The Scandinavian Weavers are honored and excited to be part of the upcoming major exhibit at the American Swedish Institute, “Karin Larsson: Let the Hand be Seen,” June 8 through October 27, 2024.
Portier woven by Karin Larsson at Lilla Hyttnäs in Sundborn, Sweden. Photo courtesy of Carl Larsson-gården.
Karin Bergöö Larsson (1859–1928) was a groundbreaking artist whose approach to textiles and design ushered in a new era of interior design and established the iconic Swedish style that continues to inspire artists worldwide. The floral motifs, vivid colors, and charming simplicity of her style remain heavily influential nearly a century after her death, thanks to the images captured by her painter husband Carl Larsson.
Karin Larsson at her upright loom. Photo courtesy of Carl Larsson-gården.
It was Karin who designed and created Lilla Hyttnäs, the Larsson’s home just outside of Falun in Sundborn, Sweden, which was so often the subject of Carl’s paintings. From the bold interiors to the modern textiles and rustic furniture, Karin’s hand can be seen across many of Carl’s works, which have become some of Sweden’s most famous paintings. The home continues to inspire and is open to the public as Carl Larsson-gården, which created this traveling exhibition.
Karin at her upright loom with her floor loom in the background.Photo courtesy of Carl Larsson-gården
Along with members of the Rag Rug Weavers group from the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, the Scandinavian Weavers will demonstrate traditional Swedish rag rug weaving during the run of the exhibit. We will be working in the ballroom at the top floor of the historic Turnblad Mansion—AKA “The Castle”—in Minneapolis. Thanks to renovation efforts, the Turnblad Mansion is fully handicapped accessible, including an elevator, which will come in handy when transporting a large Swedish floor loom!
Turnblad Mansion. Photo courtesy of the American Swedish Institute.
Stay tuned to this blog for further details! In the meantime, for more information, visit the American Swedish Institute website:
The Scandinavian Weavers exhibit “Deep Winter Needs the Colors of Scandinavia” is in its final week at Becketwood Senior Cooperative in Minneapolis. The last day to view the exhibit is April 2. Because Becketwood is a private residence, please arrange to see the exhibit by calling the front desk at (612) 722- 4077 prior to your visit to make sure the galleries are open for viewing.
Peg Hansen created Tidigare Kvinner in collaboration with her three daughters. Their inspiration was the bloodthirsty Norse/Celtic battle saga Darradarljod, in which the Valkyries weave on a warp-weighted loom built of bones and entrails, with heads of defeated warriors as loom weights. Peg writes, “In 2023, I took a loom construction class by Jess Hirsch followed by rya weaving under the instruction of Melba Granlund. One thing led to another: I built the loom. My daughter Sarah/Hannah dyed the blood-red warp using lac with additional exhaust from madder, marigold, and cochineal. The blue weft is indigo dyed, and the white wool locks are scoured Wensleydale Fleece.” The ceramic heads of contemporary power brokers, sculpted by Peg and daughter Bitsy, substitute for the traditional rocks in the spirit of the Darradarljod. The inspirational passage from the saga hangs nearby in the gallery, type-set and hand-printed by daughter Rachel.
Nancy Ellison’s “Pasture by the Cemetery” is a perennial favorite, showing the figurative possibilities of krokbragd technique. Between bands of traditional geometric designs are farmers and farmwives with their flocks of sheep along with black-suited pastors presiding over a row of gravestones.
Detail of “Pasture by the Cemetery.”
Jan Mostrom’s “Sun Dogs” is a rya woven on a backing threaded in a goose eye twill, visible at the top of the piece. Jan explains that traditional rya coverlets would be placed on a bed with the pile side toward the sleeper and the patterned side for public view. The pile trapped warmth and kept the sleeper cozy. This traditional technique is found throughout the Scandinavian region.
Mary Erickson wove the complex patterns of “Think About It” in bound rosepath in a class taught by the Norwegian weaver Åse Frøysadal at Vesterheim. Mary explains, “Åse stressed designing at the loom instead of using pattern drafts. I still remember her saying “think about it” as we wove. She opened up new ideas of how to weave!”
Lisa Torvik wove this wall hanging in skillbragd technique at weaving school in Valdres, Norway in 1974. She completed the piece in four days—four long days—as her time on the loom was very limited. “The hardware was an exceptional opportunity I could not pass up,” she recalls. “The husband of a teacher at the school was a metal worker. In his spare time, he did decorative wrought iron and made beautiful hangers for weavings. Carrying it home on the airplane was another story!”
Robbie LaFleur is a fan of Edvard Munch’s famous painting “The Scream” (Skrik in Norwegian) and has woven it in many different techniques. Here it is in rya technique. A visitor to the gallery commented that it was the scariest version they had ever seen! For more of Robbie’s explorations, see https://robbielafleur.com/2015/07/27/edvard-munch-in-stitches/
Phyllis Waggoner’s inspiration for her “Rya Trasmatta” was “Blå trasryan”, 1934, by Swedish designer/weaver Märta Måås-Fjätterström. Phyllis’ version was woven linen warp thrums—unwoven warp ends remaining on the loom after the last rug is cut off. They were combined with strips torn from old and new fabrics, and overdyed in indigo.
