes—or extracts, as
they were also called—were soon sold over the counter in suitable
proportions. That way they were also available for private use. Red was
produced with madder and cochineal. For blue, an expensive dye, indigo was
used, among other options. Blue colors were also synthetically produced
starting around 1900.
Several of the early synthetic dyes, however, had poor colorfastness.
They were not true dyes, and quickly faded. Mauve faded into gray. The
1886 wedding mittens in the photo here were knitted in red and violet; the
violet on the outside faded to silver-gray, but the inside shows that the color
was originally a clear, strong violet.
At the end of the 19th century, it was traditional to dye festival and dress
mittens red. In our registration materials, we have found several mittens and
gloves from the end of the 19th century that still have their strong red
color.31
For the most part, mittens were dyed red after they had been pattern-knit
in unbleached white yarn and black yarn. We don’t know whether red dress
mittens in Selbu were dyed at home or taken in for dyeing at one of the two
local dye workshops. No source reveals whether these two dyeworks dyed
yarn by special order or for sale.
In Selbu, two dyeworks block-printed textiles. Peder Haldorsen (1848-
1939)—Baknesfargar’n (“the Baknes dyer”)—was based at Baknesset. Jon
Jonsen Fargarn (1836-1917) came from the Fargargarden dyework of Stor-
Evja. Originally his farm was called Nigarden, but because of the place’s
long tradition of dyeing, it came to be called Fargargarden. In 1867, Fargarn
took over the Hårstadråen farm (Råa) in Mebonden, which was called Me
Fargara. Jon Jonsen ran the dyeworks together with his wife Sofie
Jonsdatter.32
Christening mittens included in our research materials from the end of
the 19th century were knitted in a variety of colors. Most of them were
knitted with two colors, but the knitting exhibition at the Selbu
Bygdemuseum included a pair of christening mittens from 1899 knitted in
red and violet, with turquoise lice. The oldest mitten pair worked with colors
registered in Selbu dates to 1859 and is privately owned; they are christening
mittens pattern-knit in red and blue.
Traditional Selbu mittens are, as noted, worked in black and white, with
black patterning on a white background. The first written source mentioning
colors other than black and white in Selbu knitting is a 1925 article by Peder
Morset. He wrote: “To begin with, the yarn was undyed white and black or
gray. But then they learned about a sort of brown-red color which was called
persiko (peach). This color quickly came into fashion, so they dyed all the
two-ply yarn with persiko … Persiko then went out of fashion just as
quickly, and there was soon a demand that everything for two-ply work be
undyed.”33 Other sources say that color made serious inroads into Selbu
knitting during the 1930s. Small garments, such as mittens, gloves, and
stockings, were knitted in various colors, especially Norway’s national
colors of red, white, and blue.

1. Bridegroom’s gloves belonging to Jon Tomassen Sind, 1872.

Knitted by the bride Mali Olsdatter Aftret.

2. Christening mittens from Beret Jonasdatter Solem, christened

on 9 February 1859. The mittens were knitted by Marit
Pedersdotter Solem, mother of Beret. The oldest registered pair
of mittens in Selbu.
 3 Christening mittens belonging to Martin Hofsli, 1899.

4 Bridegroom’s mitten belonging to Nils Nilsen Flønes from

Tangtrøa in Flønes, 1891. Knitted by the bride, Gjertrud Olsdatter
Sandvik.

In the price list for Selbu products at Selbu Husflidsentral for

manufacturers and wholesalers from 1959 until 1964, the main colors chosen
for two-color items were white, gray, black, or blue for backgrounds with
black, red, or white for patterning. The common feature of these three-color
products was the use of the colors white, red, and blue, for both backgrounds
and patterning.

HONORS—MEDALS AND CERTIFICATES

Over the years, many knitters from Selbu have been awarded honors in the
form of certificates, cash prizes, and medals for their exquisite handwork.
One of the first national exhibitions for knitted products that Selbu people
took part in was in Trondheim.
In 1912, fifteen women from Selbu participated with their knitted
products in the “Home Arts and Crafts Exhibition for Trondhjem’s
Foundation,” arranged by the Friends of Norwegian Handcrafts [Norsk
Husflids Venner] in the Ekserser House.
The following took part in Group III for “knitted and crocheted work”:
Elisabeth Alseth, Karena Aftret, Ivara Birch Lisbeth Alseth, Bereth Blikstad,
Marit Emstad, Ingeborg Fossum, Petrine Haave, Anne H. Haarstad, Kari
Kallastrø, Sigrid Lilleevjen, Karen Lilleevjen, Berte O. Nervik, Sigrid I.
Røseth, and Sigrid A. Slind. Three knitters were awarded certificates with
cash prizes for their knitting: Marit Emstad (71 years old), Kari Kallastrø,
and Eli Jørgense.34
 At “Norway’s Jubilee Exhibition” at Frogner (Oslo) in 1914, six women
from Selbu participated with their textile work: Karena Aftret with gloves,
caps, and scarves; Ane Hårstad with knitting; Byrnhild Jørgensen with yarn,
weaving, and knitting; and Eli Jørgensen with yarn, weaving, and knitting.
Marit Emstad participated with yarn, weaving, and knitting, and she also was
awarded a certificate for her work. Kari P. Kallar (Kari Kallastrø)
contributed with mittens and received a silver medal.35 (Read more about
Kari Kallastrø on pages 152-159 and 258-261.)
 Sales brochure from Selbu Husflidsentral, 1940s-1950s.

Several knitters from Selbu took part in the Trøndelag Exhibition of

1930 in Trondheim. A report about the Husflid workers stated: “The knitting
section displayed the famous Selbu knitting, with its many lovely patterns. It
is worth keeping them perfect—these remarkable innovations assume genius
and are not everyone’s thing. The prizes are shown on the best collection.”36
Certificates and silver medals for knitting were given to Brynhild Aftret,
Kari Kallastrø, and Marit P. Stamnes. Certificates and a bronze medal for
knitting were awarded to Borghild Guldseth, Marit P. Haarstad, Ø. Bratli,
and Marit Haarstad, Engene. Gjertrud Flønes from Selbustrand received a
certificate and a bronze medal for wool yarn, linen yarn, and weaving.
Certificates and an honorable mention went to Gurina Haarstad for knitting,
Mari O. Haarstad for knitting, Ingeborg Sandvig for wool yarn, Marit
Morseth for weaving, and Anne Oline Haarstad for whitework.
 Certificate awarded to Marit Emstad for “weaving, yarn, and
knitting” on the occasion of the Husflid Exhibition at the Ekserser
House in Trondhjem, 1912.

Between 1965 and 1971, Selbu Husflidsentral awarded a Marit Emstad

medal in real silver to the knitters who “had made especially valuable work
for promoting good home crafts and small industry in Neadalen,” as it was
stated in the statutes. In the six years this award was given, there were 23
people who received the medal: 17 women and three men from Selbu, as
well as three women from Tydal:

1965: From Selbu: Olga Dyrdal, Anna Uthus Flaknan, Kari Kallastrø,
Hyttbakken, Margit Sveen.

From Tydal: Gerda Åas

1966: From Selbu: A. Kr. Kvennås, Ingeborg Evjen Brennås, Øverbygda.

From Tydal: Laura Græsli

1967: From Selbu: Johanna Eidem, Johan Hårstad.

From Tydal: Haldis Græsli

1968: From Selbu: Gurina Åas, Innbygda, Signora Guldseth, Vikvarvet,
Petra Rena, Selbustrand
1969: From Selbu: Petrine Rønsberg, Øverbygda, Marie Endresen, Tømra,
John Brandli, Selbustrand
1970: From Selbu: Kristine Kvernmo, Øverbygda, Gudrun G. Nervik,
Vikvarvet, Marit Guildseth Uglem, Innbygda
1971: From Selbu: Beret Oline Krogstadmo, Flaknan, Olga Eidem,
Selbustrand, Olive Kyllotrø, Øverbygda

Silver medal awarded to Kari P. Kallar (Kallastrø) for mittens on

the occasion of Norway’s Jubilee Exhibition at Frogner, 1914.

Awarding of diplomas in memory of Marit Emstad in 1965. Back

row from left: Olga Dyrdal, Margit Sveen. Front row from left:
Anna Uthus Flaknan; Kari Kallarstrø, Hyttbakken.
Awarding of diplomas in memory of Marit Emstad in 1966. From
left: Laura Græsli, Tydal; Kristian Kvennås, Selbu; Ingeborg
Evjen Brennås, Øverbygda.

Awarding of diplomas in memory of Marit Emstad in 1970.

From left: Kristine Kvernmo, Øverbygda; Gudrun G. Nervik,

Vikvarvet; Marti Guldseth Uglem, Innbygda.
 Marit Emstad silver medal from 1965, designed by the goldsmith
Eiliv Overvik.

ONWARDS TO OUR TIME

In the 1980s, many changes occurred in knitting production. Selbu
Husflidsentral approached these new times with more efficient methods of
production, active marketing, and new designs. Knitting machines had made
their entry, and these machines took over much of the central organization’s
production of large garments such as jackets and pullovers. The center at
Skarodden collaborated with textile artists, who created timeless designs
based on the great pattern richness found in older hand-knitted garments.
This collection, Original Selbu, created great excitement both in Norway and
abroad, and the outfit Rosa Heimafrå by Ellinor Flore became emblematic of
the new times. At the same time, as they bet on technical innovations, Selbu
Husflidsentral continued distribution of smaller hand-knitted garments as
before.
Over the years, Selbu Husflidsentral has not always sailed with the wind.
The center has experienced tough economic challenges and failing market
bases. Around 1990, they invested in large new automatic knitting machines,
and production moved to larger premises in what had been the Vikvarvet
business center. Unfortunately, things didn’t go all that well with these new
investments and production had to be shut down. In 1992, Mikal Langseth,
Sr. bought the bankrupt estate. Selbu Husflid AS was founded and
production moved to Granby. The outlet moved from Skarodden to
Selbutorget/Neaporten, where they remain today. During the 1990s and
beyond, Selbu Husflid AS worked with new designers and new collections,
and has seen the light of day again. During the 1994 Olympics in
Lillehammer, the Norwegian hosts were outfitted with jackets produced at
Selbu Husflid AS. This arrangement provided a big window of opportunity
for Selbu products.
In 2015, Selbu Husflid AS discontinued machine production of larger
garments. However, hand-knitted products such as mittens, gloves,
stockings, and scarves continued to be good sellers. These products are
distributed and traded as before under the direction of Selbu Husflidsentral,
via sales in the center of the village.
NOTING THE KNITTING TRADITION IN
CONTEMPORARY TIMES

150 YEAR JUBILEE

In 2007, the Selbu mitten celebrated its 150th anniversary, and during that
year there were several events and arrangements to mark the big occasion.
Large Selbu mittens, about 1.6 x 2.7 yd / 1.5 x 2.5 m, were hung on house
walls around the entire district. During the Selbu market, all knitters were
invited to a gathering in the square where they were honored by the market
committee. On September 22 of the same year, there was also a great
celebration arranged by Selbu Husflid, Selbu Husflidslag, and the Selbu
Bygdemuseum. The day began with an assembly in the Selbu Museum and a
showing of the knitting exhibit. The Marit Emstad certificate was awarded at
an evening party in the parish house, while the knitting needles clicked
loudly.
 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS

In February 2014, the world’s largest Selbu mittens were finally recognized
by Guinness World Records. These mittens were knitted with three-ply
Selbu yarn on a circular needle U. S. size 2.5 / 3 mm—the same needle size
as for regular mittens. The mittens used up 12.12 pounds / 5.5 kilos of yarn,
and across both mittens, 58 women took part. Hanna Farmne, at 5 years old,
was the youngest. The first mitten was finished in 2010 and measured 97¼
in / 247 cm. The second mitten was completed in 2012 and measured 93¼ in
/ 237 cm. The mittens have the dates 2010 and 2012 knitted into the facing.

Solveig Borseth and Solbjørg Langnes accounted for the pattern sizing and
drawing, and Selbu Husflidslag was responsible for the implementation. The
project was a collaborative effort between Selbu Husflidslag, Selbu
Bygdemuseum, and Selbu Husflid AS. Sandnes Garn sponsored the yarn for
the mittens.
 MATERNAL INHERITANCE

A monument to knitting, Maternal Inheritance, designed by the artist Sivert

Donnali, was unveiled in the center of Selbu in October 2014. The sculpture
symbolizes the cultural traditions associated with Selbu knitting, and shows
a mother teaching the techniques to her young daughter. The monument was
financed with the help of a great spirit of volunteerism and fundraising by
the inhabitants of Selbu.
KNITTING EXHIBITIONS AT THE SELBU
BYGDEMUSEUM
On July 3, 2004, Ellinor Flor opened the knitting exhibit at the Selbu
Bygdemuseum. About 350 knitted items were displayed, and of these about
150 had been made before 1940. The exhibition showcased the historic
development of Selbu knitting. It was arranged both chronologically and
thematically, and was integrated into the vicarage complex by matching each
exhibit section to the building’s history. The various rooms used were color-
coded for the various epochs corresponding to the development of knitting.
The exhibit also included an assortment of knitting machines, a large photo
collection, and a broad selection of knitting literature.
This knitting exhibit begins with the oldest part of its history, before two-
color stranded knitting arrived in Selbu. Here you’ll find mittens worked in
various techniques, including double knitting, shepherd’s knitting (a form of
tapestry crochet), two-end knitting (sometimes called twined knitting), and
nålbinding (needle weaving). Diverse older tools connected with knitting
also have a place: hand spindles, reels, nøstepinner (winding sticks), and ball
holder hooks. A wide array of portrait photos of knitters hang on the walls,
including the Kallarstrø women and, framed in gold, Marit Emstad. The
social side of knitting, including mission organizations and bridge-building
associations, is also represented. There is a collection relating to coffee,
gatherings, and the history of Beret Aune, who, among others, “knitted” the
money for both a Sunday school and church in America and a bridge in
Selbu.
 Knitting exhibition at the Selbu Bygdemuseum.

The industrial side of knitting is distinguished by a display of machine-

knitted products and assorted knitting machines, which made their way into
the district at the beginning of the 20th century. Visitors will find several
knitted products from Selbu’s first women’s workplace, a small, nameless
private knitting company which survived for five years. This same section
also recounts the history of the first commissioners, Birch and
Christophersen, who made Selbu knitting famous far outside the boundaries
of the district early on, and who were responsible for exporting many Selbu
mittens to other countries. Selbu Husflidsentral is reconstructed in one
corner, with a historic choice of diverse knitted Selbu articles, knitting
needles, medals, and buttons with the eight-pointed star motif. Ski history is
also duly documented with both products and photographs.
The bridal loft (brurloftet) shows the importance of Selbu knitting in
wedding traditions. The loft is a reconstructed girl’s room where a bride
would have exhibited her own and others’ work. Two chests show the
bride’s trousseau and various fine knitted garments, as well as a wedding
outfit in red and black. Mittens, gloves, and stockings hang in droves on
cords all around the walls, in accordance with tradition.
The knitting exhibition also includes touches of Norway’s national
knitting history, with displays of Fana sweaters, Nordland sweaters, Marius
pullovers, Setesdal sweaters, Hadeland mittens, and mittens with traditional
Sami patterns. Other displays include gloves from the war years with
Haakon VII’s monogram and the phrase “Alt for Norge” (“All for Norway”)
knitted in. The public can even try out different knitting techniques and
immerse themselves in a wide selection of literature on the subject: articles,
pattern notebooks, pattern instructions, photo materials, newspaper
clippings, and more.
The museum shop sells both project kits and ready-made knitted
garments, plus knitting patterns and an assortment of knitting literature.
The Selbu Bygdemuseum was established in the old Selbu vicarage
(built in 1745) and is next to the church in the center of Selbu. Read more
about the knitting exhibit and museum on the Selbu Municipality’s internet
page: www.selbu.kommune.no (or
www.selbu.kommune.no/enheter/bygdemuseum/bygdemuseet/Sider).
 1 Stuevold Hansen, Ole: Bygderfortælling. Opptegnelser fra Tydalen,
annex til Selbu, Tromsø 1873, page 136.
2 Tybring, Oscar: Skildringer fra Fjeldbygderne. Fra alle Lande [Sketches

from the Field Villages. From all Countries], Part I, Copenhagen, 1878,
page 412.
3 Hove, Per: Selbubindinga [Selbu Knitting]. A special publication by the
State’s Craft and Drawing School, Notodden, 1949-50, page 4.
4 Sources vary concerning the spelling:
Guldseth/Guldset/Gullset/Gullseth, Gullsetbrua/Gulsetbrua …
5 A storbrurplagget was an embroidered head covering that the bride
wore on the way to church. At the churchyard, the head covering was
replaced with a crown and the linen was worn folded over the bride’s
left arm as she walked into the church. The storbrurplagget could also
wrap a child to be christened as the piece had aleady been blessed during
the wedding ceremony.
6 Kjellberg, Anne et al: Strikking i Norge [Knitting in Norway].

Landbruksforlaget 1987 page 59.

7 Kyllo, Reidar: Kirke og kristenliv i Selbu [Church and Christian life in
Selbu]. Selbu menighetsråd, Selbu 1978, page 55.
8-9 Haarstad, Kjell: Selbu i fortid og nåtid [Selbu Then and Now], vol 2,
1977, page 277. This information has, unfortunately, not been verified.
10 Morset, Peder: “Litt om Selbuvotter og totrådbindinga i Selbu” [A
Little about Selbu Mittens and Two-color Stranded Knitting], Nidaros,
7 January 1925.
11 Lien, B.: “Selbuvaatter” [Selbu Mittens], Adresseavisen, 24 December
1931.
12 Flåtten, Arne. Undated note from the management of Selbu
Husflidsentral, 1955-61.
13 “Selbu Husflidsentral,” Adresseavisen, 9 December 1953.
14 Gulliksen, Per H. “Selbuvottenes seiersgang” [Selbu Mittens’ Time of
Triumph], Selbyggen, 5 February 1937.
15 “Selbuvottene – manufakturbranchens Smertensbarn” [Selbu Mittens –
Problem Child of the Manufacturers] Norges grossisttidende, no. 7,
1939, page 160.
16 “Meddeleser fra Norges Standardiserings-Forbund no. 28” [Notes from
the Norwegian Board of Standardization], Form og Farge, 1939, pages
 177-183.
17 O. M.: “Selbuvottene – manufakturbranchens Smertensbarn” [Selbu
Mittens – Problem Child of the Manufacturers] Norges grossisttidende,
no. 7, 1939.
18 Aftret, Bjørg: “Selbuvotter” [Selbu Mittens], NTB, 25 July 1986.
19 GNIST: “Bygda hvor våtter er myntenheten” [The Village Where
Mittens Are the Currency] , Avis NN, 21 July 1934.
20 Selbu kommune: Minneskrift ved formannskapsjubileet 1938 [Selbu
Municipality: Commemoration at the Executive Committee’s Jubilee].
Selbu Kommune, page 107.
21 “250 skogløse bruk i Selbu søker skog” [250 forest-less Mills in Selbu
Seek a Forest], Adresseavisen, 9 July. 1956.
22 “Selbu ruster ut en sydpolekspedisjon med votter og hoser” [Selbu
Outfits a South Pole Expedition with Mittens and Stockings],
Adresseavisen, 5 November 1959.
23 “Velkledde norske olympiere: en representative tropp er god Norges-
reklame” [Well-clad Norwegian Olympians: A Representative Team is
Good Advertising for Norway], Trønder-Avisa, 13 February 1960.
24 “Flittige kvinner i Selbu bevarer håndverkstradisjoner. Tre gensere i
uken, strikket for hand” [Industrious Women in Selbu Preserve
Handcraft Traditions. Three Sweaters in a Week, Knitted by Hand],
Arbeider-avisa, 6 March 1968.
25 Oll, Arvid: “Når local-nasjonal husflid blir internasjonal handelsvare:
Moten Dikterer Selbu-strikkingen” [When Local-National Handcrafts
Bxecome International Commercial Products: Fashion Dictates Selbu
Knitting], Morgenposten, sometime between 1961 and 1964. Undated
article.
26 “Selbustrikkingen fortsatt god binæring for bygda” [Selbu Knitting is
still a Good Source of Income for the district], Hamar Arbeiderblad,
28 March 1958.
27 Christoffersen, Per: “Selbustrikking” {Selbu Knitting], Norsk Ukeblad
no. 8, 1985, page 60.
28 Aftret, Bjørg: “Selbuvotter” [Selbu Mittens], NTB, 25 July 1986.
29 Stensrud, Arve: “Tradisjoner i strikkebygda” [Traditions in a Knitting
Village], Norsk Husflid, 1991.
30 Oscarsson, Ulla: Kvinnomöda och skarparglädje [Women’s Work and
the Joy of Creating]. Jamtli 2012, page 73.
31 Several red dress mittens were included in the knitting exhibition in the
Selbu Bygdemuseum.
32 Haarstad, Kjell, Rød, Per O.: Selbu i fortid og nåtid, volume IV, [Selbu
Then and Now], pages 250, 447.
33 Morset, Peder: “Litt om Selbuvotter og totrådbindinga i Selbu” [A
Little about Selbu Mittens and Two-color Stranded Knitting], Nidaros,
7 January 1925.
34 “Husflidsutstillingen” {Husflid Exhibition], Trondhjems Adresseavis 26
June 1912.
35 Catalogue from Norway’s Jubilee Exhibition at Frogner in Frogner
Park, 15 May-11 October 1914 under the direction of Oslo’s
Handcrafts and Industry Association.
36 Landmark, Margit: “Trøndelagsutstillingens husflidsavdeling”
[Trøndelag Exhibition’s Home Arts Division], Adresseavisen, Saturday
7 June 1930.

OceanofPDF.com
What characterizes a Selbu
mitten?
AND HOW IS IT KNITTED?
Men’s mitten with the letter H and flower sprig motifs (SE 1675)
A “Selbu mitten” (Selbuvotten) can be either a mitten (bladvott) or a glove
(fingervott), with patterning developed or traditionally used in Selbu. These
mittens are worked with specific components and proportions.

The components of a mitten are: A gender-specific cuff. A mitten hand

with a front (back of hand) and palm with different patterns. The front and
palm are separated by a side band and the mitten finishes at the tip. The
thumb gusset and thumb are placed on the palm.

The components of a glove are: A gender-specific cuff. A mitten hand

with a front and palm with different patterns. The front and palm are
separated with a side band. The thumb gusset and thumb are placed on the
palm. Instead of a mitten hand, there are four fingers. Each of the fingers
has a front and palm side, separated by side bands, and is shaped at all the
fingertips as for a mitten tip.

“When a mitten is worn, all the patterning of the various parts of the mitten
would, to a large degree, be visible at the same time, when the hand is in
motion.”*
__________
* Reitan, Janne: Selbustrikking—Kompetanse for morgendagen? [Selbu Knitting—Expertise
for the Future?]
THE CUFF
The cuff is the part of the mitten that covers the wrist, and is knitted first. In
Selbu, even early on, there were firm rules for the cuff. Men’s and women’s
mittens were distinguished by the type of cuff. Women’s mittens were
worked with either a chevron cuff or a ribbed cuff. Both styles used only
one color of yarn per round, but changed colors for striping. Men’s mittens
featured two-color stranded knitting and pattern panels.
Children’s mittens most often had a ribbed cuff, but older children
might have gender-specific mittens. Both sexes of all ages might have
gauntlet-cuff mittens, a style characteristic of extra-long mittens in Selbu. In
that case, the cuff was worked in stockinette and knitted first. The gauntlet
section was worn over the sleeve below the ribbing.

Women’s mittens with chevron and ribbing.

Men’s mittens with a typical cuff.

Gauntlet cuff for an adult mitten.

Red gauntlet cuffs worn by a little girl. We can tell by the

chevron pattern.
WOMEN’S CUFFS
Cuffs for women’s and girls’ mittens were worked with either a chevron
(eyelet cuff/rippled cuff) or ribbing. Cuffs were relatively long on the oldest
mittens. They could be more than 4 in / 10 cm long for small women’s
mittens, which today would be considered girls’ mittens. They might also
be called “long cuffs.” The standards for mittens to be sold specified a 4 in /
10 cm cuff for women’s mittens. These days shorter cuffs are knitted more
often, usually 3 ¼ in / 8 cm. The traditional chevron pattern offers many
options for variation, both in stitch count and the number of stitches
between hills and valleys. Knitters of Selbu mittens have their individual
preferences. Ribbing is also worked with a personal touch. Selbu knitters
often have a preferred stripe sequence, which is not used by anyone else.
The sequences can be reverse-image, meaning that a stripe sequence is
worked and then reversed at the center, or a knitter might work a specific
stripe sequence or repeat all through the cuff.
Children’s mittens might have openwork panels and extra bands or
elastic in the area between the cuff and mitten hand. This helps these
mittens stay on children’s hands more securely.
On older mittens, there is always a narrow panel around the entire hand
before the main pattern motif begins. Some particularly elegant examples
have up to four panels here. These panels are often omitted on newer
mittens.
For a cuff that will stay in place or for a smaller wrist, knit 2, purl 2
ribbing works well. The ribbing cinches the cuff quite nicely. If, on the
other hand, you want a more open, wider cuff, try working a knit 3, purl 1
ribbing. If your mitten has a stitch count that is a multiple of three, work
knit 2, purl 1 ribbing. There are many ways to customize your mittens.
Women’s mittens with eyelet or chevron cuffs.

Striped ribbing cuffs for women’s and children’s mittens.

MEN’S CUFFS
The cuffs on men’s mittens (short cuff/two-color cuff) have a short ribbed
edging for a few rounds, for a maximum of ¾ in / 2 cm. On older mittens,
the ribbed panel might be worked with two colors. As exceptions, we have
also found men’s mittens with a chevron cuff knitted as an edging, as short
as for the ribbing. The short edging is followed by a larger pattern panel or
a combination of narrow pattern panels for 2 ½-3 ¼ in / 6.5-8 cm total.
Men’s mittens from neighboring villages* can be distinguished by a longer
chevron cuff, which was folded under. There are also examples with two-
end (twined) knitting in the transition to the main pattern, or a combination
of two-end knitting and fringe.
__________
* Kjellberg, Anne, et al: Strikking i Norge. Eksempler fra Feragen i Røros og Elvran i
Stjørdal and the Norsk Folkemuseum [Knitting in Norway: Examples from Feragen in
Røros and Elvran in Stjørdal and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History] NF 14561-
002 from Midtre Gauldal, Budalen.

Ribbed edge with two colors

Men’s cuff with eyelet variation

Men’s cuff with chevron variation

Ribbed edge with two colors and two-end (twined) knitting

Men’s cuff with two-end knitting and fringe

Men’s mittens have, as a rule, several panels around the wrist, most often
with one large band and one or more narrower bands in the cuff. On many
of the oldest Selbu mittens, there was a star panel and chevron panel of
some sort.
When choosing a panel pattern for the wrist, it is best to select a panel
with a pattern repeat matching either the stitch count in the cast-on or the
stitch count of the mitten hand. Alternatively, choose a panel that increases
the stitch count slightly at the beginning of the panel, and then again
slightly more before beginning the hand.
HOW SHOULD YOU BEGIN KNITTING A MITTEN
HAND?
After the cuff and its panels, you’ll begin the mitten hand. Mittens will look
their finest if the pattern is worked with the thumb on the side opposite the
beginning of the round. That way, the irregularities that come with shifts in
the pattern will land where they’ll be least visible, on the little finger side of
the hand. The classic patterns from Selbu Husflidsentral were always drawn
with these finesses in mind. On newer patterns, this aspect is not so
carefully considered.
The left-hand mitten is worked in reverse.
A child’s mitten by Helga Engen Buland. Pattern drafted for the
easiest possible knitting.
Pattern from Selbu Husflidsentral, men’s mittens no. 17, pattern
number 170. Right-hand mitten.
THE BACK OF THE HAND (FRONT OR
TOP SIDE)
The oldest Selbu mittens show a different life. Both men’s and women’s
mittens were smaller. Selbu villagers were known as hard-working people.
Men’s mittens were short and wide to suit strong working hands. It was not
uncommon, even with mittens of the same width, for men’s mittens to be
about 25% shorter than today. The width provided space for additional
pattern sections on the mitten hand. In some instances, women’s mittens
were quite small and narrow.

Men’s mittens from 1881, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1679).

 Men’s mittens knitted by Gerd Oline Uthus, 2015. Pattern from
her pattern notebook.

The main pattern on the front of the mitten constitutes the largest shapes.
These patterns were referred to as the mitten roses (stars). The placement of
these patterns could be organized in several different ways.
In order to classify the pattern surface on the mitten’s front, I have taken
as a starting point this primary source: Selbustrikking—Kompetanse for
morgendagen? [Selbu Knitting—Expertise for the Future?] (1992) written
by Janne Reitan. She divided pattern compositions into six classes. She has,
to a certain degree, defined these classes by the arrangement of the patterns
in relation to the outer mitten shape and the the tip. I have taken her
illustrations as my starting point, but have chosen to organize the classes by
the number of larger motifs. I have also added the last category, endless
patterns.
The chapter “Pattern Motifs Used in Selbu” gives more details on the
multiplicity of shapes for these stars or roses (see page 78).
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE MAIN PATTERN MOTIF

1. One primary motif

2. The primary motif repeated twice

3. Compound patterns

4. Two different motifs

5. Longitudinal patterns

6. Endless patterns
 1. ONE PRIMARY MOTIF

It is most common to find one main motif on older mittens and children’s
mittens. This main motif originally was often arranged in a diagonal square
(a diamond) with a panel or a single pattern between the main motif and the
tip, and the main motif and the cuff. A single main motif was, naturally,
most common on gloves with a pattern on the hand itself and small motifs
on the fingers.
 2. THE PRIMARY MOTIF REPEATED TWICE

This type of arrangement is most common on newer mittens. It is

straightforward to knit once you are familiar with the pattern. The decreases
begin three-fourths of the way up the main motif (or a little more or less,
depending on the patterning and shaping).
 3. COMPOUND PATTERNS

These are mittens with two different main motifs, a large one and a
somewhat smaller one. In compound patterns, these motifs are intertwined:
the topmost rose springs from the lower one. The shaping generally begins
partway through the upper motif.
 4. TWO DIFFERENT MOTIFS

These are mittens with two different main motifs where one motif is knitted
completely before the next begins. It is most often used on older mittens,
and especially on mittens with animal motifs.
 5. LONGITUDINAL PATTERNS

This allows for several repeats straight up the mitten, with three or more
motifs, often organized with a center field between two symmetrical panels.
 6. ENDLESS PATTERNS

These are patterns covering the entire surface of the mitten. This method of
arranging motifs is not very common, but can be found among both old and
new mittens. The spider/woodlouse motif occurs frequently and is also
often referred to as an endless rose. In Selbu, there are countless endless
patterns and what they have in common is the ease of adapting them for
stockings and sweaters—garments with larger pattern surfaces.
PALM
Inside the hand and on the inside of the thumb are solid patterns, also called
“inner patterns.” These are typically small motifs or endless patterns. In
order not to introduce confusion with the inside of the mitten, I decided to
call these “palm patterns” rather than “inner patterns.”* Over the course of
this project, we’ve registered more than one hundred different palm patterns
(see the pattern dictionary in the chapter “Pattern Motifs Used in Selbu”).
__________
* Ingulv Røset: Selbu-målet [The Selbu Goal], page 251.

My sources in Selbu have several remarks as to how the palm should be

worked:
The stitch count on the palm should be as close to that of the back of the
hand as possible, with a maximum difference of two stitches if using
needles U. S. size 000 / 1.5 mm. If you are knitting a lattice or netting
pattern, the pattern stitches of the net should be complete at the sides of the
mittens. It was also stressed that the pattern repeats at the sides of the
mittens should match (see the pattern examples under “Bands”). Some
knitters also stress the importance of symmetrical pattern matching at the
tip of the mitten.
SIDE BANDS
The main pattern and palm pattern are separated by a vertical band, called a
side band (stælpe or stø), which begins on the same round as both. This is a
stripe or a narrow pattern panel. The side bands are about as wide as the
side of the hand. On old mittens, knitted with fine yarn, the bands are 8
stitches wide; on newer mittens, the width may be as few as 3 stitches. They
are worked in a contrast color as a stripe, or with white patterning on a
black background, or in a panel with black on white.

It is common to knit one stitch on each side of the panel in the background
color. However, there are exceptions—especially on older mittens—where
the pattern is completely inside the band, only on the front, or on both the
front and inside of the hand, or with one stitch knitted on one side and two
on the other.
Copying a glove by Sofie Aunehaugen’s mittens donated to the
Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2466).
There are many options for adjusting the sizing perfectly, for giving the
pattern some “breathing space,” and for beautifully finishing the motifs.
THUMB
The thumb begins with a shaped thumb gusset. This is unique to Selbu
mittens and not found, as far as we know, in any of the other major mitten
traditions in the Nordic countries.* The thumb gusset is increased
symmetrically, either close to the sides or in the center of the gusset.
Increasing at the center is more common on the oldest mittens that have
been registered (see page 50).
__________
* Gotland and the Baltic.

The thumb gusset begins on the same round as the main motif for the
front, at the end of the cuff. Only occasionally is the gusset knitted within
the panel or beginning on the round ending the panel. We’ve found this
detail on a pair of mittens knitted in Vikvaret, but it is more common on
Selbu-style mittens knitted somewhere other than Selbu itself.
The thumb has a main pattern on the outside, with bands at each side,
the palm pattern on the inside, and the tip shaped as for the mitten hand. On
mittens knitted before 1930, the thumb gusset was often short, although the
thumb itself was rather wide. The gusset and the thumb are each about the
same length on the mittens knitted after Husfliden imposed standards for
mitten proportions. On older mittens, it is not uncommon to see different
palm patterns on the thumb and the mitten hand. The palm pattern should
otherwise go between the mitten hand and the inside of the thumb.
 Examples of well-knitted mittens. Perfect transitions between
the thumb and mitten hand.

Mittens knitted in Vikvarvet. Registered in the Selbu

Bygdemuseum in 2015.

There are many variations on gussets with black and white block patterns.
The blocks are one stitch wide and either two or three stitches long. Many
mittens have a little motif in the gusset, while others have a connecting
motif beginning in the gusset and worked up to the thumb tip. There are
countless thumb motifs. Different knitters often have their preferred
variations. For private gifts, one might knit in little messages, such as
hearts, initials, the date, loving couples, and so on.
Larger mittens might have, in addition to the gusset, an extra section
between the side band and the gusset. This can be an extra band or a small
pattern.

Thumb gussets with block patterns and thumb gussets

increased in the center.

Thumb gussets with connecting motifs, which begin in the

gusset and go up to the tip of the thumb.

Thumbs with little “messages.”

Extra bands between the thumb gusset and side band.
HOW IS THE THUMB KNITTED?
A gusset is worked to provide space for the thumb. It begins on the same
round as the main motif, at the end of the cuff. The gusset goes from the
cuff up to the thumbhole. The gusset is increased symmetrically, with
increase lines either at each side of the gusset or at the center. The gusset
can be increased in evenly spaced outer lines or worked as stairsteps. The
gusset and the thumb itself (before the tip shaping) should be the same
length.

Gusset with a block net

Thumb with connecting motifs

 Gussets shaped at the center

The gusset stitches are placed on a holder (or a short length of yarn,
perhaps) and then new stitches are cast on over the gap. Alternatively, you
can knit in smooth contrast-color scrap yarn over the gusset stitches, slide
those stitches back to the left needle, and knit them in pattern. The scrap
yarn can easily be removed later on when it’s time to knit the thumb.
THE TIP OF THE MITTEN HAND
The tip of a Selbu mitten ends, as a rule, in a point with an approximately
45 degree angle at the sides.
Often the small patterns are omitted from the topmost rose corners, and
a small motif is worked at the tip instead. This element can be the same as
the one knitted between two matching stars on the mitten hand (example 1,
knitted by Gerd Oline Uthus).
Knitter Solveig Evjemo emphasizes that the roses should be nicely
placed on the hand. She knitted the mittens in examples 2 and 3, which
show how some of the pattern structure of the third rose was borrowed from
the details of the second rose. This method illustrates how mitten roses can
be appealingly placed to follow the shape of the hand, with one rose for the
back of the hand and one for the fingers. It’s an art, arranging all these
elements smoothly so the width and length of the mitten suit the styling of
the roses. In example 3, an extra panel is knitted with two stitches at the
side of a little tiny rose so the proportions will match.
The palm pattern is, to varying degrees, fitted to the tip shaping. The
most used palm pattern (example 1), which was the pattern recommended
by Husfliden in Selbu for many years, doesn’t work with decreasing on
every round. According to the mitten inspector Annepett Sandvik, it is,
however, easy to knit evenly for a neat hand. Some Selbu knitters stress the
importance of also adjusting the palm pattern to the tip, especially on palm
patterns with large pattern repeats (examples 3 and 4).
On older christening and baby mittens, it is not uncommon for the tip to be
decreased to make a rounder top.
Copy of baby mittens from Teigen.

Copy of a mitten photographed at the Norwegian Museum of

Cultural History (NF 05128-052).
HOW IS THE TIP OF THE MITTEN KNITTED?
“Begin decreasing when halfway up or at the ‘shoulder’ of the second
rose.”
When beginning the mitten tip, decrease four stitches on each round by
knitting so the stitches on each side of the side band lie over the stitches
from the front and palm side of the mitten. The mitten tip shaping can be
worked in several ways: for example, it can be finished off when the bands
and one stitch of the mitten hand remain.
Finally, draw the yarn end through the last six or eight stitches. If there
are three or more stitches in the band, the bands can also be decreased to
one stitch before finishing off the last four stitches. If the bands were
knitted as stripes with one or two stitches, they can be knitted together and
decreased so the stripes meet at the tip.

The picture shows a mitten knitted by Anna Røsset Lien.

Here are some mitten tips with innovative twists. One easy and
straightforward solution is shown on the small children’s mittens in
example 2. The simplest and tightest two-stranded colorwork is knitted over
the rose to get a solid tip. The same ending is worked on both the back of
the hand and the palm.
On the mittens with the Pål-Innbær roses (example 3), a half-rose is
placed above a full rose. It is not impossible that this solution was “ad-
libbed” as the knitter was working, but it is also possible that it had been
planned. This is a remarkable and amusing pair of mittens with proportions
that suit large, strong hands.
The mittens with the bird (example 4), including a little detail from an
endless pattern at the tip, were composed by Paula Borseth based on an old
pattern, also found in several of the registered pattern books and in Knitting
Norwegian Designs.* The spruce twig motif with repeating lines adds a fine
detail near the tip.
__________
* Bøhn, Annichen Sibbern: Norske Strikkemønster, 1947 [Knitting Norwegian Designs,
1975].

Furthermore, we have seen a copy of an older pair of mittens from the

Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 3094) (example 5), where the twelve-cross
block/Lundbeck roses are placed in diagonal blocks, with diagonal lines
shaped like the mitten tip. In this case, the framing up to the mitten’s
topmost pattern is an elegant finish.
 The mitten in the largest picture (example 1), knitted by Johanna
Høiberg, has a Kølset rose opening up at the top. The topmost rose also has
a divided center. This mitten is certainly a mitten you’ll recognize when you
see it! An especially original ending.

“The roses must be knitted completely,” say my interviewees. These are

mittens that were not accepted by Selbu Husflid once quality control
standards were in place. Likewise, we find many interesting examples that,
in the end, were a little too …
One good example is a typical “school” mitten** (example 6): The
original grey and yellow mittens were knitted by a long-term teacher at the
school in Øverbygda, Helga Buland, for her son Trond when he was a
schoolboy in the 1960s. The charming choice of colors and the good fit
were outweighed by the “incorrect” cropping of the rose. It was a way of
making sure the mittens fit Trond exactly. The proportions were appropriate
for a child’s hands, and Trond could then stay warm. The yellow spider in
the center is very nice at the mitten tip.
__________
** The term “school mitten” (skulvotta) comes from Annepett Sandvik, previously a mitten
inspector at Selbu Husflid.

The same proportions and finishing for the motifs were used for the
white and red women’s mittens (example 7), knitted by Solveig Borseth.

The men’s mittens for Mikal Solem, knitted by Beret Solem from
Solemshaugen (example 8), also cut off the second rose. These are
interesting mittens! The centers of the roses are uncommon—the horizontal
and vertical lines are not alike, and this detail is eye-catching, as it is
highlighted at the center of the tip. You might perceive the slanted squares
as diagonal lines forming the roses. The mitten hand begins with a half
block, then a whole one, and another quarter at the tip. Two matching
motifs is a theme with many Selbu mittens, but obviously a bit more than
usual went into these mittens.
You can see the same blocks in the last example, knitted by Karen
Fossum (example 10). The pattern is the star with branches, each branch
forming diagonal blocks.
GLOVE FINGERS
The fingers on gloves, like mitten hands, have a front and palm, plus side
bands. The fingers are shaped at the top as for a mitten tip or the thumb, and
the rule about the palm pattern also applies to the fingertips. The fingers
overlap each other, achieved either by knitting overlapping fingers or steam
pressing them into position.

1 Anne’s gloves, a gift from Solveig Evjemo.

2 Unnumbered pattern from Selbu Husflid, Sverresborg Folk

Museum, knitted by Solveig Borseth.
3 Gloves from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern book, knitted by Ann-
Mari Aas.

4 Gloves knitted with front patterns that continue up the index

and little fingers, corresponding to Selbu Husflid’s pattern
number 284; unknown knitter.

5 Gloves with endless pattern that goes over the front on four
fingers, from an article in Urd, 7 April 1834. Copy knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal.

6 Gloves with rounded, striped fingertips. Selbu Bygdemuseum

(SE 727).
An interesting variation for gloves is to knit the cuff and fingers with a
single color. According to the owners of these examples, this style was
popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Six pairs of this type of glove have been
recorded, in addition to the two pairs found in the Selbu Bygdemuseum.
These are excellent gloves for new knitters, as they can learn the process
one step at a time.

1 Gloves knitted by Anna Velve.

2 Gloves with a 3-motif. Knitted by Ane Andersdatter Rolseth

(Elendom) (1877-1974).
 3 Gloves with endless heart rose patterns. Knitted by Ane
Andersdatter Rolseth (Elendom) (1877-1974).

4 Gloves inspired by older pairs of gloves at the Selbu

Bygdemuseum. The star is adapted from Rauma’s booklet
“Selbustrikk” [Selbu Knitting], and was knitted by Solveig
Borseth.

In an old verse of a children’s finger game, each finger has its own name;
the thumb is Tåmmås at the top. The adult lightly touches each remaining
finger and then holds the thumb. At the same time, he names each of the
other fingers:

Thumb in the top,

Lick the pot,
Long man,
Gold band,
And little Peter Fiddleman.

After gripping the little finger, the child is tickled on his back and then the
fingers are named in reverse. There are many variations of this verse.*
__________
* Cited in Norwegian from Røset, Ingulv: Selbu-målet [The Selbu Goal].
HOW ARE THE FINGERS KNITTED ON GLOVES?
There are several methods for knitting glove fingers.
On older gloves, the fingers were knitted side by side and the side bands
figuratively functioned like a cord on the outside of the glove hand, going
up and down the fingers. The spaces between the fingers were neat, and the
patterns aligned side by side. This is clearly shown in example 1, gloves
from Kallarstrø. In this technique, stitches are increased on both the inside
and the outside of the glove, where the gaps between the fingers meet. Two
stitches are increased at each place, at a total of six places, over one or two
rounds. Then, three or five stitches are cast on between the fingers for the
band. The last two rounds before the fingers begin are knitted tightly to
avoid holes. It is important to steam press well so the fingers lay smoothly
over each other. This technique works well with finer yarns, but good
knitting technique is important—there is a danger that both the fingers and
the pattern can split in an ugly way in the transition to the fingers. To get
this done nicely is a test of skill!
On newer gloves, the fingers are often knitted with an overlap. If you
are using heavy yarn, this shaping can be a little neater. Consider picking up
stitches from the front of the previous finger and casting on the rest of the
stitches between the fingers. In example 2, there are 2 offset stitches; in
examples 3 and 4, as many as four stitches overlap. Here the fingers overlap
to varying degrees. The advantage of this technique is that the outer shape
of the gloves aligns better for a more elegant look. For heavier yarn, this
technique is preferable because it provides better shaping and fit and is
easier to work neatly.
 1 Detail of gloves knitted at Kallarstrø.

2 Detail of gloves knitted by Marit Renå in 2014.

3 Detail of gloves knitted by Ann-Mari Aas.

4 Detail of gloves knitted by Jorunn Skrødal.

The fingers are knitted with a main pattern, the bands, and palm patterns,
and usually shaped by decreasing at the tips. If there are 3 or more stitches
in the side band, the band might also be decreased down to one stitch before
fastening off.
FINISHING GLOVES AND MITTENS
After the gloves have been knitted, the ends must be woven in. This should
be done so that the final result is neat, thorough, and pleasing.
The tips of the fingers, which should be well-rounded, should not be finished with a
knot, but rather with the yarn ends woven in until hidden. For gloves, only neat
weaver’s knots should be used or, preferably, no knots at all, so the knitting is secure
and cannot unravel.*

__________
* From Recommendations for Standards for Selbu Products—Mittens and Gloves from the
Norwegian Board of Standardization, 1939.

Mittens made to sell are not considered finished until they’ve been washed
and blocked. It was not uncommon to pull newly-washed mittens onto
wooden blocking boards and let them dry so the pair would be exactly the
same size. These wooden blockers might also have been used to make
gloves a bit larger than required both in the rules for standards and in strict
letters to the knitters:
After they are knitted, the products should be washed meticulously in lukewarm water,
even if they were knitted with recently washed yarn, and then dried well, without
stretching on a blocker or last. They should not be dried over an oven. After the
washing method specified above, the products must match the measurements listed in
the table for the given recommended size. The two mittens or gloves are then joined in
pairs so they can tried on easily without removing them from each other. Mittens can be
fastened together at the tips, but gloves should be joined at the wrists.
Now the mittens are ready to give as presents or to sell.
OceanofPDF.com
Knitting techniques and
standards
Gunnhild Hårstad, painted by P. Lillo-Stenberg.
Knitting stranded colorwork Selbu mittens has been a hands-on and orally
transferred method of teaching from mother to child since the middle of the
19th century and up until the present day. Children first learned the knit and
purl stitches. Several sources related that they knitted single-color
washcloths before they began knitting mittens. Later, they learned how to
cast on and knit patterns, and how to make decreases. In practice, while a
mother knitted mittens, she taught her children how to knit their mittens.
That is to say, while she knitted one pattern, which she had memorized, she
taught the child another one which she also had memorized, and when they
sat together, the child’s knitted fabric could be checked. In that way,
knitting knowledge was transferred and children could contribute with
income-producing work.
A chest of knitting tools was called a bindingskorga (knitting basket).
The tools that fed a family were the knitting needles, needles, and scissors.
Many knitted only the mitten patterns they had memorized.

My mother, Inge Lucie Bårdsgård, received this knitting basket

as a wedding gift in 1954. These baskets were usually gifts for
confirmation, engagement, or marriage.
 Gjertine (Utspå) Bårdsgård’s knitting basket from 1936.

A knitting basket embellished with tulips from Selbu

Bygdemuseum (SE 1863).

KNITTING GAUGE
Later on, after the necessary knitting techniques were well-learned and
habitual, it was time to practice getting the gauge right. This could be
adjusted by matching the needle size to the knitting technique. Ten-year-old
Gunnhild (page 60) was probably instructed to either knit more tightly or
loosely by her mother, and achieved an ideal technique early on. Some
might perpetually knit garments too small or too large if they followed the
instructions precisely. Others knew that they should choose larger or
smaller needle sizes to achieve the right results. Correct gauge is as
important as the yarn and pattern. Knitting a gauge swatch is absolutely
worthwhile!
The picture on the next page shows the same pattern knitted with
different yarns and needles. From left to right, the mittens fit, respectively, a
10- to 12-year-old child, a big boy, and a small man. The two largest
examples are a large men’s size.

Materials used, from left to right.

Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri and needles U. S. size

000 / 1.5 mm.

2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma and needles U. S. size 0 / 2

mm.

Lofoten yarn spun at Hillesvåg and needles U. S. size 1.5 / 2.5

mm.

3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma and needles U. S. size 2.5 / 3

mm.

Selbu Husflid yarn spun at Sandnes Garn and needles U. S.

size 2.5 / 3 mm.

MITTENS SUITABLE TO WEAR

Knitting gauge is important to ensure the resulting textile will be ideal for
its usage. A baby must have soft, elastic mittens to make it easier to pull
them on, and to keep them in place so they don’t fall off. Baby mittens do
not need to be very durable, so you can use loosely-spun lamb’s wool yarn,
though it shouldn’t be so loose that the baby catches the fibers on the face
or in the mouth. Mittens for children at nursery school and in elementary
school should be easily recognizable—for example, with special color
combinations, or a name knitted in. If you are knitting for someone with a
particular sports or work activity, the mittens must be quite strong,
relatively windproof, and sturdy enough to tolerate hard wear. If the mittens
are meant as special gifts, you can knit elegant mittens with fine yarn that is
suitable for light wear.
Choose yarn appropriate for the purpose of the mittens. After choosing
the yarn, decide on the needle size and gauge, and then choose the pattern
and stitch count. Sometimes you might make your choices in a different
order, but the usage and materials have to be taken into consideration and
coordinated for good results. You should also think about whether to knit
mittens or gloves, and for what age person: men’s, women’s, or
girls’/boys’/children’s mittens.
Now consider what they will be worn for. You can set yourself several
ambitious goals. In Selbu one might talk about three types of knitting
traditions: fine dress mittens, mittens for sale, and “school” mittens*.
__________
* According to the mitten inspector Annepett Sandvik.

DRESS MITTENS (STASVOTTA)

The stasvotta (dress mitten) symbolizes the oldest tradition in Selbu. These
elaborate mittens were made as very special gifts—for a wedding or
christening, for example. Among these mittens, we find the most original
patterns, often including initials and the date to indicate the owner.
Dress mittens were skill tests; everyone joined in their production and
tried to achieve perfection. These mittens involved the most expertise hand-
knitters could show. The first steps in the process began with careful sheep
shearing, wool sorting, and spinning of the finest wool to produce the finest
and most even yarn possible. After that the pattern was composed and
knitted with extremely fine needles. This was expert knitting that revealed
the dexterity of the knitter.
 Dress mittens. Copies of baby mittens from the Selbu Village
Museum (SE 3107).

Dress mittens might also be knitted with luxurious, expensively-dyed

yarn. A few pairs knitted with dyed yarn and some that were dyed red after
having been knitted can be found in the Selbu Bygdemuseum and in the
registration records that were the basis for this book. Red was a new dye
color, at the time. Red and deep blue and purple dyes were used together.
For christening mittens, all dyed yarns or dyed yarn paired with black or
white were chosen.
When reconstructing these mittens, we used Fin Gammel Selbu yarn
from Selbu Spinneri and 1-ply prydvevsgarn, spælseu from Rauma, with
needles U. S. sizes 0000, 000, 00, and 0 / 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2 mm.
Dress mittens represent the most advanced level of Selbu knitting. This
is artisan craft of the highest class!

MITTENS FOR SALE (VOTTER FOR SALG)

From 1935 and onwards, mittens for sale (votter for salg) were tagged with
a quality trademark for perfect mittens. Mittens that passed the mitten
inspection at Husfliden were every knitter’s goal and a source of
professional pride. These mittens were given as presents in the village and
maintained as dress mittens (finvotta)—many knitters would not have worn
these mittens themselves. Mittens for sale were produced following the
proportion specifications set by Selbu Husflidsentral and, as a rule, these
mittens had two matching stars. Originally these mittens were knitted with
undyed black and white yarn. Later on, yarn was machine-spun and dyed.
In the 1960s, some pattern colors were determined by consultants hired by
Selbu Husflidsentral, and this resulted in mittens in combinations of gray
and white, red and white, and blue and white.* The patterns on these
mittens were most often knitted in white with a darker shade for the
background, although there are many examples of mittens knitted with
white as the background for colored patterns. For a time, it was also
common to knit three-color mittens with red, white, and blue. My great-
aunt Inga called these mittens with the dyed yarn “modern mittens”
(moddernevotta). They were a welcome variation for the knitters.
Sometimes, gift mittens had initials and the date knitted in.
__________
* According to mitten inspector Anneprett Sandvik.

Mittens for sale. Copy of Trond Buland’s children’s mittens,

knitted by Marit Renå.

For reconstructing the oldest patterns from Selbu Husflidsentral, we

used Gammel Selbu and 2-ply Strikkegarn from Selbu Spinneri,
Gammelserie 2-ply Finullgarn, and 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma, with
needle sizes U.S. 0-4 / 2-3.5 mm. Mittens for sale were the journeyman’s
exam for a mitten knitter.

“SCHOOL” MITTENS (SKULVOTTA)

The term skulvotta was coined by Annepett Sandvik, previously a mitten
inspector at Selbu Husflid. These mittens were for one’s own use, “twisted
together,” according to my source and knitter Marit Renå. These mittens are
characterized as having been knitted with leftover yarn or for pattern
testing, mittens with untraditional colors, and mittens with pattern
arrangements or shaping we don’t find among the mittens for sale at
Husfliden. There might also be personal touches in consideration of
different needs: exceptionally narrow or long mittens, openings for the
index finger or middle finger on mittens, and so on. We can also find initials
and the date on these mittens to indicate the owner. Men knitting for
themselves often worked cuffs in ribbing (rangband or vrangbord). Many
of the most fun and original variations we registered in the collection period
are typical skulvotta.

Personal mittens. Trond Buland’s children’s mittens, knitted by

Helga Engen Buland or Marit Renå.

Most knitters reach the “skulvotta” level. It is enough to knit stranded

colorwork for warm mittens and to create joy with the pattern and knitting.

RULES FOR MITTENS TO SELL

In the 1930s, the director of Selbu Husflidsentral, Kristian Kvennås,
actively worked out measurement standards for all types of hand garments.
These standards were determined by what would sell and were based on
average hand size in the Norwegian population. Standardized mittens and
gloves were consistently longer and narrower than the oldest known dress
mittens. Standards were set for the proportions of the cuff, thumb gusset,
and total length in relation to the width of the thumb and mitten hand. This
ensured good fit and was considered important criteria for selling. Very
even yarn was necessary, and the potential of machine-spun yarn became
reality. Mittens were checked meticulously on delivery but it sometimes
happened that mittens were returned to the knitter. When this occurred, a
note was attached with the reason for the return. Great excitement was
bound up with mitten selling—especially for beginners.

Recommended written standards.

The work of standardization of knitted Selbu products was organized through the
Norwegian Board of Standardization by the Ministry of Agriculture. An inquiry was
occasioned by a proposed law for the protection of a quality trademark (“Selbu
products”) and the quality control of such goods, and sent to the Ministry of Agriculture
by the National Council for Handcrafts, Household Industry, and Small Industry.* The
concept behind this recommendation was to obtain advice on remedies for the chain
for buyers, at home and abroad, which, when supplied, specified that under the
trademark “Selbu products” no hand-knitted goods could be sold that are uneven with
regards to the fit, sizing, and quality, also including machine-knitted goods and products
in less fine patterns and of lesser quality. As part of the effort to improve this situation,
the National Council also advocated for the registration of its own trademark—a “Selbu
trademark,” which could be attached to products to confirm they satisfy specific
requirements of quality, etc.
When the Ministry of Agriculture directed its inquiry to the Board of Standardization
in this regard, it was because quality control and trademarking would only come about
if they were based on a standardization of these products with regards to sizing, quality,
etc. The inquiry from the Ministry of Agriculture resulted in the Standardization Board
naming its own choices for addressing this subject.

The following were selected:

Inspector Eirik Eikran, foreman, National Council for Handcrafts, Household Industry,
and Small Industry.
Director Kåre Heiberg, Norwegian Board of Standardization.
Managing Director Njål Kolbenstvedt, National Center for Small Industry.
Supervisor A. K. Kvennås, Selbu Husflidscentral.
Managing Director Johan Lillebergen, Friends of Norwegian Handcrafts.
Managing Director Roaldsø, Stavanger Husflid Organization.
Managing Director Christian Sørlie, Norway-Ski A/S
Mr. Ole Fenstad, Gauldal Husflidcentral.
 Measurements schematic from Selbu Husflidsentral.

At the constitutent meeting of this selected group, they were unanimous about the
understanding that, while working on their mission, it would be appropriate to:

1. Acquire legal protection for the designation of Selbu products and formulate
proposals for the text of that law.
2. Register a unique trademark for Selbu products and establish rules for its use.
3. Standardize Selbu products with regards to types, sizing, quality, etc.
4. Execute quality control.

The board recommends the standardization of 8 different sizes of mittens and 6 sizes
of gloves, each with a number. The size should be as precise as possible, determined
by the yarn and needle size used, which should be the same for all sizes, as well as
measurements in centimeters for all lengths and stitch counts appropriate to all widths.
Moreover, the weight specified per pair will allow for convenient control to ensure that
correct yarn count is used for reasonably firm knitting. Because errors are often
committed with glove knitting, we have found it necessary to indicate how the stitches
shall be divided over the fingers.*

__________
* From: Recommendations for Selbu Products—Mittens and Gloves from the Norwegian
Board of Standardization, 1939.
It proved to be difficult to standarize the use of both yarn and patterns, but
standards for sizing were, to some degree, expressed through knitting
instructions, or at least in instructions from Selbu Husflidsentral. The
recommendations from the Norwegian Board of Standardization in 1939
included prepared and detailed policy guidelines for eight sizes of mittens
and six sizes of gloves (large and small men’s, for example). Later, the
measurement schematics from Selbu Husflidsentral included standards for
half as many large sizes.

Standards sheet from Selbu Husflidsentral, listing specifications

for six glove sizes.
 Recommendations for standard measurements for
mittens/gloves.

REQUIREMENTS FOR EXECUTION

According to these standards, Selbu products should be handknitted in firm and neat
workmanship with knitting needles number 7*. The cuff should be knitted either with
purl and knit stitches, or with only knit stitches. Unless otherwise specified, the wrists
for mittens no. 2 and 2 [sic] and for gloves no. 9 and 10 should be knitted loosely with
knit stitches, while the wrists for mittens no. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 and for gloves no. 11,
12, 14, and 16 should be worked with purl and knit stitches (long ribbing). The pattern
should be a well-recognized Selbu pattern … The same applies to the color
composition. The pattern should always be chosen appropriately for the sizing so half
patterns can be avoided. The various motifs in a composition must harmonize with
each other.
 TRADEMARKING
All mittens and gloves which satisfy these standard requirements can, with the
authority of the institutions approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, be tagged with the
registered trademark for Selbu products. Products which do not meet thse standards
will not be allowed this trademark.**

__________
* The old needle size 7 corresponds to today’s U.S. 1.5 / 2.5 mm.
** From the article in Form og Farge [Form and Color], no. 11, 1939: “Notes from the
Norwegian Board of Standardization No. 128, Recommendations for Standards for Selbu
Products—Mittens and Gloves.”

THUMB RULES FOR MITTEN KNITTERS:

The mitten hand should be measured in three parts: up to the thumbhole, up
to the end of the thumb, and up to the tip of the hand. The section for
increasing for the thumb (the gusset) should be the same length as the
thumb, before shaping the thumb tip. The thumb should align with the fold
when the mitten is folded down to the thumbhole. The back of the hand is
the same width all the way from the point where the pattern begins up to the
start of the decreasing for the mitten tip. Mittens with these measurements
should fit the pattern with two identical stars perfectly.
Thumb rules for Selbu mittens, which Annepett Sandvik
demonstrated.
CASTING ON—TWO TYPICAL CAST-
ON METHODS
Two cast-on methods are used primarily in Selbu: long-tail and backwards
loop.
There are several methods for casting on. You can cast on to produce a
knit or purl edge, or use a combination of these two. When using a purl
edging or a combination with knit stitches, you will have a stronger and
more elastic cast-on edge, which works well for mittens and socks.

Jorunn Skrødal demonstrates how she casts on with the English

version of the long-tail cast-on. The needle with the first stitch is
held in the right hand and the yarn in the left hand.
Hold the strand nearest you over the left thumb, catching the tail
firmly with your left ring and little fingers.

Turn the thumb with the strand out to the side and form a loop
around your thumb.
Insert the needle into this loop.

Lay the other strand over the right index finger

and loop the yarn over the needle tip.

With your left thumb holding the loop in place,

 lift it over the strand sitting on the needle tip.

Tighten both strands.

The backwards loop cast-on makes an easy and thin edge suitable for
casting on over the thumbhole gusset and between the fingers.
Experienced mitten knitters like to cast on a multiple of four for the
stitch count. That way they can have the same number of stitches on each
needle. They refer to the stitch count for mittens in terms of stitches per
needle. For example, “cast on 15 stitches for men” means a total of 60
stitches.
Ann-Mari Aas demonstrates how she casts on for the
backwards loop. The needle with the first stitch, is held in the
right hand, with the back strand over the right index finger and
the nearest strand over the left thumb.

The thumb turns to the side. The needle is inserted from down
and up along the outer side of the thumb.
 The strands are tightened lightly, and the steps repeated.

In Selbu, stranded colorwork is knitted by having one color of yarn over the
right index finger and the other strand over to the left, or knitting with both
strands held in the right hand and “casting” the yarn over the needle, letting
go, lifting the hand up, and throwing the yarn over the needle tip.
Personally, as a child in 1970, I learned to hold the background color
yarn over the left index finger and to “throw” the pattern color. My sisters
learned this method from my godmother, Gjerine Bårdsgård, some years
before.

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Yarn and wool
WOOL
From time immemorial, wool has been the most prominent textile material in
the Nordic region. Estimates are that the Gammelnorsk (Old Norwegian)
sheep breed has existed for more than 3,000 years. One could thus infer that
wool has been available for at least as long. Wool has many unique qualities:
it insulates well against both heat and cold, and is heat-insulating even when
damp. It can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water without feeling either
damp or cold. Its fibers are elastic, durable, and easy to keep clean. Wool
resists dirt readily and can be cleaned with snow or water.
The secret behind all these good qualities lies in the structure of wool
fibers. The smallest components in these fibers are protein molecules
(keratin), which form chains in the same way as in human hair. Several
chains join and form fibrils, which are then joined in bundles. These bundles
form the cores of the fibers. Two unique types of fiber bundles twist together
into a spiral. When wool fibers become exposed to dampness and heat, the
fiber halves swell up in differing ways, and the shape of the fibers changes.
This causes the wool fibers to lie helter skelter with many air pockets,
which, in turn, tightens the surface of wool fabric and makes it resistant to
damp and cold. The outer surfaces of wool fibers are covered with small
scales, and a natural fat (lanolin) makes the fibers strong and dirt-resistant.
Storehouse steps at Fargar. From left to right: Mali Evjen, Sofie
F. Mølnhus, Pauline F. Kyllo, and the dyer (Jon Jonsen Evjen).
Watchmaker Hans Martin Johnsen and photographer NN. The
sheep is a special breed without wool on its legs.
 Hansine and Hilma Garberg carding and spinning, Selbu, about
1945.

YARN AND WOOL IN SELBU MITTENS

The earliest fine dress mittens and gloves for sale were knitted with
homespun yarn. I remember well that it was spun as late as the 1970s, but
over the course of the 20th century machine-spun yarn was used more and
more. Selbu Husflid produced its own yarn, which was originally spun in
Stjørdal. Local sources and knitters have recounted that the old Selbu
Husflid yarn was a worsted-spun yarn that resembled, but was a little finer
than, Rauma Ullvarefabrikk’s 3-ply knitting yarn (strikkegarn), and was
considerably finer than today’s Selbu Husflid yarn. People could take their
own wool to the Stjørdal mill and have it spun into singles yarn for weaving
or plied yarn for knitting. Some of my older interviewees say that it was a
practical and flexible utilization of wool. However, it seems to have been
unpopular in the eyes of sellers. A parliamentary bill of 1939 recommended
that this practice be prohibited:
Yarn and wool quality play a very important role. The fairest result would be achieved if
one could unconditionally set requirements for millspun yarn. On the one hand, we do
not want to exclude the use of homespun yarn. On the other hand, however, we have
 not been able to set a requirement that the wool be Norwegian. What is required is a
recommendation that standards be suited to the wool and the yarn and their treatment,
to be certain of a fair and good product. The suggestion for a prohibition on the use of
so-called “weft” yarn is because, as it occurs in the trade, this yarn is spun from lower-
quality wool. Often the single strands are spun too tightly [page 74] and lie side-by-side
when plied. As a result, the yarn doesn’t acquire the roundness that knitting yarn
requires.
The idea of banning chemically bleached wool has also come up because the
process of bleaching causes wool to lose its natural fat content, and the wool
subsequently feels “dead.” Nevertheless, chemically-bleached yarn produces a more
distinctive pattern, especially when paired with dyed yarn, something which tradesmen
value and which is advantagous for sales.*

__________
* From Recommendations for Standards for Selbu Products—Mittens and Gloves from the
Norwegian Board of Standardization, 1939.

Strict requirements for yarn quality were set. Competition was tough, first
from other “knitting districts,” and then when polar mittens and ski gloves
came onto the market. One possibility for handling this competition was to
increase yarn thickness by using a three-ply yarn. This made the mittens
stronger and was also a way of increasing pay for underpaid knitters.
However, some knitting traditions were lost. Marketability was more
important than textile quality.

Gray troender sheep’s wool.

THE HUNT FOR BETTER QUALITY

The oldest mittens from the 1800s were knitted with yarn with a fantastically
fine wool quality. That wool and the handspun yarn produced a knitting
quality with a firm, fast “handle” that was still light and elastic. The oldest
mittens also seemed less likely to felt than newer mittens. Mittens from the
beginning of the 20th century and mittens that we know used yarn spun by
the knitters have particularly appealing textile qualities. Today’s various yarn
types, for the most part, produce knitting with a different feel; they are less
firm, looser, or “pancakey.” What causes the difference?

Ingvild Svorkmo Espelien and Frida Tove Meland.

We have two types of wool from sheep in Norway. One type is

crossbreed wool, from sheep that bear only wool—that is to say, these sheep
have a fleece in which all the fibers are the same (usually white sheep with
uniform wool, and some other breeds with typically crimpy wool). The other
type of wool is spæl, which comes from the oldest Norwegian sheep breed,
with soft, fine-fiber undercoat wool and smooth, long-fiber outercoat wool.
 Maren Svorkmo Espelien at work in the Selbu mill.

I have wondered whether the particular qualities of older mittens are

related to sheep possessing less outercoat in their fleece than they did in the
past. We certainly know that sheep today have been bred to produce wool
with less outercoat, because it is less scratchy. To find out if there was
anything to this theory, I knitted samples with spelsau yarn. I tried both
Rauma’s spælsau prydvevgarn and 100% spelsau lamb’s wool from Norsk
prydvevgarn / Hoelfeldt Lund. Both produce a firmness in the resulting work
that is similar to that of the old mittens. However, there were also clearer and
more obvious contrasts between black and white—a little too clear. This was
due to the fact that the fibers themselves are quite shiny and smooth, and
both Hoelfeldt Lund and Rauma dye their black yarn. The results with
spelsau yarn were, in any case, not completely “right” in comparison with
the old Selbu mitten quality, which was a little fuzzier. I then knitted mittens
with a combination of white crossbreed yarn from Rauma / Røros lamb’s
wool (lamull) and black 100% spelsau lamb’s wool from Hoelfeldt Lund.
That yarn had a warmth, lightness, and handle very close to the textile
quality of the old fine mittens, but the black was still a little too harsh in
color to be a completely true match. That was as far as I had gotten when I
was given a tip about the newly established Selbu Spinneri. That was quite a
find, as it turned out!
 Old Norwegian sheep (villsau), a small and primitive spelsau
sheep breed.

Norwegian white sheep, which are not a standardized breed, but

a utilitarian sort of sheep.

With the help of the biologist Ingvild Espelien, I have come closer to finding
the type of fiber that was used in the oldest mittens.
Concerning my theory about the outercoats and innercoats of the wool,
Ingvild says:
 I have the impression that the oldest mittens used crossbreed wool. They began
crossbreeding in Norway in 1750-1850. The old pictures of sheep found in museums
show very obviously crossbred sheep. The spelsau could have been used also, or a
cross of spelsau, which perhaps had some outercoat. The crossbred sheep no longer
have an outercoat, which disappears by the third generation if one crosses crossbreeds
with spelsau. A yarn with outercoat doesn’t need to be stronger than a crossbreed yarn.
The difference in the “feeling or handle” of the mittens derives primarily from the
spinning method. Most industrially-spun yarn produced for knitting in Norway was and
remains a woolen-style yarn. Fine handspun yarn is most often closer to semi-worsted
yarn; this is the spinning method used at the Selbu Spinneri. Mittens knitted before 1880
were most likely made with handspun yarn, and they certainly must have spun long
crossbreed fiber finely and tightly in order to achieve the results we see. For that usage,
in most places, it was quite common to spin a full year’s growth of wool—about 4¾-6 in /
12-15 cm long, on crossbreed sheep. Skilled handspinners could also choose wool
fleeces with the desired quality from a particular sheep.
The citation about wool quality (page 73) mentions weft yarn (veftgarn), which could
have been worsted yarn, or perhaps heavy wool that was spun quite firmly. It also states
that, when two strands were plied together, the yarn could be unbalanced by strands
lying parallel, which indicates a very hard twist. It is important to spin and ply correctly
for the given use and strength needed.
This is as near we can come to an answer without pulling out fibers from the old
mittens and confirming with biochemical analysis.

Selbu Spinneri has specialized in spinning and improving wool quality with
wool from a line of traditional sheep breeds.* This mill neither bleaches nor
dyes wool, but rather washes it mildly and optimizes the sheep’s natural
colors with careful color sorting. Selbu Spinneri developed two yarns for this
project: Fin Gammel Selbu and Gammel Selbu. The Fin Gammel Selbu is
appropriate for the thinnest, finest mittens with the most stitches, while
Gammel Selbu is suitable for mitten patterns of a little older vintage.** Both
yarns are spun in white, a few gray shades, and black.
__________
* Gray troender sheep (multiple shades of gray tones), Bleset sheep (brown-black/brown),
Old Norwegian sheep (villsau), and Old Norwegian spelsau (all sheep wool colors),
Dalasau (brown-black, gray, and white), Norwegian pelssau (fur sheep) (gray tones and
white), rygjasau (white), modern spelsau (white), and colored spelsau (all sheep colors).
They also spin white wool from local sheep of the Norwegian white sheep type.
** The patterns for men’s mittens have around 70 stitches at the cast-on and women’s
mittens have about 60 stitches for casting on. Gammel Selbu yarn is the same thickness
as 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma and Ask from Hillesvåg.

To find as black a wool as possible, Ingvild used her large contact list
from her work preserving traditional Norwegian domesticated animals to
find a line-up with as black a wool as possible. Bleset sheep have such a
wool, and Gray Troender lambs can be completely black. There is a farm in
Rindalen with natural black sheep; the sheep farmer has bred especially for
this, because black sheep are more resistant to alveld, a disease sheep can get
from grazing. Alveld causes sensitivity to light, so the right pigmentation
(black skin and black wool) prevents the disease. In addition, Ingvild is very
knowledgeable about the farms in central Norway and knew where she could
find the finest wool.

MITTENS IN THE BOOK

About 250 of the 500 copied or reconstructed mitten pairs in this book were
knitted with undyed and unbleached yarn from Selbu Spinneri.
Approximately 200 pairs were knitted with yarn from Rauma in colors as
close as possible to natural sheep’s wool colors, using 2-ply Gammelserie,
Finullgarn, and 3-ply Strikkegarn. About 50 pairs were knitted in various
other yarns, including Lofoten yarn spun at Hillesvåg and Selbu Husflid yarn
spun by Sandnes Garn.

Gray troender sheep.

 Copy of mittens from Tänndalen, Sweden, knitted in gray
troender sheep’s wool by Anne Bårdsgård.

GRAY TROENDER SHEEP (GRÅ TRØNDERSAU)—A

LOCAL CURIOSITY
Selbu Spinneri began its wool processing project in cooperation with the
Breed Association for the Gray Troender Sheep (Raselaget for Grå
trondersau). This sheep breed is probably a result of a crossing between the
Old Norwegian Gray sheep and the Tautra sheep (now extinct) at the end of
the 1800s. Tautra sheep were considered descendants of merino sheep from
the cloister at Tautra in Trondheim’s Fjord. The breed died out in the 1970s.
The merino element is likely the reason that the gray troender sheep have
such fine wool, which comes in various shades of gray. This wool is a
crossbreed type, soft and lustrous, and works very well for handcraft
production of all kinds, including knitting, weaving, and felting; the results
will all be warm and soft.
The resulting yarn is soft rather than strong—the yarn spun from the
wool of the spæl breeds has greater strength, but at the same time feels
harder against the skin, though it is also more lustrous. Such yarn is
decorative in weaving and can be used for garments that will get a lot of
wear.

OceanofPDF.com
Pattern motifs used in Selbu
Helga Engen Buland’s Pattern Book
Many knitters only worked those mitten patterns they had memorized.
Others collected motifs in graph paper notebooks, called rosbøker in Selbu.
I don’t remember whether Great-Aunt Inga knitted from a pattern
notebook. The mitten roses, stitch counts, and shaping were all archived in
her head. Special stars or roses were sometimes copied from old worn-out
mittens and sometimes drawn on scraps of graph paper. I often played
around by drawing knitting patterns on graph paper when I was at her house.
More organized women had notebooks, such as math books with graph
squares. Half a rose was enough; the second half could be worked as a
mirror image of the first, so more detail wasn’t necessary, and one had to
conserve the pages in a book. The small motifs around the main rose or star
were often improvised as one worked, and each knitter used her own
variations. Other motifs such as hearts and stars could appear as main
patterns on the back of the hand, as panels, or as glove finger patterns. The
patterning helped the knitter recognize her own or her family’s mittens at
school, at the mission house, and at parties.
Some very consciously drew star or rose (sjennros) variations or animal
motifs, in order to have a number of options for main patterns. Some noted
down as many different people as possible, as in a memory book, with
motifs for the neighbors and for acquaintances. Others drew in the practical
details for working motifs in given stitch counts so they fitted various sizes
—23 roses for this person, 27 roses for that one, and so on. For example, 15
stitches in width for children’s mittens and 31 stitches for the largest men’s
size mittens.
 From Oline Kulseth’s notebook.

In conversation, Janne Reitan recalled that “(…) the older knitters in

Selbu never knitted two pairs of mittens with exactly the same pattern. They
varied the arrangements of the roses, which often consisted of several roses
inside each other. They took particular care to vary the small motifs that
filled out the spaces between the roses, so the strands on the wrong side
would not be too long and easy to catch in. The result was that every pair of
mittens they sold was unique.”
A older document from the Selbu Husflidsentral also suggested there
was quite a lot of diversity and the work was not completely standardized.
The following was written under “Note!”: “With regards to the patterns, we
reserve the right to sell under the same article number an assortment of, for
example, article 1/00 with different types of star patterns and article 1/15
with various animal motifs: moose, reindeer, dog, etc.” One could certainly
say that artistic freedom prevailed among the suppliers.
 Pattern “dictionary” swatches from Inga Rolseth.

It has been very important to collect what we could of the pattern names.
Designs often had everyday names, and there doesn’t appear to have been a
tradition of deep symbolism in Selbu. The use of these patterns was more
often dictated by the knitting technique, the mitten size, and how the various
knitters liked to knit. Many of my sources emphasized that the pattern
should be straightforward to knit, logical, and repeatable, so the job could be
done effectively. Others liked variations and wanted to knit new designs
regularly so as not to get bored.
 New Kallarstrø rose.

Ingulv Røsset wrote in the book Selbu-målet:

The profusion of roses (røser, two-color stranded knitting, a radiant rose) developed
between 1900 and 1940, when Selbu knitting was a large home industry in the district.
Many patterns are named for their originator; that is, the motif bears the name of the
person who composed it, or the farm they were from. Others are associative names,
based on a similarity or memory of something. Some of the design names varied from
one neighborhood to another.
Some originator names are: Ane-Berg rose, Blikstad rose, Guri-hook, Innbær rose
(or Kölset rose), Kallarstrø rose, Pal-Innbær hook (or large hook), Vølset rose, Luggu
rose.
Associative names: flower (on the cuffs and fingers), flowerpot, dancers (many
variations), heart rose (several variations), coffee beans, “fly wheel” rose (several
variations), wheel (several variations), small H and large H, opposing hearts, ant’s path,
star rose, two-, three-, four-star rose, etc. up to twelve-star roses (depending on the
number of stitches), spider,* spitball, spruce* branch-rose (or spruce tree), a three
(patterns with various arrangements of the number 3, several variations), twelve-cross
block rose*, ram’s horn rose, orange (a reminder of an orange cut in half).

Many mitten roses, according to folklore, bore the names of the knitters who
used or invented these special roses. At Kallarstrø, they apparently began
knitting a new rose at a certain point in time. This became the New
Kallarstrø rose (Nye Kallarstrørosa). This rose was also called the
Neppåjarsrosa, because it was often knitted at the Neppåjardet farm in
Øverbygda. Likewise, the M-panel or letter M was also known as the
Blikstad hook (Blikstadkrokin) because it was knitted so often at Blikstad.
 We haven’t found patterns for some of the names Ingulv Røsset wrote
about. The list includes the Blikstad rose, Gurina Trø’n rose, Brynhild Ås
rose, birdwing, and Velvan’s hook. If there are explanations for these, or
multiple names, it is our hope that readers will register the names and their
origin.

Neppåjars rose.

As we worked on this book, the same patterns have been found with
different appellations, and new nicknames for the designs have popped up.
Despite the risk of referring to something with the wrong name, we have
attempted to give the correct names to patterns that are visually related to
each other. If there are several names in use, it will be explained in the text.
The star or rose motif (sjennrosa) is discussed first. The earlier sections
are arranged according to the variations within the stars, and the later
sections discuss what is going on around the stars.
Designation as, for example, “a star with a square or block in the center”
is not a suggestion for a name, but rather is used to visually group similar
motifs and to acknowledge similar details. Some mittens serve as examples
in several places, because they have varying characteristics that can best be
highlighted in different contexts. The pattern headings are not intended as
conclusive but as a helpful means to assess the details and differences of the
mitten stars and roses. Mitten examples and pattern references do not show
identical mitten roses on all the photo spreads, but should be seen as
illustrations of variations belonging to the same pattern group.
PRIMARY MITTEN MOTIFS
On the following pages, you’ll find a pattern “dictionary” with an overview
of the primary mitten motifs (main motifs on the front of a mitten). The
motifs are illustrated with photos of the mittens. More information about the
various mittens can be found on pages 288-291.

SJENNROSA MOTIF (ALSO CALLED STAR, EIGHT-

PETAL ROSE, SELBU ROSE, AND SELBU STAR)
Although the star motif has essentially become a national symbol, and
outside the region is often called a Selbu star, this pattern can be found in
many parts of the world. In her book Everyday Knitting, Annemor Sundbø
wrote that the motif is a Latvian national symbol, called the “freedom star,”
and is also found on Indian handcraft pieces, in addition to being seen in
Coptic, Islamic, and Byzantine textiles. She continues:
A star is a symbol of the highest rank one can reach. In the world of Christian
symbolism, the star is a symbol of triumph and victory, and also a symbol of God’s son,
Jesus Christ; in navigation it is the guiding light. To follow a star is to be graced by divine
guidance. “I am the bright morning star,” says Jesus (Revelations. 22:16).
The eight-pointed star is also connected with the Virgin Mary. Another name for this
star is “The Star of Mary.” As early as the year 390, the church father Hieronymus used
the Latin word for sea, mare, and called the star “Stella Maris”— “star of the sea.”

E. H. Gombrich, in his book The Sense of Order, wrote about how we

comprehend patterns, depending on the visual context the elements are set
in. Gombrich shows an example of the star motif taken from Gestalt
psychology, which was very much concerned with the same theme as Selbu
knitters: how to vary the perception of the same decorative element in
different settings.
“The Sense of Order” (W. Metzger, 1975).
 The two pictures to the left show a quadruple fourteen-star motif
with simple two-star motifs in the corners. The stars can also be
grouped according to single, double, triple, etc., or whether they
are single-color, or whether they stand alone versus if there are
multiple fields within each other.

The star motif works well for textile techniques such as knitting,
embroidery, and weaving. Selbu knitters have used the pattern on mittens
ever since two-color stranded knitting was established in the district, and no
pattern is used as much as the star. Annepett Sandvik writes in the article
“Om selbustrikking:”* “One must reckon that the first Selbu mittens to come
onto the market had the star motif. The star motif and the development of
later patterns were based on the eight-petal rose.”
__________
* “Om selbustrikking,” [About Selbu Knitting], article in Norsk Husflid, number 1, 1984.

About a third of our registered mittens and mitten patterns have star motifs.
A large number of variations have been developed from this motif, and the
knitters of Selbu have made it their own. In Selbu, the star is specified by the
number of stitches in each point, from two and up. The smallest, two- and
three-stars, are used on children’s mittens and as small motifs on fingers and
in panels. Four- and five-stars are useful for mittens knitted with heavy yarn.
The largest known star in this collection, a fourteen-star, was originally
knitted with very fine handspun yarn; the mitten on which it appears has 120
stitches around the hand.
SINGLE STAR MOTIFS
SINGLE STAR MOTIFS WITH TWINKLES AND
DOUBLE STARS
WHOLE STARS
Whole stars signify patterns with the outermost star used all the way around.
In the first two examples, there is a spider in the center; in the next, a single
star motif; and in example 7, the star motif has four “petals” in the center.
WHOLE STARS
The first example has a snowflake in the center, while the next two have pine
boughs—or is this the motif also called a fishbone rose? The name
“fishbone” was noted by Annepett Sandvik in the 1980s, although her source
couldn’t say how it came to be called that.
STAR MOTIFS WITH A BLOCK CENTER
The precursor to these patterns is probably centered around the ram’s horn
motif (verhånnrosa), which was drawn following the pattern by Brynhild
Lilleevjen. See the star surrounded by the ram’s horn on the opposite page.
These drawings were taken from Solveig Borseth’s pattern collection.
STAR MOTIF WITH DIAGONAL BLOCKS INSIDE
STAR MOTIFS WITH BRANCHES
When the star motif has diagonal lines between the star points or petals, it is
called the “star with branches or boughs” (sjennros med gren). These
branches often end with twigs (tell, the Selbu word for spruce or spruce
needles/twigs) at the tip of the mitten hand. An overview of various spruce
twigs can be found on page 99. In examples 8 and 9, an extra branch is
found in the vertical lines and in the diagonal respectively. This makes the
mitten motif a few stitches wider, and might just be the detail that makes the
mittens fit better on a slightly wider hand.
SPRUCE TWIGS AND OTHER SMALL MOTIFS
Few activities are associated with wool mittens more strongly than a ski run
through a spruce forest. The twig pattern pops up among all the star shapes,
and is a cherished method for filling out the corners of the star. Twig patterns
are shaped in a variety of ways. The patterns at the top of the opposite page
show different variations on the spruce twig pattern, while the motifs at the
bottom are characterized as small patterns.
STAR MOTIFS WITH MORE SPACE BEWEEN THE
POINTS
There are a number of mittens with unusual star motifs. There might be more
space between the points, either along the diagonal lines (examples 1-7) or
along the vertical and horizontal lines, such as on the mittens by Beret Aune
(examples 10 and 11 on page 102). These variations make the stars more
open. One could also add extra points or petals to produce, for example, a
16-point star (examples 6, 7, 13, and 14).
STAR MOTIFS WITH MORE SPACE BEWEEN THE
POINTS
ATYPICAL / OTHER VARIATIONS
These star motifs have unusual patterning on the inside. In example 1, there
are four contrast-color points, resulting in a new variation. The star in
example 2 is used on children’s mittens, but it also appears in older stocking
patterns from Selbu Husflidsentral. A block or stairsteps can be set inside the
diagonals (examples 3-9).
STARS WITH FOUR POINTS
The type of star shown in the first two examples below can also be found on
the oldest Norwegian knitted garments we know about.* This design might
be interpreted as a star, or as four stylized hearts facing each other. In the last
two examples, the four-petal rose is turned 45 degrees and in between its
petals are vertical and horizontal lines arranged as for a cross on a flag.
__________
* Kjellberg, Anne, et al, Strikking i Norge [Knitting in Norway].
ANE BERG ROSE AND OTHER LONGITUNDINAL
STAR PATTERNS
Designs with half stars were often used on mittens for boys and girls. The
motifs on examples 1 and 2 have been recorded in several pattern notebooks
with the name Ane Berg-rosa.
ENDLESS PATTERN STAR MOTIFS
STARS IN DIAGONALLY STYLIZED CROSSES
This pattern with a star set within a diagonal cross has been found on very
old textiles. It has been featured on the oldest knitted garments (17th
century) from France and the Netherlands*, and on old Norwegian block
tapestries from the 1700s.** Fragments of the pattern can clearly be seen in
Guri Randi Fuglem’s universally classic Selbu mittens (example 6).
__________
* Kjellberg, Anne, et al, Strikking i Norge [Knitting in Norway].
** Wang, Marit, Ruteåklær [Patchwork Quilts].
STARS WITHIN DIAGONALLY STYLIZED BLOCKS
STARS WITHIN ROUNDED RHOMBOIDS
STARS WITHIN ROUNDED ROSES
The Selbu Bygdemuseum has preserved a knitted scrap with a lovely mitten
rose on it. The drawings taken by the Husflid Association include a pattern
from the 1980s called the round rose (rundrosa). The rose has been adapted
for a number of fine patterns. A star at the center might be surrounded by a
diagonal and rounded square, an organic rhomboid shape, and outside that,
another rounded rose which goes all the way around or is a simplified
rendering of the number 3 (trie). You might recognize the center, which is
used on the examples in the previous chapter. Examples 6-9 have rounded
roses or circles used singly around the stars.
STARS / ROUNDED STARS
THE WHEEL, ORANGE, AND OTHER VARIATIONS
OF THE EIGHT-PETAL ROSE
Rounded eight-petal roses have a number of different names, including: the
wheel (hjulet/kjulet), orange (appelsina) and round rose (rundros). The roses
in examples 7 and 8 are the same as those called an orange in the Selbu
Husflid pattern collections from the 1980s. Several roses are referred to as
oranges; see, for example, the “Fly Wheel Rose and other flowers.”
THE WHEEL (HJULET) AND KÅNNTRØ
ROSE/SNOWFLAKE (SNØKRYSTALLEN)
FLOWERPOT AND KÅNNTRØ ROSE/SNOWFLAKE
The flowerpot (blomsterkrukka) appears on old mittens, most often on the
thumb. Flowers might also appear alone, with names such as “Kånntrø rose”
(Kånntrøros) or “snowflake” (snøkrystallen). Endless patterns with the
flowerpot motif are found on gloves from Rolseth and in several pattern
notebooks. These mittens were knitted based off of a design in a pattern
notebook.
INNBÆR / VØRSET / KØLSET ROSES
Ingulv Røset mentions the Ingeborg rose (Innbærrosa), which is another
name for Kølset or Kulseth roses (Køksetrosa or Kulsethrosa). Among the
pattern drawings made by knitters in the 1980s are mentions of the Ingeborg
rose being the same rose as the Vørset or Voldseth rose.
INGEBORG / VØRSET / KØLSET ROSES
RAM’S HORN ROSE (VERHÅNNROSA)
Elegant ram horns inspired the shape of this rose, which is seen on many of
the oldest mittens. This motif requires fine yarn and a lot of stitches, in order
to fit in all the details of the rose. It is often placed within a diagonal block,
with small patterns surrounding it. The floral flourish (blomstrenn) is much
used. On women’s mittens, the element is usually repeated twice.
In previous times, it was common for Selbu residents to go to the Røros
market in February to sell millstones, hides, and handcrafts. This is how
mitten patterns wandered between villages. A clear example of this can be
seen by comparing some mittens knitted by Marit Emstad and Pastor
Jervell’s famous mittens. His mittens were a going-away gift when he moved
away from Tolga in 1902.* They feature a simplified version of the ram’s
horn rose with approximately the same arrangement as Marit Emstad’s, but
with a simpler pattern, knitted with heavier yarn. However, Jervell’s mittens
have lovely fluffy cuffs and his name knitted in. The Pål-Innbær roses and
the number 3 shape are variations of the ram’s horn rose.
__________
* Gravjord, Ingeborg. Votten i norsk tradisjon [Mittens in the Norwegian Tradition].
Women’s mittens with the Ram’s horn rose from Selbu
Bygdemuseum (SE 3012).

Mittens knitted by Marit Emstad. Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE

3093).
Pastor Jervell’s mittens from Tolga.
RAM’S HORN ROSES
THE NUMBER 3, FORWARD AND REVERSE
These last three examples are, from what I understand, newer roses that
Kristian Kvennås drew. They do not have a recorded name, but have shapes
similar to the ram’s horn roses and the number 3.
FLY WHEEL ROSE (KJINNTYRILLROS) AND GOAT’S
HORN ROSE (BUKKHÅNN)
The fly wheel and goat’s horn roses are rather typical examples of a fruitful
use of associative names for motifs. One and the same name pops up here
for relatively different patterns. All the roses on the next page are called the
fly wheel rose, so there are clearly several possible meanings. Knitters in
Selbu and several sources were certain that the rose to the right (example 3)
is a pure fly wheel rose, and that it was named for the ring around the dasher
of a butter churn.* Another explanation is that the rose in the center
(example 2), with the same appellation, was named for an old pattern which
occurs in cream as it is churned into butter. This rose is given the title of
“kjinntyrillros” in both pattern notebooks and the Husflid Association’s
collection materials from the 1980s. The rose below, which does not have
the same diagonal square in the center, is called a goat’s horn rose
(bukkhånnros). The horn is represented as it looks when the goat shakes its
head. The rose in example 1 is labeled both as a reverse-3 and a fly wheel
rose in the Selbu Husflid Association’s pattern records of the 1980s. Several
of these patterns are repeated in the section on the number 3.
__________
* The dasher of a butterchurn (kinnestaven/kjinnestaven)—an old tool that was used for
churning butter when butter was still churned by hand.
FLY WHEEL ROSE (KJINNTYRILLROS) AND OTHER
FLOWERS
Most agree that the roses on examples 1, 2, and 9 are the motif called the fly
wheel rose. The roses in examples 5-7 appear in the booklet “Selbustrikk”
[Selbu Knitting], published by Rauma in collaboration with the Selbu
Husflid, and are called orange (appelsina). The wheel (hjulet) roses in
examples 3, 4, and 8 are from the Husflid Association’s collection materials
from the 1980s. This rose is a detail from the center of the rose in the orange
motif.
FLY WHEEL ROSE (KJINNTYRILLROS) / GOAT’S
HORN ROSE (BUKKHÅNNROS)
GOAT’S HORN ROSE (BUKKHÅNNROS)
HEART ROSES (HJARTROSA/HJERTROSA)
The common feature of these mittens is a clear heart shape. The examples on
pages 148-149 show the hearts turned with the tips facing out. Several
designate those turned-out roses as the reverse heart (mothjart), as opposed
to the heart roses here. Others use the term “reverse heart” for all mitten
roses that are not longitudinal hearts. The rose motifs in examples 3 and 6
are obviously similar to the roses on the previous pages (see pattern
dictionary). The distinctions are sometimes fuzzy, but these motifs come
together at the tip as easily recognizable hearts.
REVERSE HEART ROSES (MOTHJARTROSA)
OX HORN (STUTHÅNN)
In conversation with several knitters, it was mentioned that there were mitten
motifs called ox horn (stuthånn), although no one could say exactly what the
pattern looked like. This relatively little-used pattern could also be
considered ox horn roses (stuthannroser). The motif shown at bottom left on
page 151 is copied from an older pattern collection at the Selbu
Bygdemuseum, and is identical to the painter William Singer’s favorite
mittens, knitted in Tydal.
THE KALLARSTRØ WOMEN
A lot of knitting occurred at Kallarstrø. There are two different things that
always come up when you hear about mitten knitting at Kallarstrø. One is a
distinct rose referred to as the Kallarstrø rose; the other is a special
arrangement of mitten petals with one larger and one smaller rose, earlier
referred to as a “composite” or “compound” pattern.

Petrine Kirkvoll and Kari Kallarstrø.

Gloves with the Kallarstrø rose pattern, Selbu Bygdemuseum
(SE 727).
Kallarstrø rose mittens with the initials and date, GK 1956,
knitted in. These mittens belonged to Gudrun Kallar, Selbu
Bygdemuseum (SE 2877).
THE KALLARSTRØ ROSE
Reportedly, the Kallarstrø rose pattern was adapted from embroidery. The
altar cloth in the Selbu church has star motifs and Kallarstrø roses, worked in
blackwork embroidery. This rose repeatedly appears on stockings and old
mittens. There are several different versions of this rose from all around the
district. This pattern was also used outside the community. Example 6 is a
copy of mittens from Lillehammer.
KALLARSTRØ MITTENS
The Kallarstrø women frequently knitted mittens with composite patterns,
and this method of arranging the patterns was often called a “Kallarstrø
mitten.” These mittens were shorter and wider than mittens with two
matching designs.
On the mittens knitted by Kari Kallarstrø and Petrine Kirkvoll, one detail
recurs in all the pointed or petaled mittens. Close to the top of the mitten,
there are 2-4 pattern stitches, as well as a frame around the main pattern,
which changes direction when level with the tip of the little finger. It makes
the petals narrower where the hand narrows. These mittens were especially
fine. This technique is suitable for patterns with composed ornamentation
where there is a larger and a smaller star motif.
WOODLOUSE/SPIDER (SKARTTRELL/KONGRO)
Two names are applied to the same pattern. The silhouette derives from the
wood louse, with diagonal lines corresponding to a spider’s body. Common
to both is that they are inspired by a small insect that comes out during the
summer. Neither name is more or less accurate than the other. Examples 2
and 3 show fine twig patterns with obvious differences. On the mitten with
the endless rose pattern (example 2), the twigs are equal in size, with four
stitches from the beginning to the tip. On the example 3 mittens, the twigs
diminish over the branch from six stitches at the inside to three stitches at the
outer tip.
SPIDERS
ENDLESS PATTERNS WITH SPIDERS
LUNDBECK ROSE / TWELVE-CROSS BLOCK ROSE
/ SMITH’S ROSE
The story about the Lundbeck rose goes as follows: The rose comes from
Lundbeck (today called Fretheim or Eggen), a farm very close to the Selbu
Lake Hotel and Guesthouse. Peter Lundbeck (1787-1864) was a blacksmith
from Sweden. He married Brynhild Tomasdatter (1792-1867) in 1826. She
was from Åsen at lower Hårstad. Brynhild traveled to Sweden in 1817 and
met Peter there. Then she came home to Selbu and had a daughter, Anne
Katrine. Brynhild and Peter then moved together to Trondheim where they
married. In 1854, Anne Katrine Pedersdatter Lundbeck married Ole Persen
Setsås Sr. (1828-1910) from Grindråen at East Setsås, Ysteråsen. Ole was a
blacksmith like his father-in-law, and also used the name Lundbeck. Ole and
Anne had six children, four of whom survived. In her old age, the youngest
daughter, Katrine (1866-?) lived in very restricted, humble conditions. The
Lundbeck rose we knit today is taken from her work. Had she simplified the
smith’s rose? The smith’s rose could have been the ornamentation on a door
or chest.

The twelve-cross block rose is a well-known symbol in South Sami

handcrafts and often used for metal thread embroidery on bodices
(boengeskuvmie). For more information, refer to Maja Dunfjeld Aagård.* A
Sami source translated the name of the symbol as a “good luck knot.”
__________
* Maja Dunfjeld Aagård. Tjaalehtjimmie. “South Sami ornament as a means of
communication and an aesthetic expression.”
DIAGONALLY POSITIONED BLOCKS
OTHER LONGITUDINAL PATTERNS
TWO ATYPICAL PATTERNS
MESSAGES, INITIALS, AND DATES
From early on, mittens given as personal presents had messages, initials, and
dates. During the war, a stylized H was often used for patterning. A
coincidence? Maybe not. It was well-suited for anyone whose name started
with an H, just as A and M were appropriate for those with A or M initials.
Might it also have been interpreted as a secret symbol for King Haakon VII
of Norway? Some patterns bore disguised flags—and mittens with swastikas
were also knitted.
THE LETTER H
ANIMAL PATTERNS
Animal patterns were very popular, starting in the 1930s. Knitters received
higher pay for animal patterns, and that was good because they were more
trouble to knit. Solveig Evjemo said that, as a girl, she had an order for seven
pairs of rabbit mittens. There were two rabbits on each mitten and two
mittens in a pair, which made for a total of 28 rabbits. She struggled with
these rabbits, as she had never knitted one before and had to guess at
precisely how to knit them. Her father helped by making a wood template
with the pattern drawn on. He hung the template around Solveig’s neck so
she could knit the rabbits from it. Solveig (90 at the time we spoke) is still
not happy about knitting animal motifs.
PANELS
Panels can be used horizontally for cuffs and vertically as bands at the side
of the thumb gusset and up the mitten sides in longitudinal patterns. A good
number of panels have names. Many panels have several names, or the same
names are used for different but similar panels.

1A
2 floral flourish
3 dancers/goblins
4 Guri hook / Pål-Innbær-hook / Innbær-hook / large hook
5 coffee bean
6 fly wheel
7 clover
8 clover
9 kånntrø rose / snowflake
10 lightning
11 ant path / separator / Velvan’s hook
12 ant path / separator / Velvan’s hook
13 M / Blikstad hook
14 star panel
15 spider panel
16 twelve-cross block panel
17 grape leaves or leafy vine
DANCERS/GOBLINS
Small figures make charming embellishments. These are much used on
children’s mittens, but also for adult versions on the cuffs or thumbs. The
figures are commonly described as dancers—and sometimes dancers come
with décor, including hats or patterns on their skirts. A likely older term is
“goblins” (tuftå or tufter), which are elves or underworld creatures.

1 Girls’ mittens, no. 132. Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig

Borseth.

2 Men’s gloves knitted from a photo in the article, “Selbu og

Selbyggerne” [Selbu and Selbu People], Urd no. 7, 1934, knitted
by Jorunn Skrødal.
3 Men’s mittens knitted based off of a photo in “Selbu og
Selbyggerne” [Selbu and Selbu People], Urd no. 7, 1934, knitted
by Mia Gjessing.

4–6 Dancers from “From the pattern notebooks” of: Oline

Kulseth, Ingebord Overvik, Gjertrud Lien.
COFFEE BEANS
The coffee bean panel is used quite often for cuffs. The examples shown
here feature the coffee bean panel worked both longitudinally as part of the
main pattern and horizontally between the stars and fingers on the gloves.
Boys’/girls’ mittens from Selbu Husflidsentral, no. 132, knitted by
Solveig Borseth.
Men’s gloves from a photo in the article “Selbu og Selbyggerne”
[Selbu and Selbu People], Urd, no. 7, 1934, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal.
Men’s gloves from a photo in the article “Selbu og Selbyggerne”
[Selbu and Selbu People]. Urd, no. 7, 1934, knitted by Mia
Gjessing.
SIDE BANDS
This narrow panel forms bands at the sides of mittens and glove fingers.
PALM AND INNER HAND MOTIFS
The size of the palm pattern depends on how many stitches there are around
the mitten. On newer mittens and children’s mittens, simpler patterns were
usually chosen than for older mittens or mittens knitted for adults. Some
palm patterns are named.

1 heaven’s firmament
2 heaven’s firmament
3 grape leaf or leafy vine
4 common chicken wire
5 and 10 block or clamp
6 and 7  small cross
8           spitball
9           small H

Large palm patterns are shown on pages 208-212. On pages 215-219, you’ll
find smaller palm patterns.
SPITBALL

An assortment of spitball variations.

OceanofPDF.com
Mitten patterns from
exceptional knitters
Beret Aune.
The pattern instructions suggest needle sizes—for example, U. S. size 1.5-
2.5 / 2.5-3 mm. Check your gauge and adjust needle size to obtain correct
gauge.

The yarn amount needed for baby mittens is 25 g; for women’s mittens, 50
g of each color; and for men’s mittens, 75 g of the main color and 50 g of the
pattern color. The first row (the cast-on row) is not included on the charts.

A number directly below the title indicates the museum registration number
for the original mittens; mittens without numbers are in private ownership.

ABBREVIATIONS

cm centimeter(s)
CO cast on
dpn double-pointed needles
in inch(es)
k knit
k2tog knit 2 sts together = 1 stitch decreased; right-leaning decrease
m meter(s)
mm millimeters
M1 make = lift strand between 2 sts and knit into back loop
p purl
p2tog purl 2 sts together = 1 st decreased
psso pass slipped stitch(es) over
rep repeat(s)
rnd(s) round(s)
sl slip
ssk (sl 1 knitwise) 2 times; place sts back onto left needle and knit the
stitches together through back loops = 1 stitch decreased; left-
leaning decrease
st(s) stitch(es)
yd yard(s)
BABY MITTENS KNITTED BY
RAGNHILD TUSETH (1890)

Ragnhild Tuseth (née Flakne) (1866-1960) knitted for herself, her family,
relatives, and friends, and, to some extent, for sale. These baby mittens were
knitted for her first daughter, born in 1890. Ragnhild had seven children,
including Johanna Fuglem, who inherited these mittens. Johanna was the
mother of Guri Randi Fuglem, who now owns the mittens. They were called
rose mittens in the family. We don’t know whether that refers to the color or
the patterning.

The mittens were probably originally knitted with white and dyed red yarn.
These mittens are unique in several ways. The chevron cuff was knitted with
two colors. These are the only mittens registered in the district with this cuff
design. They also have a special palm pattern with vertical sections. The two
outermost sections form the bands around the sides and are not found on
other mittens. Copying these mittens is not recommended for beginner
knitters.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 4¾ in / 12 cm
Width: 2½ in / 6.5 cm
Gauge: 29 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), color 639
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 y/360 m/ 100 g), unbleached white
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With red, CO 60 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Knit 3 rnds with red. With white, knit 1 rnd. Turn the work and begin the
chevron cuff (Row 4 of chart). Use two colors and work only with knit sts.
Work the first rnd following the chart, without any decreasing or increasing.
Work the second rnd as follows: *K1 red, k2tog with white, k1 red, M1 with
red, k1 red, k1 white, k1 red, M1 red. K1 red, sl 1 red st, k1 red, psso. Rep
from * around. Turn work, knit 1 rnd red. Begin pattern chart. Work back of
hand without increasing and then, on palm, increase 10 sts (in approx. every
4th st). Continue charted pattern, adding thumb gusset where indicated.
Following the chart, place 13 sts on a holder for the thumb. CO 3 new sts
over the gap. Continue charted pattern, shaping tip as shown.
Thumb: Place the 13 held sts on dpn and pick up and knit 9 sts across top of
thumbhole = 22 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Work second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb placement to
correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Gently steam press mittens
under a damp pressing cloth to block.
CHRISTENING MITTENS FROM SOLEM
CHRISTENING MITTENS FROM RAGNHILD SLIND
(BORN 1884)
Ragnhild Slind was the daughter of Beret Jonasdatter Solem, original owner
of the next pair of mittens.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 4 in / 10 cm
Width: 2½ in / 6 cm
Gauge: 22 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), colors 635 and 674
Notions: red cotton ribbon
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With red, CO 60 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Work 2 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 2 rnds. Now continue following the chart
for the cuff. Continue to the main pattern on the chart. Increase for thumb as
shown on thumb chart. Place the 7 thumb sts on a holder. CO 5 sts over gap
and continue to top of mitten. NOTE: The tip of the original mitten was a bit
offset. To approximate this, on the palm, on the outer side of the hand, begin
decreasing two rnds before shaping rest of hand.
Thumb: Place the 7 thumb sts on dpn and pick up and knit 7 more sts above
thumbhole = 14 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Work second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb placement to
correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Gently steam press mittens
under a damp pressing cloth to block.
CHRISTENING MITTENS FROM JONASDATTER
SOLEM (BORN 1859)
Knitted by Marit Pedersdotter Solem, mother of Beret.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 5¼ in / 13 cm
Width: 2½ in / 6 cm
Gauge: 20 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), colors 667 and 624
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With red, CO 60 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn. Join, being
careful not to twist cast-on row; pm for beginning of rnd. Following chart,
work 2 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 2 rnds. Begin pattern, increasing 2 sts
evenly spaced around before beginning pattern motif. Increase for the thumb
as charted. Place 11 sts on holder for thumb. CO 7 sts over gap and continue
to top of mitten. The top of the original mitten is decreased all around.
Decrease with the least possible disturbance of the pattern and side bands.
Thumb: Place the 11 held thumb sts on dpn and pick up and knit 9 more sts
across top of thumbhole = 20 sts. Work following thumb chart.
Work second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb placement to
correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Gently steam press mittens
under a damp pressing cloth to block.
CHRISTENING MITTENS BY MARTIN
HOFSLI, BORN 1899
SE 1504

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 5½ in / 14 cm
Width: 2¾ in / 7 cm
Gauge: 24 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), colors 635 and 674 + small amount green and yellow
yarn
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn
Instructions: With red, CO 60 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Following chart, work 2 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 1 rnd red. Knit 2 rnds
purple. Now work following the chart for the cuff, increasing 4 sts evenly
spaced around on the 1st rnd. After completing cuff, knit 1 rnd with purple.
Knit 1 rnd, alternating red and purple. When finishing, embroider over
purple sts with green and yellow using duplicate stitch. Knit 2 rnds with
purple before working pattern chart. Follow the chart, placing the 13 thumb
sts on a holder. CO 11 sts over gap and complete hand, shaping top as shown
on chart.
Thumb: Place the 13 held sts for the thumb on dpn and pick up and knit 13
more sts across top of thumbhole = 26 sts total. Work thumb following chart.
Work second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb placement to
correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Embroider as noted above.
Gently steam press mittens under a damp pressing cloth to block.
CHRISTENING MITTENS FROM YSTER
STOKKE

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 4¾ in / 12 cm
Width: 2½ in / 6 cm
Gauge: 29 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), colors 624 and 674
Notions: black silk ribbon
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn
Instructions: With red, CO 60 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn. Join, being
careful not to twist cast-on row; pm for beginning of rnd. Following chart,
work 2 rnds k2, p2 ribbing. Knit 1 rnd red and then continue following the
chart. To begin thumb gusset, increase 1 st. Increase for gusset as charted
and then place the 11 thumb sts on a holder. CO 6 sts over gap and complete
charted pattern, shaping top as shown. NOTE: Pay close attention to the
unusual tip shaping.
Thumb: Place the 11 held sts on dpn and pick up and knit 13 sts across top of
thumbhole = 24 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Work the second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Gently steam press mittens
under a damp pressing cloth to block.
CHRISTENING MITTENS FROM ENGEN
OR BÅRDSGÅRD

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 5 in / 12.5 cm
Width: 2¾ in / 7 cm
Gauge: 18 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), colors 624 and 649
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With red, CO 48 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Following chart, work 3 rnds k1, p1 ribbing and then knit 1 rnd red.
Continue following the chart for cuff. Knit 1 rnd red before beginning main
pattern. Over the first 2 rnds of main pattern, increase 4 sts evenly spaced
across back of hand. On the 8th rnd of main pattern, increase 2 sts on palm.
Continue following chart, placing the 11 thumb sts on a holder. CO 9 sts
over gap and complete hand, shaping top as shown.
Thumb: Place the 11 held sts on dpn and pick up and knit 9 sts across top of
thumbhole = 20 sts total. Work thumb following chart.
Work the second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Gently steam press mittens
under a damp pressing cloth to block.
BABY MITTENS FROM TEIGEN IN
SELBU

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 4 in / 10 cm
Width: 2½ in / 6 cm
Gauge: 19 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 y/360 m/ 100 g), colors: red and unbleached white
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 36 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Following chart, work 2 rnds k1, p1 ribbing and then knit 1 rnd white.
Continue following the chart for cuff. On the last rnd of cuff, increase 4 sts
(see chart). Now work the hand pattern following the chart. Where indicated
with red line, place 8 sts on a holder for thumb. CO 8 sts over gap and
complete mitten. NOTE: The tip of the original mitten was a bit offset. To
approximate this, on the palm, on the outer side of the hand, begin
decreasing two rnds before the shaping rest of hand.
Thumb: Place the 8 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 8 sts across top of
thumbhole = 16 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Work the second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Gently steam press mittens
under a damp pressing cloth to block.
CHRISTENING MITTENS FOR OLE
MOEN, BORN 1879, KNITTED BY BELLE
GUNNESS

A boy was born in 1879 at Mobakken Øvre (Mobakka) in Selbustrand. The

parents were Peder Paulsen Størsethgjerdet and Malena Estensdatter from
Nermotrøa. The boy was fifth of a total of ten children. His father Peder was
one of seven siblings, and had five sisters and one brother. Two of those
sisters were named Brynhild, so they became Brynhild “the elder” and
Brynhild “the younger.” Brynhild “the younger” was godmother to this boy,
who was named Ole; and she knitted him a pair of mittens as a christening
gift. In 1881, Brynhild immigrated to America, changed her first name to
Belle, and married Peder Gunness, so Gunness became her last name. Belle
Gunness became widely known as the serial murderess from Selbu, but
that’s another story.*
__________
* Summarized from an article by Solveig Borseth: “Ole Moen’s Christening Mittens.” Jul i
Neadalen [Christmas in Neadalen], Annual from the Selbu and Tydal History Association,
2015.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 5½ in / 14 cm
Width: 2¾ in / 7 cm
Gauge: 19 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), color 635
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 y/360 m/ 100 g), sheep’s black
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With red, CO 60 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Work following the cuff chart: knit 2 rnds with red, ending with the panel
with the two-end (twined) edging or a round of purl sts. Knit 2 rnds red
before beginning hand. On the first rnd, increase 4 sts evenly spaced around.
Begin main pattern. Following the chart, place the 13 sts for thumb on a
holder. CO 12 sts over the gap and complete charted pattern.
Thumb: Place the 13 held sts on dpn and pick up and knit 15 sts across top of
thumbhole = 28 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Work the second mitten the same way, reversing pattern and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS.
GLOVES FROM THE SELBU
BYGDEMUSEUM’S PATTERN
COLLECTION
The pattern for these gloves was copied from an old pattern in the Selbu
Bygdemuseum’s collection. Gloves with the same patterning also featured in
Strikking i Norge (1987) [Knitting in Norway]. They are distinguished by the
branches surrounding the girls on the back of the hand and the dog who
found a place with the girls on the cuffs.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 9½ in / 24.5 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 10.5 cm
NOTE: These are sized as small men’s gloves, but will also fit an average
woman’s hand.
Gauge: 18 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
OR CYCA #2 (sport, baby) Ask from Hillesvåg (100% wool, 344 yd/315 m
/ 100 g), colors 316057 and 316058
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g), colors 401 natural white and 410 black
Needles: U. S. size 000-1 / 1.5-2.25 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 72 sts; divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 3 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 1 rnd before beginning
pattern panel and then continue following the cuff chart. Knit the 2 rnds
between cuff and hand, and, on 2nd rnd, increase 2 sts (= 1 st on each side of
the wrist). Continue following chart, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place
the 15 thumb sts on a holder and then CO 15 sts over gap. Work the chart up
to base of fingers. Place all but little finger sts on a holder. Work each finger
following individual charts.
Work second glove as for first, reversing shaping and finger placement to
match. Make sure each of the fingers matches the length of corresponding
finger on first glove. The little finger has 25 sts around, ring and index
fingers each have 27 sts, and the middle finger has 28 sts around. See red
lines on chart for placement of fingers. Pick up and knit sts between fingers
for total needed.
Thumb: Place the 15 held sts on dpn and then pick up and knit 13 sts across
top of thumbhole = 28 sts total; work following thumb chart.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MEN’S GLOVES WITH KALLARSTRØ
ROSE FROM THE SELBU
BYGDEMUSEUM
SE 727

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10¾ in / 27 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 11 cm
Gauge: 22 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 0000-0 / 1.25-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 84 sts, set up for k1, p1 ribbing. Divide sts
evenly onto 4 dpn and join. Begin charted pattern: work 2 rnds k1, p1
ribbing. Knit 1 rnd before beginning cuff colorwork pattern. At the wrist,
increase a total of 10 sts evenly spaced around in the first two rnds of the
main pattern. Shape thumb gusset as shown on chart. Place the thumb 19 sts
on a holder and CO 12 sts over the gap. Decrease 4 sts above thumb as
indicated on chart = 1 st on each rnd along the band next to the thumb
gusset. Continue up to the base of the fingers.
Place all but little finger sts on a holder. Work each finger following
individual charts. See red lines on hand chart for placement of fingers. Pick
up and knit sts between the fingers for total needed. The index finger has 33
sts around, the middle finger has 35 sts, the ring finger has 33 sts, and the
little finger has 29 sts around.
Work second glove as for first, reversing shaping and finger placement to
correspond. Make sure each of the fingers matches the length of
corresponding finger on first glove.
Thumb: Place the 19 held sts on dpn and then pick up and knit 19 sts across
top of thumbhole = 38 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
WOMEN’S GLOVES FROM SELBU
BYGDEMUSEUM
SE 2466

These gloves were donated to the Selbu Bygdemuseum by Sofie

Aunehaugen, a notable person in the village and a driving force behind the
museum. These small women’s gloves were not knitted by her, and were
originally worked in fine homespun yarn. Their shaping is particularly
elegant, and the pattern is attractively fitted to the fingers. The gloves were
worked without side bands between the fingers, so the patterns flow across.
This was achieved through many subtle tricks—with fine needles and yarn,
sizing is barely affected if one increases or decreases a stitch or two here and
there. For easier knitting, we added a vertical line of single black stitches as
a band between each finger. Otherwise this version is just as lovely as the
original.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 9½ in / 24.5 cm
Width: 3½ in / 9 cm. These are small women’s gloves!
Gauge: 23 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 0000-0 / 1.25-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 70 sts purlwise. Divide sts evenly onto 4 dpn
and join. Begin charted pattern with: Purl 3 rnds. Knit 1 rnd for the cuff and
then work 6 rnds chevron cuff.
Rnds 1, 3, 5, 7: *Sl 1, k1, psso (or ssk), k2, M1, k1, M1, k2, k2tog, p1; rep *
to around.
Rnds 2, 4, 6, 8: (K9, p1) around.
Knit 2 rnds, increasing 2 sts on Rnd 1, 1 on either side of the wrist.
Work thumb gusset as indicated on chart and then place the 19 thumb sts on
a holder. CO 12 sts over the gap. Continue up to the base of the fingers.
Place all but little finger sts on a holder. Work each finger following
individual charts.
The sts on each finger chart that appear in addition to those marked off with
a red line for that finger on the hand chart are extra stitches picked up
between the fingers.
From left to right: index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger.
See red lines on hand chart for placement of fingers. Pick up and knit sts
between fingers to add up to total needed. The index finger has 27 sts
around, the middle finger has 30 sts, the ring finger has 29 sts, and the little
finger has 27 sts around.
Work second glove as for first, reversing shaping and finger placement to
match. Make sure each of the fingers matches the length of corresponding
finger on first glove.
Thumb: Place the 19 held sts on dpn and then pick up and knit 13 sts across
top of thumbhole = 32 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MEN’S MITTENS KNITTED BY MARIT
EMSTAD
SE 3093

Marit Emstad (1841–1929) was named Guldseth/Guldsethbrua at birth, and

her later married name was Flønes. She adopted the Emstad name late in life
when she moved to live with her daughter Mali, whose married name was
Emstad. Marit Emstad is considered the “mother of Selbu knitting” (read
more about Marit on page 17). The pattern for these gloves has the ram’s
horn rose for a starting point, but there are different motifs on the sides and
five twelve-cross block roses at the tip (with the outermost ones cut off a
bit). These mittens have more stitches per centimeter than any other pair in
the book!
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 9¾ in / 25 cm
Width: 5 in / 12.5 cm
Gauge: 30 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 0000-000 / 1.25-1.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: Alternating black and white, CO 116 sts. Begin charted

pattern by working 3 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Work the cuff pattern, decreasing 4
sts (1 st per needle) before the meandering motif where indicated on chart.
Before starting hand, increase 1 st per needle. Continue following chart,
shaping thumb gusset. Place the 27 thumb sts on a holder (halfway up the
star on back of hand)—see note below concerning thumb and gusset length.
CO 23 sts over gap and continue, noting the special shaping at the mitten tip.
Thumb: Place 27 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 24 sts across top of
thumbhole = 51 sts total. Work following thumb chart. Work across thumb
chart and then repeat the pattern inside the bands for back of thumb.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond to first mitten.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.

NOTE: These mittens have a very short thumb gusset. For better fit, the
gusset can be lengthened by working 6 extra rnds before placing thumb sts
on a holder. The thumb can also be lengthened with a few extra rnds.
BRIDEGROOM MITTENS FOR PEDER
PERSEN (BRUN) ROLSETH, KNITTED
BY BERIT LARSDATTER
(OPPIGARDEN) BÅRDSGÅRD

Berit Larsdatter Bårdsgård (1867–1922) was the youngest daughter in her

family in Bårdsgården. When she was 27, she was engaged to Peder Persen
(Rolsethbrua/Moen/Brun) Rolseth, whose child she was expecting. She
became mentally ill and was sent to a psychiatric hospital where her
daughter Brynhild (1894-1980, married name Engen) was born. During that
time, Berit knitted these beautiful bridegroom mittens. When she was well,
she moved back to her childhood home. The marriage never took place.
Brynhild grew up at Bårdsgården with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and
grandmother. Peder later married Sigrid Ingebriktsdatter Kyllo from
Knuthaugen (1865-1934). They didn’t have any children, but raised Sigrid’s
niece, Karen Gjertine Pedersdatter Marstad, as a foster daughter. His
descendants recorded that Peder Brun was a good father and grandfather
throughout his life. The mittens that Berit knitted for Peder are the most
intricate and organically patterned mittens registered in Selbu.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 9¼ in / 23.5 cm
Width: 4¾ in / 12 cm
Gauge: 25 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 000-0 / 1.5-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 92 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, knit 1 rnd black; turn work. Work 2 rnds k1 white, p1
black ribbing. Work the charted cuff pattern, increasing 6 sts after the first
scroll motif, and increase 2 more sts after the flowers. Shape the thumb
gusset as shown on chart. Place the 20 thumb sts on a holder and CO 13 sts
over gap. Complete charted pattern, shaping top as shown.
Thumb: Place 20 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 22 sts across top of
thumbhole = 42 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.

Knitting Tips: This is the most complicated pattern in the book. Use Post-it
notes or a magnetic board to keep your place, moving marker up every row.
BRIDEGROOM MITTENS FOR JACOB
NÆSS, KNITTED BY GURINE NÆSS

Gurine Næss (1884–1909) knitted these lovely mittens in 1907 when she
married Jacob Næss (1878-1967). Gurine had two children, Olov Hogna
(1907-1985) and Ole (1909-1914). Gurine and Jacob promised each other
eternal love: even if one died, they would still remain faithful to each other.
Pretty Gurine died when she was 25, after only two years of marriage. Her
younger son died five years later; Jacob lived, a widower and single father to
Olov, for 60 years. These mittens were heavily worn and patched.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 10 in / 25.5 cm
Width: 5 in / 12.5 cm
Gauge: 24 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 000-0 / 1.5-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 104 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, begin by working 4 rnds, k1, p1 ribbing. Continue in
charted cuff pattern.
To begin thumb gusset, M1 with black on 2nd rnd of hand. Shape gusset as
shown on chart. Place the 21 thumb sts on a holder and CO 13 sts,
alternating black and white, over gap. Continue to end of charted rows for
hand.
Thumb: Place 21 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 19 sts across top of
thumbhole = 40 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth
MEN’S MITTENS KNITTED BY GURU
(HÅGGÅBAKKEN) HÅRSTAD
SE 1937

Guru Hårstads (1888–1969) maiden name was Kulset, and she was from
Kolsethaugen. She married Nils Kristian Hårstad in 1919, and they had three
children. They lived at Håggåbakken, which was the cotter’s farm below
Hårstadlia. In 1950, the farm was split from Hårstadlia and allocated to Nils
Kristian Hårstad. From 1895 up to around 1930, the Selbu telephone center
was based at Håggåbakken. Guru’s husband was nicknamed “Nils Central.”
We can’t say for certain how much Guru knitted for sale, but at that time it is
likely that this was welcome income for the household. According to her
grandchild Nils, his grandmother was a kind and generous woman. She also
cultivated garden berries, which they sold.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 11¼ in / 28.5 cm
Width: 5 in / 12.5 cm
Gauge: 20 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 000-00 / 1.5-1.75 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 88 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 4 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Knit 1 rnd white. Work the
charted cuff pattern, decreasing 3 sts evenly spaced around where indicated
on the chart. Finish the cuff with 2 rnds white and then begin hand. At the
wrist, increase 11 sts evenly spaced around (to accommodate sts for base of
thumb gusset).
Shape the thumb gusset as shown on chart. Place the 23 thumb sts on a
holder and CO 23 sts over gap. Complete charted pattern, shaping top as
shown.
Thumb: Place 23 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 20 sts across top of
thumbhole = 43 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
BRIDEGROOM’S MITTENS FOR NILS
NILSEN FLØNES, KNITTED BY
GJERTRUD OLSDATTER
(TRØHAUGEN) SANDVIK, MARRIED
NAME FLØNES
SE 2260

Gjertrud Olsdatter Sandvik (1857–1955) knitted these elegant mittens for

Nils Nilsen Flønes (1867-1948) from Tangtrøa on Flønes when they married
in 1891. Gjertrud and Nils had five children. Two died in infancy, while
three others lived: Nikolai Egil (1894-1977), Ragna Olive (1899-1984), and
Birger Georg (1903-1989). Birger Georg later took over the farm and, in
time, donated this mitten to the Selbu Bygdemuseum.
These mittens are special in several ways. The pattern surrounding the
main motif was arranged and rounded like a flower. The motif in the center,
repeated on the cuff, has only been found on these mittens. Elements of the
Kallarstrø rose were incorporated into the main motif and at the top. Parts of
the twelve-cross block rose were used at the sides and a little hook is
positioned upright. The palm features red patterns over a black background
—the opposite of the color arrangement on the back of the hand. This was
uncommon, but several mittens have been recorded with this detail.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 9½ in / 24 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 11 cm
Gauge: 26 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Prydvevgarn 1-ply from Rauma (100% spelsau wool, 656
yd/600 m / 100 g), color 635 red
AND
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black
Needles: U. S. size 000-0 / 1.5-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With red, CO 96 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join. Following
the chart, knit 1 rnd red. Work 2 rnds k1 red, p1 black ribbing. Knit 1 rnd red
before beginning pattern.
After completing large cuff pattern, on the first rnd of small pattern, increase
4 sts evenly spaced around. On first rnd of hand, increase another 3 sts
evenly spaced around. Work the thumb gusset following the chart. Place the
27 thumb sts on a holder and CO 23 sts over gap, alternating red and black.
Complete hand.
Thumb: Place 27 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 22 sts across top of
thumbhole = 49 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
NOTE: This mitten has a very short thumb. Lengthen by adding rows as
necessary.
MEN’S MITTENS KNITTED BY PÅL-
INBÆR
Ingeborg “Pål-Innbær” Pålsdatter Kallarsøya (1863-1944) grew up on
“Kallarsøya” or “Påløya.” This place was divided from the property of
Kallar Ustigarden in 1855 and given to his son Pål Jonsen from Kallar. He
was married to Kirsti Estensdatter Mebust. They ran the farm until 1910, and
had twins, Ingeborg and Berit, born in 1863. Ingeborg took over the farm
from her parents and remained unmarried until their deaths. Berit had four
children, who later had their own families. The first house on Påløya was
built near the river and prone to ice and flooding. When Ingeborg died in
1944, the farm was closed down and the property was added back to the
holdings of the Kallar farm.
It has been said that Pål-Innbær had a special recipe for a porridge taken
to women after childbirth: 1 kilo (2.2 lb) prunes and 1 kilo sugar cooked
down with 1 liter (quart) water. This made a thick porridge, which could be
cut into pieces and rehydrated. Pål-Innbær’s prune-porridge must have lasted
a long time. It was also said that she was a rather scary person. She shouted
swear words at the children and kept herself to herself. It was also said that,
because she lived in poverty, she stole wood kindling.* Despite this, she was
an exceptional knitter, and composed these mittens. The rose pattern is still
known as the Pål-Innbær rose. These men’s mittens were copied from the
original mittens** knitted by Pål-Innbær
__________
* Remembrances from Annepett Sandvik and Solveig Evjemo.
** The mittens belonged to Ingeborg Lien Uglem and the pattern was copied down by Joril
Solli.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 12¾ in / 32 cm
Width: 5 in / 12.5 cm
Gauge: 17 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), white heather and black
OR CYCA #2 (sport, baby) Grå Trønder / Ask from Hillesvåg (100% wool,
344 yd/315 m / 100 g), colors 316057 and 316058
Needles: U. S. size 00-1.5 / 1.75-2.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 64 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, knit 5 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Work 5 rnds stockinette.
Work the dancers following the cuff chart and then increase 6 sts evenly
spaced around the wrist before knitting the dogs.
Knit 2 rnds white, increasing 5 sts evenly spaced around before beginning
the hand.
For the thumb gusset, increase 1 st on each side of the white center stitch of
the gusset. Work the gusset following the chart. Place the 19 sts on a holder,
then CO 18 sts with black and white over gap. Continue charted pattern to
top of mitten.
Thumb: Place 19 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 36 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
SIVERT FLØNES-TANGEN’S MITTENS
We don’t know who originally knitted these richly flowered mittens, but we
do know that Sivert Flønes-Tangen inherited them. The mittens were likely
from the late 19th century or early 20th century. They have a short ribbed
cuff, and, judging by the size, were worn by a man. Although the mittens are
wide, they have relatively small and narrow thumbs. The palm pattern is
unique and recorded in Selbu only on these mittens.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10¾ in / 27 cm
Width: 4¾ in / 12 cm
Gauge: 23 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #0 (lace) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100% Norwegian
wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 000-0 / 1.5-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 75 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work the striped k1, p1 ribbing. On the 2nd white round
after the ribbing, increase 3 sts evenly spaced around. Continue working
charted pattern for hand and thumb. Place the 23 thumb sts on a holder and
CO 17 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 23 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 40 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MEN’S MITTENS KNITTED BY BERET
AUNE
SE 2467

Beret Aune (1856–1958) emigrated to the United States in 1882 with her
husband and their son. The family settled in a small community without a
school or church in Minnesota. Beret taught the local women how to knit
and sold their work in the nearest town. The resulting Women’s Missionary
Federation collected enough money from these sales to fund a Sunday
school, and a teacher, and eventually save up for the construction of a
church.
In 1893, Beret returned to Selbu and Vikvarvet. In order to get to the
shop and church, she had to row over the Nea River. It wasn’t such a long
distance, she thought, but it was so boring to go by the less-than-sturdy boat
over the river every time she wanted to shop. So, she thought along these
lines: “As with the church in America, it shouldn’t be that difficult to fund a
bridge over this river.” Beret gathered friends and neighbors, established a
bridge-building association, and the first Tiegen bridge became a reality. A
monument in her memory was raised at the bridge in 2004. When the
Gethsemane Lutheran Church in America celebrated its fiftieth anniversary,
Beret was sent a certificate. The award hung over her bed until her death.
Beret Aune lived to be 102 years old and knitted mittens all the way to the
end. She always knitted the same pattern in her old age: a variation of the
sjennrosa with a dark, wide background emphasizing the white eight-petal
rose.

These mittens were knitted by Beret Aune when she was over
100 years old.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10¾ in / 27.5 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 11 cm
Gauge: 14 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) Gimre 2-ply Strikkegarn Selbu from Selbu
Spinneri (100% Norwegian wool, 218 yd/200 m / 100 g), black and white
OR CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 and 110
Needles: U. S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 68 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 3 rnds k1, p1 ribbing and then 2 rnds stockinette.
After working the first narrow panel, decrease 5 sts evenly spaced around
(approx. 1 st per needle). After the floral vine motif on the cuff, increase 1 st
for the second narrow cuff panel. Increase 1 more st to begin the base of the
thumb gusset.
Continue working charted pattern for hand and thumb. Place the 16 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 9 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 16 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 16 sts across top of
thumbhole = 32 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MEN’S MITTENS BY HANNA FUGLEM
FROM SELBUSTRAND

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 13¾ in / 35 cm
Width: 4¾ in / 12 cm
Gauge: 17 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g), colors 401 natural white and 410 black
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U. S. size 0-1.5 / 2-2.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 76 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 3 rnds k2, p2 ribbing with white; 1 rnd k2, p2
ribbing alternating black and white; and 1 rnd k2, p2 ribbing with white.
Knit 4 rnds white. Continuing from chart, work diamond pattern and then
decrease 4 sts evenly spaced around before star pattern.
NOTE: There are 4 sts before the first star and 4 sts after the last one to
adjust the pattern. On the first rnd of the hand, increase 6 sts evenly spaced
around and continue following chart. Increase the white sts on the inside of
the black bands which mark the thumb placement. Finish the thumb gusset
with 6 rnds without increasing (see chart). Place the 19 thumb sts on a holder
and CO 12 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 19 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 23 sts across top of
thumbhole = 42 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MEN’S MITTENS WITH MITTEN ROSES
BY INGEBORG EVJEN BRENNÅS

Ingeborg Evjen Brennås (1908–96) was awarded the Marit Emstad medal
in 1966. This medal was bestowed on “knitters who have done particularly
valuable work for promoting quality handicrafts and small industry in
Neadalen.” The mitten rose preserved by Ingeborg is most likely her own
design.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 11 in / 28 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 11 cm
Gauge: 16 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
OR CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 116
dark brown-black
Needles: U. S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 60 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 3 rnds k1, p1 ribbing and then 2 rnds stockinette.
Work following the cuff chart, ending with 2 rnds stockinette with white
before beginning hand. On the first rnd of the hand, increase 4 sts evenly
spaced around. Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset. Place the 17
thumb sts on a holder (halfway up the star) and CO 10 sts over gap.
Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 17 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 9 sts across top of
thumbhole = 26 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
HILMAR KULSET’S MITTENS FROM
KALLARSTRØ

Kallarstrø was the cotter’s farm below Kallar Ustigarden. Aunt Kari
Kallarstrø (1874-1968) and her niece Petrine Kirkvoll (1883-1970) lived
together at Kallarstrø after Petrine came to the farm as a six-year-old. Both
remained unmarried. The Kallarstrø women were recognized as especially
clever knitters who had their own playful way of arranging pattern motifs.
Many of the mittens from Kallarstrø have been preserved—the owners have
obviously cared for these as fine mittens.
These mittens have many technical finesses. When the pattern panels
were knitted for the cuffs, 1 stitch was slipped in the transition between
rounds so the pattern would look as fine as possible, without a jog. The
mittens often featured figures, monograms, and dates on the cuff or thumb.
Thumb gussets were often embellished with hearts. On the gloves that have
been preserved, there are different motifs on each fingertip. The Kallarstrø
women also had their own special techniques and tricks when it came to
knitting mittens with two composite patterns. Decreasing one or two stitches
on each side of the mitten hand beside the top rose made the mitten a little
narrower to follow the hand’s shape perfectly. This was especially obvious in
the 1965 mittens that belonged to Hilmar Kulseth, and in Sofie
Aunehaugen’s mittens from 1968.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10¾ in / 27.5 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 11 cm
Gauge: 16 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g), colors 401 natural white and 410 black
For a larger men’s size, use:
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 116
dark brown-black
Needles: U. S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 60 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 2 rnds k1, p1 ribbing. Work the motifs on cuff
chart, ending last white rnd by increasing 2 sts evenly spaced around.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset. Place the 16 thumb sts on a
holder (halfway up the star on back of hand) and CO 13 sts over the gap.
Complete mitten following chart, noting decreases on palm: decrease 1 st on
each side as shown on chart (at the center of the second large motif on back
of hand).
Thumb: Place 16 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 33 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
SOFIE AUNEHAUGEN’S MITTENS
KNITTED AT KALLARSTRØ

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 9¾ in / 25 cm
Width: 4 in / 10 cm
Gauge: 16 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), white heather and black heather
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g) colors 401 natural white and 410 black
OR CYCA #2 (sport, baby) Ask from Hillesvåg (100% wool, 344 yd/315 m
/ 100 g), colors 316057 and 316058
Needles: U. S. size 0-1.5 / 2-2.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 56 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work in striped k2, p2 ribbing. End cuff with 2 rnds
stockinette with white. On the first rnd of the hand pattern, increase 4 sts
evenly spaced around. Work hand and shape thumb gusset following charts.
Place the 13 thumb sts on a holder (halfway up the star on back of hand) and
CO 7 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 13 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 11 sts across top of
thumbhole = 24 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
WOMEN’S MITTENS FROM THE
NORWEGIAN MUSEUM OF CULTURAL
HISTORY’S PHOTOGRAPHY
COLLECTION CA. 1900
NF 14389-001

These mittens were reconstructed from an old black and white photo of a
mitten from Selbu. The background color is clearly a darker color than
white. We used undyed yarn in sheep’s colors from the Selbu Spinneri in
light gray and sheep’s black.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10 in / 25.5 cm
Width: 5 in / 12.5 cm
Gauge: 24 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), gray and sheep’s brown-black
Needles: U.S. size 000-0 / 1.5-2 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With gray, CO 72 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work the chevron pattern as follows:
Pattern Rnd: *K1, M1, k2, k2tog, p1, k1, p1, k2tog, k2, M1*; rep * to *
around.
Alternate “Plain” Rnds: K5, *p1, k1, p1, k9*; rep * to * around, ending
with k4 instead of k9.
Work a total of 36 chevron rnds, striping as indicated on chart.
Knit 2 rnds gray before the dancers and dogs on the top of the cuff and then
knit 2 rnds gray before beginning hand, increasing 3 sts evenly spaced
around on 2nd rnd. Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown.
Place the 17 thumb sts on a holder and CO 13 sts over gap. Complete mitten
following chart.
Thumb: Place 17 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 34 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
WOMEN’S MITTENS WITH THE RAM’S
HORN ROSE FROM THE SELBU
BYGDEMUSEUM
SE 3026

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 13¼ in / 33.5 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 10.5 cm
Gauge: 18 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.
Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Fin Gammel Selbu from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 393 yd/360 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U.S. size 000-1 / 1.5-2.25 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 84 sts purlwise. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and
join. Purl 3 rnds and then knit 1 rnd. Now work the chevron cuff:
Pattern Rnd: *P1, k2tog, k4, M1, k1, M1, k4, k2tog*; rep * to * around.
Alternate “Plain” Rnds: *P1, k13*; rep * to * around.
Repeat the 2 chevron rnds 6 times before beginning stripe sequence. Work
the striped chevron pattern following the chart = 53 rnds of chevron. Knit 4
rnds in white after stripe sequence. After completing flower panel, increase 6
sts evenly spaced around. Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as
shown. Place the 19 thumb sts on a holder and CO 14 sts over gap. Complete
mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 19 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 36 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.

NOTE: These are long mittens. The mitten begins with 9 rounds worked
with white (not shown on chart) before the pattern begins. For a shorter cuff,
you can omit either one stripe repeat or the flower panel.
WOMEN’S MITTENS FROM ANNICHEN
SIBBERN BØHN: NORWEGIAN
KNITTING DESIGNS (1947)

Annichen Sibbern Bøhn (1905–78), was a Norwegian knitter, designer, and

author. She is well-known for her collection of Norwegian knitting patterns
and the book she wrote in 1928: Norwegian Knitting Designs (Norske
strikkemønstre).*
__________
* Wikipedia
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 11 in / 28 cm
Width: 4 in / 10 cm
Gauge: 23 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
OR CYCA #2 (sport, baby) Ask from Hillesvåg (100% wool, 344 yd/315 m
/ 100 g), colors 316057 natural white and 316058 light brown heather
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g) colors 401 natural white and 410 black
Needles: U.S. size 000-1 / 1.5-2.25 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 72 sts purlwise. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and
join. Purl 2 rnds and then knit 1 rnd. Now work the chevron cuff:
Pattern Rnd: *P1, k2tog, k6, M1, k1, M1, k6, k2tog*; rep * to * around.
Alternate “Plain” Rnds: *P1, k17*; rep * to * around.
Work the striped chevron pattern following the chart = 35 rnds of chevron.
After completing cuff, knit 2 rnds white before beginning hand. At wrist,
increase 3 sts evenly spaced around. Continue charted rows, shaping thumb
gusset as shown. Place the 19 thumb sts on a holder and CO 16 sts over gap.
Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 19 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 20 sts across top of
thumbhole = 39 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MITTENS FROM SOFIE MARSTAD

“I was born in the small bedroom at Evjen Dyeworks in 1919 and christened
Sofie after my grandmother.” Thus Sofie Marstad (1919-2012) began her
story in her collected recollections, entitled “As I remember…” and
continuing up to 2007. Her grandparents and parents ran the dyeworks and
did fabric printing in Selbu (see also pages 28 and 74). Her husband was
Ingebrigt Tomassen Marstad, and they had six children—including Jorunn
Skrødal, who contributed to this book by knitting reconstructions of some of
the older mittens.
Sofie knitted and wove her whole life, with countless pairs of mittens
and sweaters flying off the needles in her industrious fingers. She knitted
and made her own clothes before she began school. As a young girl, Sofie
spent much time at the summer pastures. She knitted while tending to
livestock at the same time; she could have eight to ten pairs of mittens to
bring home from the summer pasture cottage. She mentions all the girls she
taught to knit when small and how they knitted to earn the money to buy
their own clothes and shoes. One pair of shoes cost eight crowns,
corresponding to the income from six or seven pairs of mittens. Tomas, the
only son, also knitted his own trousers. As with other Selbu knitters, Sofie
had all the patterns in her head. In her youth, she already had ten to twelve
different patterns memorized.
Sofie was always fascinated by cultural traditional and history, and
participated actively in the cultural life of Selbu. She was one of the leaders
behind the foundation of the Selbu Bygdemuseum, together with Annepett
Sandvik. Sofie died in 2012, leaving the village much poorer for her passing.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 16½ in / 42 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 10.5 cm
Gauge: 14 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 116
dark brown-black
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-4 / 2.5-3.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With brown-black, CO 84 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, purl 2 rnds and then knit 1 rnd. Work 3 rep of the 2-rnd
pattern (= 6 rnds total) of the chevron pattern as follows:
Rnd 1: *P1, k2tog, k4, M1, p1, M1, k4, k2tog*; rep * to * around.
Rnd 2: *P1, k6*; rep * to * around.
Knit 2 rnds black and then work cuff pattern following chart. After
completing pattern motifs, knit 3 rnds black, and on 4th rnd, decease 28 sts
evenly spaced around. Work 18 rnds in k2, p2 ribbing. Knit 1 rnd black and,
on next knit rnd, increase 2 sts, 1 on each side of the wrist.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 13 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 12 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 13 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 13 sts across top of
thumbhole = 26 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
GIRLS’ MITTENS KNITTED BY SOLVEIG
EVJEMO

Solveig Evjemo (1925–), was born on Litjstoggo Moslett in 1925, one of

three siblings. Knitting was both a source of income and a hobby from her
early childhood years. In 1960, Solveig married John Evejmo. For many
years, they lived in Trondheim; but eventually they moved back to Selbu,
where they took over a small farmstead from John’s parents. Solveig has 15
nieces and nephews, and was honored with a Marit Emstad memorial
certificate.
“No one knits as nicely as a Solveig,” is a saying from Selbu. Solveig
explains her capabilities with this story: when she was about six years old,
and had begun to knit mittens, she soon wanted to knit some to sell; but her
mother thought she needed to wait a while. At that time Solveig was also a
bit of a daredevil, and she went without her mother’s knowledge to see the
merchant Olav Stokke with one of her first pairs of mittens. Stokke
examined at one mitten to see if it was the same size as the other, pulling on
it with some force and intense doubt. He imposed a condition “that she
should never try to sell such ugly mittens again!” Solveig promised to be
more careful, and he gave her a cone of brown sugar in return, as her first
earnings.
Solveig kept her promise, and became a very industrious handworker
and bearer of tradition. In this project, she was an important source of
information, especially in regards to expert knitting details. Her specialties
are remarkably even knitting, inventive pattern use, and careful arrangement
of motifs for a good fit.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10½ in / 26.5 cm
Width: 4 in / 10 cm.
Gauge: 19 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black heather and white heather
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g), colors 401 natural white and 410 black
OR CYCA #2 (sport, baby) Ask from Hillesvåg (100% wool, 344 yd/315 m
/ 100 g), colors 316057 natural white and 316058 light brown heather
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 60 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, purl 2 rnds and then knit 1 rnd before the chevron
pattern. Work the 2-rnd rep of the chevron pattern as follows:
Rnd 1: *K2tog, k5, M1, k1, M1, k5, ssk*; rep * to * around.
Rnd 2: Knit around.
Work a total of 34 pattern rnds, following charted stripe sequence. Next, knit
1 rnd increasing 4 sts, spaced over previous increases = 64 sts. Knit 2 more
rnds before the hand.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 17 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 16 sts over gap. Decrease above thumbhole as shown
on the chart. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 17 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 34 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
GIRLS’ MITTENS FROM UTHUSDALA

Inga Uthus (1911–97) had twelve children. Ten survived and all of them
learned to knit, both boys and girls. In text saved from an article in the paper
Billedbladet Nå, 1955, accompanying a picture, it says:
Kjell, 15 years old (holding pole), made the sweater he is shown wearing. In this
household, it was the custom that the oldest boys took their knitting with them when they
went out to work in the woods. For example, Sverre, 14 years old, took his handwork
when he went to tend the flocks in Tydalen. Those who didn’t go away to work also
contributed: Solfrid, 12 years, knits everything for herself. Gerd, 8, and Svein, 10, have
each sold 5 pairs of mittens to the handcraft shop. Kolbjørn, 6 years old, tentatively knits
washcloths for his mother.

Gerd reported that they alternated school days and knitting days. Everyone
had to contribute to the family income, but they also had time to play!

This stylish pattern, which Gerd copied from her mother, has an especially
tightly composed visual appearance. The rhomboid centers of the roses
alternate from black to white up the back of the hand, so that one may
alternately see stars or blocks.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 8½ in / 21.5 cm
Width: 3 in / 7.5 cm
Gauge: 14 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 116
dark brown-black
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 35 sts purlwise. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and
join. Following the chart, purl 1 rnd. Work the 2-rnd rep of the chevron
pattern as follows:
Rnd 1: *P1, k2tog, k1, M1, k2, M1, k1, k2tog*; rep * to * around.
Rnd 2: *P1, k6*; rep * to * around.
Work a total of 20 pattern rnds, following charted stripe sequence. Knit 1
rnd, increasing 3 sts evenly spaced around and then begin hand.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 10 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 8 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 10 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 8 sts across top of
thumbhole = 18 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
GIRLS’ MITTENS FROM BRUMOEN
These girls’ mittens were knitted for Inger Jørgensen in the 1950s by her
aunt, Gurine Roldseth.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 10¾ in / 27 cm
Width: 3¼ in / 8.5 cm
Gauge: 20 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g), colors 401 natural white and 410 black
Needles: U.S. size 0-1.5 / 2-2.5 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 35 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 41 rnds k2, p2 ribbing, working stripe sequence as
shown on chart. After completing cuff, increase 7 sts evenly spaced around
and then knit 2 more rnds before beginning block and diamond pattern
motifs. Knit 1 rnd white, increasing 4 sts evenly spaced around; begin hand.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 17 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 11 sts over gap. NOTE: Just above the thumbhole,
there are special decreases—decrease 1 st on each rnd next to the band 3
times, as shown on chart.
Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 17 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 15 sts across top of
thumbhole = 32 sts total. Decrease 1 st on every rnd on the thumb side,
which turns in to the center of the hand. Rep two times. Work following
thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.

NOTE: The original mittens have very short thumbs. This pattern has been
adjusted by Solveig Evjemo.
HELGA ENGEN BULAND’S FAVORITE
MITTENS

Helga Engen Buland (1920–2013) owned a small farm called Seienget in

Øverbygda. She was the daughter of Brynhild and Olav Engen. She was
educated at the Levanger teacher’s school and was a teacher for a total of 40
years. Helga married Anders Buland and was the mother of Trond Buland,
who has taken good care of her mittens and has a large private collection.
Helga taught in Tydal (1941-44), in Skatval, in Hegra, and then at the
Øverbygda school in Selbu from 1948-1985.

I remember that she was a well-loved teacher, with an appreciation for

drawing, beautiful handwriting, organization, and humor. Helga never
knitted for sale, only for herself and her family. Helga bought mittens from
the neighbors—she had another job—but her pattern notebooks have been
preserved. They show that she systematically used these patterns for both
knitting and embroidery, and colored her pattern charts. These mittens and
the rose motif are examples of an individual’s development of a design. She
took the ram’s horn rose as her starting point and then made her own
variation.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 10 in / 25.5 cm
Width: 3½ in / 9 cm
Gauge: 16 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), gray and brown-black
OR
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 104 medium gray-brown and
164 dark brown
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With gray, CO 48 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work around in k1, p1 ribbing in stripe sequence. On
the last rnd of ribbing, increase 6 sts (in purl sts) evenly spaced around. End
cuff with 2 knit rnds.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 15 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 9 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 15 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 15 sts across top of
thumbhole = 30 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
WOMEN’S MITTENS WITH MITTEN
ROSE BY MARTIN SVE’N

Martin (Sve’n) Evjen Jørgensen (1910–99) ran a small farm known as

Sveum or Evjsvea with his sister Inga, until they left the farm for a home in
Mebond. He was employed at Selbu Husflidsentral, was a librarian in the
province, and served as sexton in the Selbu church. His father was a tailor,
and so Martin practiced and learned much about textiles and yarn, and a
great deal about knitting and composing patterns. It was natural for him and
his sister Inga to knit garments. Martin Sve’n wrote poetry, too, and was a
well-known person in the village.
CHRISTMAS IN NEADALEN
The quiet pure peace, over the farm and yard
Before the festive time arrives—for one and all.
Now Christmas stands just behind the hill
And work ends, and Christmas peace stands,
And waits, desiring now to fill the village and neighborhood,
And create God’s peace in the cottages.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 11 in / 28 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 10.5 cm
Gauge: 14 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 116
dark brown-black
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 48 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work around in k2, p2 ribbing for 28 rnds, working
stripes as shown on chart. After ribbing, knit 1 rnd white and then work top
of cuff motif. Knit 2 rnds, and, on the 2nd rnd, increase 5 sts on the back of
hand and 1 st on the palm.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 13 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 9 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 13 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 13 sts across top of
thumbhole = 26 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
MODERN GIRLS’ MITTENS BY INGA
(BAKKELIEN) ROLSETH

My godmother Inga Rolseth, née Bårdsgård (1909-1998), grew up at the

home of her half-sisters Ingeborg and Hansine on Bårdsgård-Markåen. She
was stricken by polio as a child, but grew up big and strong and became an
industrious worker. When she was 30, she married Peder Rolseth, who had
lived in America for 15 years. They worked the farm in Verdal for 25 years
before they moved back to Selbu in 1966, to Bakklien in Øverbygda.
Through all those years, Inga knitted mittens as Christmas presents for her
great-aunt’s children. We girls got blue mittens with flower motifs.
Skill Level: Experienced
Measurements:
Length: 10¼ in / 26 cm
Width: 4 in / 10 cm.
Gauge: 15 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), gray, brown, or black and white
OR CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 149
dark navy blue
OR CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) Selbu Husflidsgarn from Sandnes Garn
(100% wool, 115 yd/105 m / 50 g) blue and white
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With blue, CO 48 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work in k3, p1 ribbing, working stripes as shown on
chart. After completing ribbing, knit 2 rnds with blue; but on 1st rnd,
increase (in purl sts) 3 sts evenly spaced around.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown (gusset reaches half
way up star on back of hand). Place the 13 thumb sts on a holder (halfway
up a star) and CO 10 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 13 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 12 sts across top of
thumbhole. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
FLOWER POT FROM ROLSET
This is an old pattern recorded by Jorunn Rolseth. The mittens with this
pattern were reconstructed from these pattern drawings. The same pattern
can be found on gloves in the Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2456), knitted by
Anne Lien (née Almåhaug), Liheim.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 12¼ in / 31 cm
Width: 3¾ in / 9.5 cm
Gauge: 17 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) 2-ply Gammelserie from Rauma (100% wool, 175
yd/160 m / 50 g), colors 401 natural white and 410 black
OR CYCA #2 (sport, baby) Ask from Hillesvåg (100% wool, 344 yd/315 m
/ 100 g), colors 316057 natural white and 316058 light brown heather
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 60 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, purl 3 rnds and then knit 1 rnd. Work the 2-rnd rep of
the chevron pattern as follows:
Rnd 1: *P1, k2tog, k2, M1, p1, M1, k2, k2tog*; rep * to * around.
Rnd 2: *P1, k4*; rep * to * around.
Work a total of 23 pattern rnds, following charted stripe sequence. Knit 2
rnds, before beginning hand.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 17 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 12 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 17 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 12 sts across top of
thumbhole = 29 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
WOMEN’S MITTENS KNITTED BY
GJERTINE (USTPÅ) BÅRDSGÅRD

Gjertine Bårdsgård (1907–88) was the daughter of John Larssen Bårdsgård

and his second wife, Mali Bardosdatter Roldset. She was born on
Bårdsgård’s farm, Markåen Østre (Ustpå), where she lived her entire life and
worked with her brothers, Baro and Martin. She supported herself as a sheep
farmer, shepherd, and as a cleaner at the Hyttbakken community hall in
Øverbygda. Great-Aunt Gjertine could easily tell who had drunk one too
many coffee royals (brandy and coffee) on the weekend by seeing whose
mittens had been left behind at the party. Gjertine was generous enough to
put the mittens in her bag and take a spark (kick sled) or cycle tour around
the village to return the forgotten mittens with cheer. She had full knowledge
of all the local knitters, and a good idea of who was likely to be the owner of
each pair. Gjertine was an ace at bingo, too, and won many bus tour tickets
for travels around Europe.
Gjertine was enchanted by two-color stranded mittens, and knitted
colorful experiments in her old age. She loved colors. The examples on the
next overleaf (page 286) have the same color richness as hers.

Skill Level: Experienced

Measurements:
Length: 11½ in / 29 cm
Width: 4¼ in / 10.5 cm
Gauge: 15 sts in 2 in / 5 cm. Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge if
necessary.

Materials
Yarn:
CYCA #3 (DK, light worsted) 3-ply Strikkegarn from Rauma (100%
Norwegian wool, 118 yd/108 m / 50 g), colors 101 natural white and 116
dark brown-black
OR CYCA #1 (fingering) Gammel Selbu 2-ply from Selbu Spinneri (100%
Norwegian wool, 361 yd/330 m / 100 g), black and white
Needles: U.S. size 1.5-2.5 / 2.5-3 mm: set of 5 dpn

Instructions: With white, CO 52 sts. Divide sts onto 4 dpn and join.
Following the chart, work 30 rnds k2, p2 ribbing, working stripes as
indicated on chart. After completing ribbing, knit 2 rnds white, the
checkerboard pattern, and then 2 rnds white, increasing 4 sts evenly spaced
around on last rnd.
Continue charted rows, shaping thumb gusset as shown. Place the 13 thumb
sts on a holder and CO 17 sts over gap. Complete mitten following chart.
Thumb: Place 13 held sts onto dpn and pick up and knit 17 sts across top of
thumbhole = 30 sts total. Work following thumb chart.
Make the second mitten the same way, reversing shaping and thumb
placement to correspond.
Finishing: Weave in all ends neatly on WS. Block by gently steam pressing
under a damp pressing cloth.
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translation has been published.

Literature
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1918.
Andreasen, Inge: Farvning af uld, silke og nylon med syntetiske farver,
Coloria 1990, pp. 7–8.
Balstad, Ole Morten: Selbuhus 75 år 1924–1999—jubileumsberetning,
Selbu 1999.
Berg, Mari Solem: Tradisjon og nemningsbruk i selbustrikking.
Hovedfagsoppgave, institutt for nordisk og litteraturvitenskap, NTNU,
1987.
Bjelland, Anna Marøy, Dagny Dietrichson and Ågot Egge: Votter og vanter,
Aschehoug 1955.
Bøhn, Annichen Sibbern: Norwegian Knitting Designs, Grøndahl & Søn
Publishers, 1965.
Dandanell, Birgitta et al: Twined Knitting: A Swedish Folkcraft Technique,
Interweave, 1989.
Flor, Ellinor: Rosa heimafrå, Det norske Samlaget 1991, pp. 19–68.
Fossnes, Heidi: Håndplagg til bunader og folkedrakter, Cappelen Damm
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Gombrich, E.H.: The Sense of Order. A Study in the Psychology of
Decorative Art, Phaidon Press Limited 1979.
Gottfridsson, Inger and Ingrid Gottfridsson: The Swedish Mitten Book:
Traditional Patterns from Gotland, Lark Books, 1984.
Grasmane, Maruta: Mittens of Latvia, Natural Costume Centre “Senā
Klēts,” 2015.
Gravjord, Ingebjørg: Votten i norsk tradisjon, Bø 2006, pp. 34–39, 72–75,
100–101.
Haarstad, Kjell: Selbu i fortid og nåtid, bind I, Selbu 1972, pp. 380–382.
Haarstad, Kjell: Selbu i fortid og nåtid, bind II, Selbu 1977, pp. 275–287.
Haarstad, Kjell, Rød, Per O.: Selbu i fortid og nåtid, bind IV, pp. 250–252,
446–449.
Hoffmann, Marta: Fra fiber til tøy, Landbruksforlaget 1991.
Jansone, Aija: Heritage of Rucava’s patterned knitted articles, Zinātne
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Jansone, Aija: Glove and Sock Knitting Traditions in Varkava, Zinātne
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Anne Kjellberg et al: Strikking i Norge, Landbruksforlaget 1987, pp. 57–65,
100–109.
Klepp, Ingunn Grimstad and Tone Skårdal Tobiassen: Ren ull, Aschehoug
2013.
Kyllo, Reidar: “Kirke og kristenliv i Selbu.” Selbu menighetsråd, Selbu
1978, pp. 52–55.
Leszner, Eva Marie: Vantar från när och fjärran, LTs förlag 1981.
Lind, Vibeke: Knitting in the Nordic Tradition, Lark Books 1984.
Morset, Reidar: Historia åt Neadal Ungdomssamband, Selbu 1991, pp. 37–
32, 95–105.
Nielsen, Ann Møller: Alværdens Strikking, Forlaget Ariadne 1988.
Nielsen, Ann Møller: Pregle, binde og lænke, Fredericia 1983.
Oscarsson, Ulla: Kvinnomöda och skaparglädje, Jamtli 2012, pp. 72–74.
Reitan, Janne: Selbustrikking—kompetanse for morgendagen?
Hovedfagsoppgave i forming, Statens lærerskole i forming, Oslo 1992.
Røset, Ingulv: Selbu-målet, Novus, Oslo 1999.
Røset, Ingulv: “Selbustrikkinga, ein lokal kulturskatt.” Årbok for Trøndelag
1977.
Shea, Terri: Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition, Spinningwheel,
2007.
Stuevold Hansen, Ole: Bygdefortælling. Opptegnelser fra Tydalen, Annex
til Selbu, Tromsø 1873, p. 136.
Summatavet, Kärt: My History: The Letters of Kihnu Roosi, University of
Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, 2010.
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Sundbø, Annemor: Norwegian Mittens and Gloves, Trafalgar Square
Books, 2011.
Sundbø, Annemor: Strikking i billedkunsten / Knitting in Art, Torridal
Tweed, 2010.
Sundbø, Annemor: Invisible Threads in Knitting, Torridal Tweed, 2007.
Sundbø, Annemor: Everyday Knitting: Treasures from a Ragpile, Torridal
Tweed, 2000.
Tybring, Oscar: Skildringer fra Fjeldbygderne. Fra alle Lande, Part 1,
Copenhagen 1878, p. 412.
Washburn, Dorothy K. and Donald W. Crowe: Symmetries of Culture.
Theory and Practice of Plane Pattern Analysis, University of
Washington Press 1988.
Wintzell, Inga: Sticka mönster. Historiskt stickning i Sverige, 1976.

Articles and Small Publications

Aftret, Bjarne: “Evjen—Marstad—Slekta,” Malvik 5 July 2008.
Aftret, Bjørg: “Selbuvotter,” NTB 25 July 1986.
Berg, Brage: “Strikkende Selbu håper på sprengkulde,” Dagbladet 2
November 1957.
Berger, Sophie: “Selbustrikkinga,” 1980.
Borseth, Solveig: “Ole Moens dåpsvotter,” Jul i Neadalen, årsskriftet til
Selbu og Tydal historielag 2015.
Borseth, Solveig: “Beret Aune,” Jul i Neadalen, årsskriftet til Selbu og
Tydal historielag Borseth, Solveig: “Kallarstrørosa,” Jul i Neadalen,
årsskriftet til Selbu og Tydal historielag 2012.
Christoffersen, Per: “Selbustrikking,” Norsk Ukeblad, no. 8, 1965.
Christoffersen, Per: “De første par selbuvotter så dagens lys for 80 år
siden,” Heimeyrke no. 2, 1941, pp. 13–14.
Christoffersen, Per: “Flittige kvinner i Selbu bevarer håndverkstradisjoner.
Tre gensere i uken, strikka for hand,” Arbeider-Avisa, 6 March 1968.
Flåtten, Arne: undated note, 1955–61.
GNIST: “Bygda hvor våtter er myntenheten,” Avis NN, 21 July 1934.
Gulliksen, Per H.: “Selbuvottenes seiersgang,” Selbyggen, 5 February 1937.
“Hadd ijt våttan vørre—ja, så veit æ ijt kolles det skoill ha gått,”
Adresseavisen 15 February 1941.
Herje, Emil: “Eventyret om Selbu-vottene,” Alle Kvinners Blad, 5 February
1938. Jul i Neadalen, årsskriftet for Selbu og Tydal historielag, 2009.
Hernes, Bjørg: “Strikker Selbu-votter i stor stil,” Malvik-Bladet 29 October
2005.
Hernes, Bjørg: “Husflidsutstillingen,” Trondhjems Adresseavis 26 June
1912.
Hove, Per: “Selbubindinga,” særoppgave ved Statens sløyd- og
tegnelærerskole, Notodden, 1949–50.
Hårstad, Johan: “Selbuvottens Saga,” Adresseavisen 3 October 1964.
Hårstad, Johan, Flåtten, Arne: “Selbu Husflidscentral. Utredning.
1.9.1952.”
Kjøsnes, Setsås, Viken: “Minneskrift ved formannskapsjubileet 1938,”
Selbu kommune, pp. 105–107.
Kvaale, Reidun, Strand, Ragge: “Strikke—strikke sa kjerringa i vottebygda
Selbu,” Billedbladet NÅ, 1955.
Landmark, Margit: “Trøndelagsutstillingens husflidsavdeling,”
Adresseavisen, Saturday 7 June 1930.
Lien, B.: “Selbuvaatter,” Adresseavisen, 24 December 1931.
L.J.: “Selbuvåtten erobrer verden,” Bygdeungdommen 1939.
Marstad, Sofie: “Som jeg minnes …,” Selbu, 2007.
Morset, Margrete: “Gamle stasvotter fra Selbu,” Selbyggen 16 May 2002.
Morset, Peder: “Litt om Selbuvottene og totrådbindinga i Selbu,” Nidaros,
7 January 1925.
“Norges jubilæumsutstilling på Frogner i Frognerparken 15 May–11
October 1914.” Catalogue.
Nyhamar, Jostein: “Strikkepinnenes riddere,” Aktuelt 1947.
Odén, Birgitta: “Strikkekatalog for strikkeutstillingen i Selbu
Bygdemuseum,” 2004.
Oll, Arvid: “Når lokal-nasjonal husflid blir internasjonal handelsvare:
Moten dikterer Selbu-strikkingen,” Morgenposten, once between 1961–
65. Undated article.
O.M.: “Selbuvottene—manufakturbranchens smertensbarn,” Norges
grossisttidende, nr. 7, 1939.
Piiri, Reet: “Estonian Gloves,” Estonian National Museum, 2002.
Ranie: “Hvor selbu-vanten skaper formuer,” Urd, nr. 43, 22 October 1932,
p. 727–730.
Sand, Sølvi: “Selbus strikkedronning,” Adresseavisen 2 April 1992.
Sandvik, Anne Petrine (Annepett): “Selbu er større enn noen vet av,”
Bygdeungdommen no. 6, 1970.
“Om selbustrikking,” article in Norsk Husflid, no. 1, 1984.
“Selbu Husflidsentral,” Adresseavisen, 9 December 1953.
“Selbu og selbyggene. En vakker og særpreget bygd,” Urd, 7 April 1934.
“Selbu ruster ut en sydpolekspedisjon med votter og hose,” Adresseavisen,
5 November 1959.
“Selbustrikkingen fortsatt en god binæring for bygda,” Hamar
Arbeiderblad, 28 March 1958.
“250 skogløse bruk i Selbu søker skog,” Adresseavisen, 9 July 1956.
Stensrud, Arve: “Tradisjoner i strikkebygda,” Norsk Husflid, 1991.
“Velkledde norske olympiere: En representativ tropp er god Norges-
reklame,” Trønder-Avisa, 13 February 1960.

Pattern Collections
Rauma Ullvarefabrikk and Selbu Husflid: “Selbustrikk” [Selbu Knitting],
pattern booklet
Aas, Ann-Mari
Borseth, Paula Petrine
Borseth, Solveig
Buland, Helga Engen
Baardsgaard, Inge Lucie
Evjemo, Solveig
Kulseth, Oline
Larsen, Johanna
Lien, Gjertrud
Marstad, Sofie
Nordvik, Ingrid
Overvik, Ingeborg
Paulsen, Else
Renå, Marit
Rolseth, Inga
Røsset, Ingeborg Negård
Sesseng, Gudrun
Sesseng, Hjørdis
Sesseng, Reidun
Skrødal, Jorunn
Uthus, Gerd Oline
Viken, Nanna
Solli, Joril

Oral Sources
Anne Petrine Sandvik (Annepett) (born 1928)
Kirsten Røset, Nea Radio, knitting programs 1, 2, 3, 2005.
Sofie Marstad (1919–2012)
Solveig Borseth (born 1943)
Øystein Skurset (born 1933)
Solveig Evjemo (born 1925)
Jorunn Skrødal (born 1936)
Marit Renå (born 1934)
Ann-Mari Aas (born 1948)

OceanofPDF.com
MITTEN REFERENCES
WHAT CHARACTERIZES A SELBU MITTEN?

1. One Primary Motif (p. 44)

1 Copy of Olaf Grilstad’s ski mitten, Sverresborg Folkemuseum
2 Glove with star from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern notebook
3 Men’s glove from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma Ullvarefabrikk in
collaboration with Selbu Husflid
4 Glove from an old pattern collection at the Selbu Bygdemuseum
5 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 121, Selbu Husflidsentral

2. The Primary Motif Repeated Twice (p. 44)

1 Men’s mitten from an old pattern collection at Selbu Bygdemuseum
2 Men’s mitten, copy of an old mitten by Hanna Fuglem
3 Men’s mitten, pattern no. 171, Selbu Husflidsentral
4 Men’s mitten from an old pattern collection at Selbu Bygdemuseum
5 Women’s mitten from an old pattern collection at Selbu Bygdemuseum

3. Compound Patterns (p. 44)

1 Women’s mitten from Vikvarvet, ca. 1950, registered at Selbu
Bygdemuseum in 2015
2 Copy of men’s mitten, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1937)
3 Copy of men’s mitten, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1937)
4 Men’s mitten from Tänndalen, from an old pattern collection at Selbu
Bygdemuseum
5 Copy of men’s mitten, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2260)

4. Two Different Patterns (p. 45)

1 Copy of animal mitten, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2298)
2 Moose mitten knitted by Marit Renå from her own pattern book
3 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 441, Husfliden in Trondheim
4 Women’s mitten, pattern no. 402, Husfliden in Trondheim
5 Norwegian elkhound mitten knitted from Selbu Husflid’s animal
patterns
5. Longitudinal Patterns (p. 45)
1 Thomas Andersen Rønsberg (Slåggå)’s mittens, registered at Selbu
Bygdemuseum in 2015
2 Ola Rolset’s mittens, knitted by Anne or Guru Rolset, registered at
Selbu Bygdemuseum in 2014
3 Copy of girls’ mittens knitted by Gurine Rolseth, Inger Jørgensen’s
private collection, registered at Brumoen in 2014
4 Copy of men’s mittens at Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 718)
5 Copy of women’s mittens knitted by Helga Engen Buland, Trond
Buland’s private collection, registered in 2014

6. Endless Patterns (page 45)

1 Knitted from a pattern published in Mari Solem Berg’s thesis Tradisjon
og nemningsbruk i selbustrikking (1987)
2 Men’s mitten with endless roses, 4. Men’s mitten from “Selbustrikk”
[Selbu Knitting], published by Rauma Ullvarefabrikk in conjunction
with Selbu Husflid
3 Copy of men’s mittens at Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1662)
4 Selbu mittens knitted from a pattern in the Kooperativenes mønsterbok
[Cooperative’s Pattern book] no. 1.
5 Women’s mittens, from an old pattern collection at Selbu
Bygdemuseum.
PATTERNS USED IN SELBU

Single Star Motifs (pages 83-84)

1 Copy of baby mittens from Teigen, from Grete Hjelmeland’s private
collection, knitted by Grete Hjelmeland
2 Copy of old baby mittens, from Trond Buland’s private collection,
knitted by Marit Renå
3 Copy of old baby mittens, from Trond Buland’s private collection,
knitted by Marit Renå
4 Boys’ gloves knitted from old pattern collection at Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Marit Renå
5 Men’s gloves purchased in Selbu in 2014, knitted by Kari P. Uglem
6 Copy of gloves copied from registered mittens knitted by Brynhild
Kulseth, knitted by Marit Renå
7 Men’s mittens from an old pattern collection at Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Marit Renå
8 Women’s mittens, knitted from men’s mittens, pattern no. 437,
Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by Solveig Borseth
9 Men’s mittens from Tänndalen. Old pattern collection, Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
10 Men’s mittens with longitudinal stars, copy of Tomas Andersen
Rønsberg (Slåggå)’s mittens from 1950, knitted by Solveig Borseth
11 Men’s gloves with corresponding motifs, purchased at the Christmas
bazaar in Klæbu in 2014, unknown knitter
12 Copy from photo of old men’s gloves from Selbu, reportedly from
1872. DigitaltMuseum (NF.05128-036), knitted by Jorunn Skrødal

Single Star Motifs with Twinkles and Double Stars (page

86)
1 Boys’ mittens with single stars and twinkles. Star registered on the
original mittens knitted by Anna Røset. Copy knitted by Solveig
Borseth
2 Women’s mittens from undated newspaper clipping from Solveig
Borseth’s pattern book, knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens from Selbu, Annichen Sibbern Bøhn’s book,
Norwegian Knitting Designs, knitted by Liv Ranum
 4 Boys’ gloves with a single star and twinkles, knitted from an old
pattern collection in the Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Marit Renå
5, 6 Men’s gloves knitted from an old pattern collection in the Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
7 Women’s gloves from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in conjunction with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Gerd
Oline Uthus
8 Tova men’s mittens from Selbu Husflid, 2013
9 Men’s mittens knitted by Inga Rolseth ca. 1990

Whole Stars (pages 88-90)

1 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 405b, Husfliden in Trondheim
2 Women’s mittens, pattern no.167, Selbu Husflidsentral
3 Men’s gloves purchased in Selbu in 2014
4 Children’s mittens, pattern no. 121, Selbu Husflidsentral
5 Girls’ mittens with stars from her own pattern book, knitted by Gerd
Oline Uthus
6 Girls’ mittens with stars from Gudrun Sesseng Hoven’s pattern book,
knitted by her daughter Ann-Mari Aas
7 Women’s mittens with star motifs from the original mittens from
Ingebjørg Rolseth. Copy knitted by Ann-Mari Aas
8 Birgitte (Dorte) Jensen’s Selbu mittens. Gift from Selbu in the 1950’s,
carefully worn since
9 Women’s mittens knitted by Brynhild Emstad
10 Women’s mittens by Ingeborg Uglem, knitted by Solveig Borseth
11 Men’s gloves knitted based off of a photo in the article “Selbu og
Selbyggerne,” Urd no. 7, 1934, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
12 Men’s mittens knitted based off of a photo in the article “Selbu og
Selbyggerne,” Urd no. 7, 1934, knitted by Mia Gjessing

Star Motifs with a Block Center Inside (page 92)

Drawings from Solveig Borseth’s pattern collection
1 Children’s mitten inspired by older mittens, knitted by Solveig Borseth
2 Copy of a mitten, knitted by Inga Rolseth
3 New men’s mittens purchased in Selbu, 2014, knitted by Kari P. Uglem
4 Copy from her own pattern book, knitted by Joril Solli
5 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 154, Selbu Husflidsentral
6 Women’s mittens with star from her own pattern notebook, knitted by
Solveig Borseth

Star Motifs with Diagonal Blocks Inside (page 94)

1 Girls’ mittens with star motif from her own pattern notebook, knitted
by Joril Solli
2 Girls’ mittens with star motif from her own pattern notebook, knitted
by Gerd Oline Uthus
3 Girls’ mittens with Jenny Lund rose, knitted by Solveig Borseth
4 Women’s mitten from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Bodil
Græsli
5 Variant of 5. Women’s mittens from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Bodil
Græsli
6 Men’s gloves, knitted following an old pattern from Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
7 Women’s mittens with star motif from Oline Kulseth’s pattern
notebook, knitted by her daughter, Ingeborg Grønseth
8 Målfrid Tangen’s gloves with stars, probably designed by the knitter
Ingrid Kristiansen (married name Aftret), well known in the district as
an expert knitter

Star Motifs with Branches (page 96)

1 Copy of girls’ mittens from Havernesset, now in Idun Slevikmoen’s
private collection, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
2 Girls’ mittens, pattern no. 18, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
3 Women’s mittens with pattern from Terri Shea’s book Selbuvotter,
purchased at B. Langseth in Selbu
4 Men’s mitten, pattern no. 440 S, Sandnes Garn, knitted by Joril Solli
5 Men’s mitten, pattern no. 175b, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 275b, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal
7 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 440 S, Sandnes Garn, knitted by Joril
Solli
 8 Kirsten Røset’s mittens, knitted by her mother-in-law, Helene Røset.
9 Women’s mittens from Terri Shea’s book Selbuvotter, knitted by Bjørg
Aspbølmo

Stars with More Space Between the Points (pages 100-

102)
1 Copy of girls’ mittens from Brumoen, now in Inger Jørgensen’s private
collection, knitted by Solveig Evjemo
2 Girls’ mittens with stars from pattern no. 232, Selbu Husflidsentral,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens, knitted following a pattern in her own notebook,
knitted by Solveig Evjemo
4 Women’s gloves knitted from a pattern in Gudrun Sesseng Hoven’s
notebook by Ann-Mari Aas
5 Men’s mittens knitted from a pattern in Gudrun Sesseng Hoven’s
notebook by Ann-Mari Aas
6 Women’s mittens signed J.A., pattern no. 401, Husfliden in Trondheim,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
7 Women’s mittens signed J.A., pattern no. 401, Husfliden in Trondheim,
knitted by Kari Lomsdal Rogndokken
8 Copy of Anne Larsen’s women’s mittens, knitted by Solveig Borseth
9 Women’s gloves, pattern no. 252, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
10 Copy of Beret Aunes men’s mittens, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
11 Copy of Beret Aunes men’s mittens, knitted by Solveig Borseth
12 Men’s mittens with stars designed by Beret Anna Mebust, knitted by
Marit Renå
13 Women’s mittens knitted with roses designed by Magnhild Uglem,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
14 Men’s mittens copied from an older mitten at Selbu Bygdemuseum, a
variation of a pattern in the Norsk Ukeblad 1948, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
15 Women’s mittens from Hårstad. Terje Hårstad’s private collection

Atypical / Other Variations (page 104)

1 Children’s mittens with star designed by Mali P. Evjen, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
2 Children’s mittens, knitted the way as Anne (Ane) Marstad always
knitted them. Knitted by her daughter Paula Petrine Borseth
3 Women’s mittens knitted from an old brochure from Selbu Husflid,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
4 Girls’ mittens with star motif from her own pattern notebook, knitted
by Joril Solli
5 Girls’ mittens pattern no. 131, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
6 Girls’ mittens with star from her own pattern notebook, knitted by
Solveig Evjemo
7 Copy of mittens from Trond Buland’s private collection, knitted by
Marit Renå
8 Copy of mittens from Trond Buland’s private collection, knitted by
Marit Renå
9 Copy of men’s mittens from 1881, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1679),
knitted by Solveig Borseth

Stars with Four Points (page 106)

1 Copy of Ragnhild Slind’s christening mittens from 1884, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
2 Mittens from a pattern in her own notebook, knitted by Joril Solli
3 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 171, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
4 Men’s mittens, pattern with unknown no., Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
5 Women’s gloves, unnumbered pattern, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Men’s mittens with star from her own pattern notebook, knitted by
Gerd Oline Uthus

Ane Berg Rose and Other Longitudinal Star Motifs (s.

108)
1 Copy of girls’ mittens from Brumoen, Inger Jørgensen’s private
collection, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
2 Boys’ mittens knitted following an old pattern collection, Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Copy of women’s mittens in a photograph in the DigitaltMuseum, (NF
14389-001), knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
4 Men’s mittens, pattern with unknown no., Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
5 Men’s mittens with longitudinal star motifs, copy of Tomas Andersen
Rønsberg (Slåggå)’s mittens from 1950, knitted by Solveig Borseth
6 Men’s gloves with longitudinal patterns up the index and little fingers,
purchased at the Christmas bazaar in Klæbu in 2014
7 Copy of men’s gloves, DigitaltMuseum (NF 05128036), knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
8 Copy of older men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 3062), knitted
by Solveig Borseth
9 Copy of older men’s mittens, Trond Buland’s private collection, pattern
drawn in the 1980’s, knitted by Solveig Borseth

Endless Pattern Star Motifs (page 110)

1 Boys’ mittens with pattern from the Cooperative’s pattern book no. 1.
Purchased at the Christmas market in Trondheim in 2015
2 Girls’ mittens, pattern no. 431, signed K.E. Husfliden in Trondheim,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Joril Solli
4 Women’s mittens with pattern from the Cooperative’s pattern book no.
1, knitted by Joril Solli
5 Women’s mittens with endless rose pattern from Reidun Sesseng’s
pattern book, knitted by niesa Ann-Mari Aas
6 Copy of women’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2438),
knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
7 Men’s mittens from Lillehammer/Vågå from an old pattern collection,
Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
8 Copy of Men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig
Evjemo
9 Men’s gloves knitted from a photo in the article “Selbu og
Selbyggene,” Urd no. 7, 1934, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal

Star Motifs in Diagonally Stylized Crosses (page 112)

1 Detail of an old tapestry from Selbu
2 Copy of girls’ mittens from Havernesset, now in Idun Slevikmoen’s
private collection, knitted by Marit Renå
3 Copy of men’s gloves from Havernesset, now in Idun Slevikmoen’s
private collection, knitted by Ann-Mari Aas
4 Children’s mittens from her own copy collection, knitted by Joril Solli
5 Copy of an old mitten, Selbu Bygdemuseum (archived collection),
knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
6 Women’s mittens knitted from Husfliden’s knitting instructions no. 48,
published by Vestlandske Husflidslag in Bergen, knitted by Liv Ranum
7 Copy of women’s mitttens from Guri Randi Fuglem’s private
collection, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
8 Men’s mittens, knitted from an old pattern collection, Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
9 Men’s mittens with stars from no. 260, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitter
unknown

Star Motifs Within Diagonally Stylized Blocks (page 114)

1 Baby mittens purchased at Rennebumartnan, knitter unknown
2 Children’s mittens, pattern no. 110, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
4 Women’s mittens purchased at the Christmas market in Trondheim in
2015, unknown knitter
5 Copy of Kristin Moen’s mittens from 1960–1970, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
6 Women’s mittens from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Liv Ranum
7 Men’s mittens from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
8 Copy of Olaf Grilstad’s ski mittens, Sverresborg Folkemuseum, knitted
by Solveig Evjemo
7 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 272, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Marit
Renå

Star Motifs Within Rounded Rhomboids (page 116)

1 Children’s mittens, pattern no. 123, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
2 Children’s gloves, pattern no. 211, Selbu Husflidsentral, purchased at
B. Langseth in Selbu
3 Children’s gloves, pattern no. 211, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Marit Renå
4 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 1605, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
5 Copy of men’s mittens from Kari Bårdsgård’s private collection,
knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
6 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 185, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
7 Men’s mittens, unknown no., Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
8 Men’s mittens, purchased at B. Langseth in Selbu, unknown knitter
9 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 454a, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Marit Renå

Star Motifs Within Round Roses (page 118)

1 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 185, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
2 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 185, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
3 Copy of Olaf Tangen’s mittens knitted by Ane O. Tangen, copy knitted
by Målfrid Tangen
4 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 185, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal
5 Women’s mittens with star taken from a swatch at the Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
6 Women’s mittens with rose variation taken from a swatch at Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
7 Copy of men’s gloves knitted by Marit Lien Slåggå. From May Ingunn
Røset’s private collection, copy knitted by Marit Renå
8 Women’s gloves with Neppåjard rose, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
9 Men’s mittens from her own copy collection, knitted by Joril Solli

Stars / Rounded Stars (page 120)

10 Children’s mittens with orange from her own copy collection, knitted
by Joril Solli
11 Men’s mittens with oranges, purchased at the Christmas bazaar at
Leira in Trondheim, unknown knitter
12 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 185 Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
13 Women’s mittens with star motif by Inga Rolseth, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
14 Copy of men’s gloves knitted by Anna Røset Lien, from May Ingunn
Røset’s private collection. Copy knitted by Marit Renå
15 Men’s gloves from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Marit Renå
16 Women’s gloves, pattern no. 250, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
17 Women’s mittens with a star motif from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern
notebook, knitted by her niece Ann-Mari Aas

The Wheel, Orange, and Other Variations of the Eight-

Petal Rose (page 122)
1 Copy of women’s gloves from Teigen, Grete Hjelmeland’s private
collection, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
2 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 445, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens from the Cooperative’s pattern book no. 1, knitted by
Joril Solli
4 Children’s mittens with roses from Gjertrud Lien’s pattern notebook,
knitted by Joril Solli
5 Children’s mittens from her own copy collection, knitted by Joril Solli
6 Women’s mittens, from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Marit Renå
7 Women’s gloves, pattern no. 225b, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
8 Women’s mittens with roses from Gudrun Sesseng Hoven’s pattern
notebook, knitted by daughter Ann-Mari Aas
9 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 182, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Marit
Renå
The Wheel and Koinntrø Rose/Snowflake (page 124)
1 Children’s mittens with roses from her own pattern notebook, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
2 Copy of an old children’s mitten from her own mitten collection,
knitted by Ann-Mari Aas
3 Women’s mittens roses designed by Ingeborg Uglem, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
4 Copy of an old children’s mitten from her own mitten collection,
knitted by Ann-Mari Aas
5 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 162, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Women’s mittens med Innbær rose from a bell rope designed by Mette
Hanberg, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
7 Copy of mittens knitted by Bibbi Stokkmo, knitted by Solveig Evjemo

Flowerpot and Kånntrø Rose/Snowflake (page 126)

1 Copy of old men’s gloves knitted by Anne Lien, Selbu Bygdemuseum.
Copy knitted by Liv Ranum
2 Women’s mittens with old pattern from Jorunn Rolseth, knitted by
Anne Bårdsgård
3 Copy of mittens at Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth

Innbær / Vørset / Kølset Roses (pages 128-130)

1 Children’s mittens from her own copy collection, knitted by Joril Solli
2 Children’s mittens with roses from her own pattern notebook, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 162, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
4 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 162, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
5 Boys’ gloves, pattern no. 162, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Marit
Renå
6 Women’s mittens with roses from her own pattern notebook, knitted by
Gerd Oline Uthus
7 Children’s mittens with roses designed by Bjørg Hammer, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
 8 Copy of women’s mitten from Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
9 Women’s mittens with roses taken from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern
notebook, knitted by niece Ann-Mari Aas
10 Children’s mittens with roses by Anna Røsset Lien, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
11 Men’s/women’s mittens, pattern no. 163, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
12 Copy of men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
13 Boys’ mittens with roses from Ingeborg Overvik’s pattern notebook,
knitted by Solveig Evjemo
14 Women’s mittens with roses from Ingeborg Overvik’s pattern
notebook, knitted by Solveig Borseth
15 Men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1678)
16 Copy of women’s gloves from Brumoen, now in Inger Jørgensen’s
private collection, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
17 Women’s mittens with the Vørset/Kølset rose from a bell rope
designed by Mette Hanberg, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård

Ram’s Horn Rose (page 134)

1 Women’s mittens that clearly show the similarity between the 3-figure
and the old ram’s horn rose with the roses in Helga Engen Buland’s
pattern notebook, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
2 Copy of Helga Engen Buland’s favorite mittens. Here, the space
between two roses becomes a new rose, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
3 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 271 Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal
4 Pål-Innbær mittens, knitted from the registration of an old mitten in her
own pattern collection, drawn and knitted by Joril Solli
5 Men’s mittens with roses designed by Brynhild Lilleevjen, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Men’s mittens, “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma Ullvarefabrikk in
collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Solveig Borseth
7 Men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1812)
8 Men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1671)
9 Boys’ mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (2293)
The Number 3, Forward and Reverse (page 138)
1 Children’s mittens, pattern no. 122, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
2 Girls’ gloves, pattern no. 232, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal
3 Children’s mittens, pattern no. 601, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
4 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 181b, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
5 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 184, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
6 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 28_16, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
7 Men’s mittens, unknown pattern number, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted
by Anne Bårdsgård
8 Men’s mittens with roses from her own pattern notebook, knitted by
Solveig Evjemo
9 Copy of Sofie Aunehaugen’s mittens, originally knitted at Kallarstrø,
knitted by Joril Solli

The Fly Wheel Rose and Other Flowers (page 140)

1 Men’s mittens with the fly wheel rose, pattern no. 170a, Selbu
Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig Borseth
2 Women’s gloves with the fly wheel rose from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern
notebook, knitted by niece Ann-Mari Aas
3 Children’s mittens from her own copy collection, knitted by Joril Solli
4 Children’s mitttens, pattern no. 114, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
5 Women’s mittens with roses from her own pattern notebook / roses
from pattern no. 274, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig Evjemo
6 Men’s mittens with roses from pattern no. 274, Selbu Husflidsentral,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
7 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 274, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Marit
Renå
8 Copy of old mitten from Flønes-Tangen, now in her own private
collection, knitted by Målfrid Tangen
9 New mitten copies, Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted with black and
peach-colored dyed yarn

Fly Wheel Rose and Goat’s Horn Rose (page 142)

1 Men’s gloves with rose with oval center, from Helga Engen Buland’s
pattern notebook, knitted by Marit Renå
2 Women’s gloves, “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma Ullvarefabrikk in
collaboration with Selbu Husflid, unknown knitter
3 Men’s gloves with rose from Gudrun Sesseng Hoven’s pattern
notebook, knitted by daughter Ann-Mari Aas
4 Men’s mittens from a photo in the article “Selbu og Selbyggene,” Urd
no. 7, 1934, knitted by Solveig Borseth
5 Men’s gloves from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Marit Renå
6 Men’s gloves from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
7 Women’s mittens with roses from her own pattern notebook /
“Selbustrikk,” knitted by Solveig Evjemo
8 Copy of women’s mittens knitted by Guru Håggåbakken, Selbu
Bygdemuseum (SE 2853), knitted by Solveig Borseth
9 Copy of men’s mittens, knitted by Guru Håggåbakken, Selbu
Bygdemuseum (SE 1937), knitted by Solveig Borseth

Goat’s Horn Rose (page 144)

1 Women’s mittens with roses from pattern no. 274, Selbu Husflidsentral,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
2 Women’s mittens with roses from pattern no. 274, Selbu Husflidsentral,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Copy of gloves from Teigen, now in Grete Hjelmeland’s private
collection, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
4 Women’s mittens with roses from Inga Rolseth’s pattern collection,
knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
5 Copy of women’s mittens from Are Størseth’s private collection,
knitted by Liv Ranum
6 Women’s gloves with rose from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern notebook,
knitted by niece Ann-Mari Aas
7 Women’s mittens with goat’s horn/heart rose from her own pattern
notebook, knitted by Solveig Evjemo
8 Anne Bårdsgård’s gloves, gift from Solveig Evjemo
9 Men’s mittens with endless rose pattern with goat’s horn rose, her own
design, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård

Heart Roses (page 146)

1 Girls’ mittens with heart roses from her own pattern collection, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
2 Girls’ mittens with simplified Martin Sve’n-rose from her own pattern
notebook, knitted by Reidun Sesseng
3 Girls’ mittens from her own copy collection, knitted by Joril Solli.
4 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 180, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal
5 Women’s mittens with Martin Sve’n-rose from Gudrun Sesseng
Hoven’s pattern notebook, knitted by her daughter Ann-Mari Aas
6 Women’s gloves, pattern no. 408, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
7 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 180, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
8 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 184, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
9 Copy of men’s gloves from Renå, registered at Selbu Bygdemuseum
(before 2014), knitted by Solveig Borseth

Reverse Heart Roses (page 148)

1 Girls’ mittens, pattern no. 124b, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
2 Girls’ mittens, pattern no. 142, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
3 Girls’ mittens with rose designed by Ane Garberg, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
4 Girls’ mittens with reverse heart rose from the book Selbuvotter (page
61) written by Terri Shea, knitted by Solveig Evjemo
5 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 408, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Copy of heart rose mittens originally knitted by Anne or Guru Rolseth,
copy knitted by Gerd Oline Uthus

Ox Horn (page 150)

1 Copy from a photo, DigitaltMuseum (NF 05128-032), knitted by Liv
Ranum
2 Women’s mittens designed by Marit Langseth, knitted by Joril Solli
3 Men’s mittens from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Solveig Borseth

The Kallarstrø Rose (page 154)

1 Copy of a bridegroom mitten with the Kallarstrø rose at the tip, from
Nils Nilsen Flønes from Tangtrøa in Flønes, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE
2260), knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
2 Women’s mittens, unknown pattern number, Husfliden in Trondheim,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens with Kallarstrø rose from a mitten knitted by Guru
Håggåbakken, Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
4 Copy of men’s gloves from Ingebjørg and Ola Rolseth’s private
collection, knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
5 Copy of men’s gloves, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 727), knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Copy of a mitten registered in the DigitaltMuseum (NF 15391-0451),
knitted by Solveig Borseth. The original was probably knitted at Røros
in about 1912, for Ingvard David Guldal (1887–1964). Did the design
come to Røros from Selbu or vice versa?
7 Men’s mittens with Kallarstrø rose from Oline Kulseth’s pattern
notebook. Note the pattern repetitions! Oline fitted in several small
pattern variations in the corners. Knitted by her daughter Ingeborg
Grønseth
8 Women’s mittens with simplified Kallarstrø rose from an old pattern
collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
9 Women’s mitten with simplified Kallarstrø rose from a pattern drawn
by Annepett Sandvik, knitted by Solveig Borseth

Kallarstrø Mittens (pages 156-157)

 1 Women’s mittens from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Bodil
Græsli
2 Men’s mittens. Variation of the above, knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Women’s mittens from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid. Unknown knitter
4 Men’s mittens, unknown pattern number, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
5 Copy of mitten from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2295), knitted by
Solveig Borseth
6 Men’s mittens from a Kallarstrø pattern, pattern drawn by Annepett
Sandvik, knitted by Solveig Borseth. Is this the fishbone rose?
7 Men’s mittens from a Kallarstrø design, pattern drawn by Annepett
Sandvik, knitted by Solveig Borseth
8 Men’s mittens from a pattern drawn by Annepett Sandvik, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
9 Copy of Esten Rønsberg’s mittens 1956, from Johanna Larsen’s private
collection, knitted by Solveig Borseth
10 Copy of Thomas H. Stubbe’s mittens, knitted at Kallarstrø, from
Halldis Balstad’s private collection. Copy knitted by Solveig Borseth
11 Men’s mittens from a pattern of Ingeborg Evjen Brennås, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
12 Men’s mittens knitted from a photo of mittens in the Sunnfjord
Museum (SUM 07515). Originally knitted by Gudny Nancy Skudal
(1940–1960). Copy knitted by Solveig Borseth
13 Copy of mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1660), identical to
mittens registered in Ingulf and Bente Os’s private collection. Possibly
was originally a printed pattern. Copy knitted by Solveig Borseth
14 Copy of men’s mittens from Norsk Folkemuseum (NF12118-008),
knitted by Solveig Borseth
15 Copy of Jacob Næss’ bridegroom mittens, knitted by the bride, Gurine
Næss, in 1907. Copy knitted by Liv Ranum. Pattern page 242.
16 Copy of Sofie Aunehaugen’s mittens, originally knitted at Kallarstrø.
Knitted by Joril Solli
17 Copy of H. Kulseth’s mittens, mittens originally knitted at Kallarstrø
by aunt/great aunt of Hilmar Kulseth. Copy knitted by Solfrid Mjøen
18 Copy of men’s mittens from P. Heggset, 1881. Selbu Bygdemuseum
(SE 1679), knitted by Solveig Borseth

Spider (pages 161-162)

1 Knitted from a pattern reproduced in Tradisjon og nemningsbruk i
selbustrikkinga, thesis by Marit Solum Berg (1987), knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
2 Copy of men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1662), knitted by
Solveig Evjemo
3 Copy of men’s mittens with spider pattern. Selbu Bygdemuseum,
archives, knitted by Solveig Borseth
4 Gloves from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted by
Marit Renå
5 Copy of women’s mittens from Trond Buland’s private collection,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
6 Women’s mittens, unnumbered pattern from Husfliden in Trondheim,
knitted by Solveig Borseth
7 Boys’/girls’ mittens, pattern no. 142, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
8 Copy of women’s mittens from Teigen, personal collection, knitted by
Grete Hjelmeland
9 Boys’/girls’ mittens, pattern no. 133, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
10 Boys’/girls’ mittens, pattern no. 140, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
11 Copy of women’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum, archives, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
12 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 412B, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted
by Solveig Borseth
13 Women’s mittens with roses by Inga Rolseth, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
14 Women’s mittens with roses by Inga Rolseth, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård

Endless Patterns with Spiders (page 164)

15 Women’s mittens from an old pattern collection, Selbu
Bygdemuseum, knitted by Solveig Borseth
16 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 412B, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
17 Women’s mittens knitted by Inga Rolseth around 1992
18 Copy of boy’s mittens from Are Størseth’s private collection, knitted
by Liv Ranum
19 Copy of men’s mittens from Teigen, personal collection. Copy knitted
by Grete Hjelmeland
20 Women’s mittens, pattern no. 161, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth
21 Copy of women’s mittens originally knitted by Oddlaug Bakken, from
her own collection, knitted by Solveig Borseth
22 Men’s mittens from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Anne
Bårdsgård
23 Copy of men’s mittens originally knitted by Bjørg Sliper for his
father-in-law in 1946, Sverresborg Folkemuseum (FFT 28549). Copy
knitted by Solveig Evjemo

Lundbeck Rose / Twelve-Cross Block Rose / Smith’s

Rose (page 166)
1 Women’s mittens from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Bodil
Græsli
2 Copy of Hilmar Kulseth’s mittens, originally knitted at Kallarstrø by
aunt/great aunt of Hilmar Kulseth. Copy knitted by Solfrid Mjøen
3 Copy of men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2087), knitted by
Solveig Borseth
4 Copy of men’s mittens‚ Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 3094), knitted by
Solveig Borseth
5 Copy of Esten Rønsberg’s mittens from 1956, from Johanna Larsen’s
private collection, knitted by Solveig Borseth
6 Men’s mittens knitted by Marit Emstad, Selbu Bygdemuseum
(SE3093)

Diagonally Positioned Blocks (page 168)

1 Copy of baby mittens, knitted by Ragnhild Tuseth 1890, now in Guri
Fuglem’s private collection. Copy knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
2 Copy of christening/baby mittens from Engen or Bårdsgård, now in
Trond Buland’s private collection, knitted by Anne Bårdsgård
3 Original christening/baby mittens from Yster Stokke (19th century?),
unknown knitter
4 Copy of Ole Moen’s christening mittens. Original pair knitted by
Brynhild Gunness in 1879. Copy knitted by Solveig Borseth
5 Copy of men’s gloves Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1685), knitted by Liv
Ranum
6 Copy of bridegroom gloves for Jon Thomassen Slind, knitted by the
bride, Mali Olsdatter Aftret, in 1872. Copy knitted by Jorunn Skrødal
7 Copy of men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1813), knitted by Liv
Ranum
8 Copy of men’s mittens from Norsk Folkemuseum (NF1955-0173AB),
knitted by Solveig Borseth
9 Men’s mittens, pattern no. 172, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Solveig
Borseth

Other Longitudinal Patterns (page 170)

1 Copy of men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 726), knitted by
Solveig Borseth
2 Men’s mittens knitted from a pattern drawn from an old pair of mittens
in Helga Engen Buland’s collection, knitted by Solveig Borseth
3 Men’s mittens knitted from an old pattern in her own pattern notebook,
knitted by Solveig Evjemo
4 Copy of Peder Persen (Brun) Rolseth’s bridegroom mittens, knitted by
Anne Bårdsgård
5 Men’s gloves from an old pattern collection, Selbu Bygdemuseum,
knitted by Liv Ranum
6 Copy knitted from a photo of a christening/baby mitten,
DigitaltMuseum (NF 05128-052), knitted by Solveig Borseth
7 Copy of men’s mittens, Selbu Bygdemuseum

Two Atypical Patterns (page 172)

1 Kåre Renå’s old mittens, undated but probably 19th century, unknown
knitter
2 Mittens from an old pattern in her own pattern notebook, knitted by
Solveig Evjemo
Messages, Initials, and Dates (page 174)
1 Message: Forering = gift. Men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum
(SE718), copy knitted by Solveig Borseth
2 Name of recipient: Sesseng. Mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum, knitted
by Gurine Sesseng (SE 3115)
3 Initials and date: bridegroom mittens for Peder Pedersen Hegset from
1896 (SE 2674)
4 Initials and date: men’s mittens with the year 1881, Selbu
Bygdemuseum (SE 1679)
5 Initials and “flag” in the center of the star. Copy of an older mitten at
Selbu Bygdemuseum, variation of the pattern in Norsk Ukeblad 1948.
Probably not a Selbu mitten, knitted by Solveig Borseth
6 Sorgenfri (carefree) mitten, knitted by Ida Torsdatter Kristensen
7 Flag in endless rose pattern from fra Oline Kulseth’s pattern notebook

The Letter H (page 176)

1 Copy of men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1797), knitted
by Solveig Borseth
2 Copy of men’s mittens from Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 1675), knitted
by Solveig Borseth
3 Men’s gloves, pattern no. 284, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Jorunn
Skrødal
4 Boy’s gloves, pattern no. 214, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by Marit
Renå
5 Children’s mittens, pattern no. 120, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Solveig Borseth

Animal Motifs (pages 179-181)

1 Men’s mitten knitted from a pattern purchased by Kurt Hentsches,
Berlin (during the war?), knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
2 Men’s mitten from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma Ullvarefabrikk
in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
3 Men’s mitten pattern no. 403, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by Paula
Petrine Borseth
4 Women’s gloves, pattern no. 409, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Jorunn Skrødal
 5 Copy of men’s mitten, Selbu Bygdemuseum (SE 2298), knitted by Mia
Gjessing
6 Men’s hunting mitten with a moose, own design, knitted by Marit Renå
7 Women’s mitten from “Selbustrikk,” published by Rauma
Ullvarefabrikk in collaboration with Selbu Husflid, knitted by Solveig
Borseth
8 Women’s mittens with a deer and initials from a pattern in Ingeborg
Overvik’s pattern notebook, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
9 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 118, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Paula Petrine Borseth
10 Men’s mitten with reindeer and dancers, knitted by Paula Petrine
Borseth
11 Men’s mitten with reindeer and elephants from a pattern in Ingeborg
Overvik’s pattern notebook, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
12 Men’s mittens with a moose and Norwegian elkhound, unnumbered
pattern from Selbu Husflidsentral, Sverresborg Folkemuseum, knitted
by Paula Petrine Borseth
13 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 118, Selbu Husflidsentral, knitted by
Paula Petrine Borseth
14 Men’s mitten with Borseth horses, from a pattern in her own
collection, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
15 Class competition mitten, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
16 Children’s mitten with rabbits from Reidun Sesseng’s pattern
notebook, knitted by niece Ann-Mari Aas
17 Girls’ mitten with a rabbit from a pattern in her own collection,
knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
18 Girls’ mitten with a rabbit from a pattern in Ingeborg Overvik’s
pattern notebook, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
19 Girl’s mitten with a rabbit from a pattern in Helga Buland’s pattern
notebook, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
20 Men’s hunting mitten with a squirrel from a pattern in Jorunn
Skrødal’s pattern collection, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
21 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 411, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Paula Petrine Borseth
22 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 413, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Paula Petrine Borseth
23 Men’s mitten with Norwegian elkhound from Oline Kulseth’s pattern
notebook, knitted by her daughter Ingeborg Grønseth
24 Women’s hunting/smoking mitten from her own copy collection,
knitted by Joril Solli
25 Children’s mitten with dogs from a pattern in Johanna Larsen’s pattern
notebook, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
26 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 410, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Paula Petrine Borseth
27 Children’s mitten with a hare from her own pattern notebook, knitted
by Gerd Oline Uthus
28 Copy of baby mitten with hare, Are Størseth’s collection, knitted by
Liv Ranum
29 Girl’s mitten with rabbit from Ingeborg Overvik’s pattern notebook,
knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
30 Women’s mitten with a goat, pattern no. 414, Husfliden in Trondheim,
knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
31 Children’s mitten, pattern no. 414, Husfliden in Trondheim, knitted by
Paula Petrine Borseth
32 Men’s mitten with Flønes dogs. Freely worked from a mitten at Selbu
Bygdemuseet (SE 1677) knitted by Kari Flønes, an expert at animal
motifs. Copy knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
33 Children’s mitten with a cat from animal patterns from Selbu
Husflidsentral, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
34 Men’s mitten with a bird from a pattern in Ingeborg Overvik’s pattern
notebook / Annichen Sibbern Bøhn: Norwegian Knitting Designs,
knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth
35 Men’s mitten with a chicken and egg from a pattern in Ingeborg
Overvik’s pattern notebook, knitted by Paula Petrine Borseth

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PHOTO CREDITS
Cover photo: Grethe Britt Fredriksen
Page 2: Oddvar Brønstad
Page 7: Unknown photographer
Page 8: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 9: Postcard by Krigsarkivet/NTB Scanpix
Page 11: From Bøhn, Annichen Sibbern, Norwegian Knitting Designs.
Pages 12-13: Bernt Kulseth (Birgitta Odén and Guri Randi Fuglem: Anne
Bårdsgård)
Page 14: Forest manager Erline Archer
Page 17: O. P. Schiefloe, Trondhjem, Selbu Village Museum’s photo
archives
Page 18: top: Einar Jensen, Selbu; middle: NN; bottom, NN. All from the
Selbu Municipal photo archives
Page 19: top: Ragge Strand, Billedbladet NÅ 1955. Bottom: Odd Rygg.
Both from Selbu Village Museum’s photo archives
Page 21: NN, All from Selbu Village Museum’s photo archives
Page 22: Ragge Strand, Billedbladet NÅ 1955. Selbu Village Museum’s
photo archives
Page 23: Ragge Strand, Billedbladet NÅ 1955. Selbu Village Museum’s
photo archives
Page 25: Severresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum, copy of original
Page 26: Ragge Strand, Billedbladet NÅ 1955. Klaus Forbregd, Dagbladet,
Both from Selbu Village Museum’s photo archive
Page 27: Heidi Garberg, Birgitta Odén
Page 28: Heidi Garberg, Birgitta Odén
Page 31: Selbu Village Museum’s photo archive
Page 32: Left to right: Birgitta Odén, Narve Rognebakke, Selbyggen
Pages 33-37: Heidi Garberg
Page 38: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 39: Heidi Garberg, Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 42-45: Heidi Garberg
Page 46: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 47: Grethe Britt Fredriksen
Pages 48-50: Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 51-52: Heidi Garberg. Detail photos: Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 53-56: Heidi Garberg
Page 57: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 58: Heidi Garberg. Detail photos: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 59: Aina Bye
Page 62: Left to right: Anne Bårdsgård, Heidi Garberg, Anne Bårdsgård
Page 63: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 64: Heidi Garberg
Page 67: Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 68-69: Grethe Britt Fredriksen
Page 70: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 72: NN. Selbu Village Museum’s photo archive
Page 73: Lars Garberg, Selvu, around 1945
Page 74: From the top down: Maja Espelien, selbyggen, Ingvild Svorkmo
Espelien
Page 75: Top: Anna Rehnberg, Norwegian Resource Center (Norsk
genressurssenter). Bottom: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 77: Top: Anna Rehnberg, Norwegian Resource Center (Norsk
genressurssenter). Bottom: Heidi Garberg
Page 80: Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 81-96: Heidi Garberg
Page 98: Aina Bye
Pages 100-124: Heidi Garberg
Page 126: Aina Bye, Heidi Garberg
Pages 128-130: Heidi Garberg
Page 132: Aina Bye
Page 133: At right: NN
Pages 133-136: Heidi Garberg
Page 138: Aina Bye
Page 139: Pattern from Selbu Husflid’s Materials Collection and from
Helga Engen Buland’s pattern book. Heidi Garberg, Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 140-148: Heidi Garberg
Page 150: Aina Bye, Heidi Garberg
Page 152: Anders Dale, Illustrated
Pages 153-157: Heidi Garberg
Page 160: Aina Bye
Page 161: Heidi Garberg, Aina Bye
Pages 162-170: Heidi Garberg
Page 172: Heidi Garberg, Anne Bårdsgård
Page 174: Heidi Garberg, Anne Bårdsgård
Page 176: Heidi Garberg
Page 178: Aina Bye
Pages 179-181: Heidi Garberg
Page 184: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 192: Heidi Garberg
Page 196: Aina Bye, Heidi Garberg
Page 202: Anne Bårdsgård
Pages 206-213: Heidi Garberg
Page 214: Aina Bye, Heidi Garberg
Page 220: NN
Page 222: NN, Heidi Garberg
Pages 224-229: Heidi Garberg
Page 230: NN, Heidi Garberg
Pages 232-236: Heidi Garberg
Page 238: O. P. Schiefloe,Trondhjem, Selbu Village Museum’s photo
archive, Heidi Garberg
Page 240: Hifling Trondheim, NN, Norway’s Husflid
Association/Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Page 242: NN, Heidi Garberg
Page 244: Forest manager Erling Archer, Heidi Garberg
Page 246: NN, Heidi Garberg
Page 248: Heidi Garberg
Page 250: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 2542: NN, Heidi Garberg
Page 254: Heidi Garberg
Page 256: Selbu Village Museum’s photo archive, Heidi Garberg
Page 258: Anders Dale, Illustrated, Heidi Garberg
Pages 260-264: Heidi Garberg
Page 266: Urd No. 48, 1930, Heidi Garberg
Page 268: NN, Birgitta Odén
Page 270: Bernt Kulseth, Heidi Garberg
Page 272: Ragge Strand, Billedbladet NÅ, 1955, Heidi Garberg
Page 274: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 276: NN. Heidi Garberg
Page 278: Ragge Strand, Billedbladet NÅ, 1955, Heidi Garberg
Page 280: Jørgen Paulsen 1966, Heidi Garberg
Page 282: Heidi Garberg
Page 284: NN, Heidi Garberg
Page 286: Anne Bårdsgård
Page 296: From the top down: Oddvar Brønstad, Bente Hårstad, Arild
Espelien, Ida Bjørvik
Your own children’s mitten
Your own women’s mitten.
Your own men’s mitten
ANNE BÅRDSGÅRD

Anne Bårdsgard (born in 1966) is an artist-craftswoman educated at the

Institute of Textiles of The State College for Arts and Crafts and Designs in
Bergen, Norway. She has had several solo exhibitions of her work and
participated in a number of group exhibits both in Norway and abroad. Her
work has been purchased by several institutions, including the Norwegian
Art Industry Museum, the Cultural Council, the Royal Hospital, and the Art
in Public Buildings Fund. Anne grew up in Selbu and Trondheim and now
lives and works in Klæbu.
BIRGITTA ODÉN

Birgitta Odén (born in 1950) majored in art history and is a certified curator
at NMF (Norges Museumsforbund). Since 1999, she has worked as the
regional conservator in Malvik and Selbu (and in Tydal, 1999-2006), and
was the project leader for establishing the knitting exhibition in the Selbu
Village Museum and at the Johan Nygaardsvold Museum in Hommelvik.
For 13 years, she has been a working artist and a member of a collective
workshop.
INGVILD SVORKMO ESPELIEN

Ingvild Svorkmo Espelien (born in 1963) is the day-to-day coordinator of

the Selbu Spinneri, which was established in 2010. She is an agronomist,
biologist, and teacher. Ingvild has taught courses on wool improvement and
has raised sheep for many years.
BODIL MOSTAD OLSEN

Bodil Mostad Olsen (born in 1961) is a prize-winning book and identity

designer, with a Master’s Degree with Excellence in Sequential Design
from the University of Brighton. Based in Tondheim, Bodil works with
various national and international projects, from Namsskogan, Norway to
New York and Beijing.
MUSEUMSFORLAGET

Museumforlaget is a Norwegian niche publisher of books about cultural

heritage. We focus on history, archaeology, art and other subjects examining
the past and present for the sake of an educated future. Our publications are
of a high professional quality, and the press is widely recognized for its
scholarly publications.

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