On the left is Mandy Pedigo’s “Where Are Our Mothers?” On the right is “Linnea Flowers,” a Monksbelt piece by Lisa-Anne Bauch woven as part of a Scandinavian Weavers group warp.
Mandy writes, “‘Where Are Our Mothers’ is woven inlay piece that features a map of Sweden and Finland. It is inspired by samplers and captures some of my early genealogy work to reclaim the lost names of the women in my line.” The piece includes hand-painted warp with woven inlay and embroidery. For more on Mandy’s work, visit her website at https://www.mandypedigo.com/
Jan Mostrom’s stunning krokbragd weaving “Peace” was woven for her church, Peace Lutheran of Plymouth. “I used liturgical colors,” Jan notes. “The dove symbol is represented in a large stained-glass window at the church. ‘Peace’ was woven tapestry-style but all in the krokbragd treadling or technique. I used multiple shuttles or butterflies to weave across each row with background and dove colors as needed.”
Mary Skoy’s tapestry also has a religious theme. The Biblical parable of “The Wise and Foolish Virgins” was the most popular tapestry subject in medieval Norway. The parable, from the Gospel of Matthew, warns Christians to be prepared for Christ’s return. Since they do not know the day or hour of his coming, they must be like those waiting late at night for the arrival of a bridegroom, an important and honored guest. The wise virgins bring extra oil in case their lamps run dry. The foolish do not. When their lamps inevitably wink out, they must go and buy more oil because the wise virgins refuse to share. Thus, the foolish miss the arrival of the bridegroom and when they return, find the doors to the wedding celebration locked. In the traditional tapestries, as in Mary’s, they weep dramatically into their handkerchiefs. “I have called this tapestry ‘I Thought We Were Friends,'” Mary notes, “because I think the five who were saving their oil and didn’t offer to share with the five who had used up their oil were mean and selfish!”
Mary thoughtfully displayed her tapestry along with the relevant Bible verses, the cartoon used to weave it, and a sample card of all the colors in the wool yarn. She also included her initials and the date of the weaving, because far too many of our weaving ancestors did not, and their names and stories were lost to time. She encourages other weavers to do the same!
The Scandinavian Weavers would like to express our sincere thanks to the Becketwood community for their kind invitation to exhibit in their gallery, as well as their hospitality. And although it is now spring, deep winter seems to have returned in the form of a snowstorm—a fitting backdrop to the bright and warm colors of Scandinavian weaving.
The Scandinavian Weavers exhibit “Deep Winter Needs the Colors of Scandinavia” is currently on view (through April 2, 2024) at Becketwood Senior Cooperative in Minneapolis. While Becketwood is a private residence, you can arrange to see the exhibit by calling the front desk at (612) 722- 4077 prior to your visit to make sure the galleries are open for viewing. We recently enjoyed a gallery talk with residents, who asked great questions about the traditional weaving techniques on display.
Sharon Moe Marquardt wove this Sami-style grene on a warp-weighted loom while on a study trip in Norway. She learned this traditional technique from Sonja Vangen and Olaug Isaksen at Lofoten Folkehøgskole in Kabelvåg, near Lofoten.
Detail of Sharon’s weaving.
Mary Skoy was also inspired by her travels in Scandinavia. She wove this traditional-style christening blanket based on one she saw in a museum in Sweden. “Red being my favorite color,” she explains, “I knew I needed to reproduce it!” Christening coverlets were traditionally woven with protective symbols to shield the infant from evil influences while being carried to church for baptism. The coverlet is woven in three-shaft bound rosepath with cotton seine warp and wool weft. The selvedges are covered with a band, woven on an inkle loom with pick-up patterns, which also includes protective symbols. (Read more: https://norwegiantextileletter.com/article/baby-basket/)
Robbie LaFleur wove this colorful half-flossa wall hanging, called “Protection,” for the Scandinavian Weavers previous exhibit “Myths, Symbols, and Fairy Tales.” Half-flossa technique includes alternating sections of plain weave and short pile.
Lila Nelson, one of the original founders of the Scandinavian Weavers group, wove this elegant danskbrogd wall hanging, which is in the permanent collection of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Lila did extensive research on danskbrogd and is largely responsible for bringing the technique to the United States.
Judy Larson wove this stunning rag rug called “Rippling Water.” The rug is a double binding rug in which smaller strips of multiple blue fabrics were sewn together to contrast with the navy solids. “Rippling Water” was a labor of love. “Even with all the fabric prepped and already on the shuttles,” Judy explains, “this rug took 8 hours to weave at the loom!”
On the left is another rag rug, this one woven by Barb Yarusso. The weft comes from a rug woven by her grandmother Alma Norhala, an immigrant from Finland. The original rug was woven in the 1950s, in plain weave with log cabin threading. Barb carefully salvaged and cleaned the cotton weft material and re-wove it into a new rug as her way of honoring Alma’s work and carrying on the immigrant tradition of not letting anything go to waste. Barb’s rug exactly re-creates the original log cabin threading as well as the stripe sequence. (Read more: “In Honor of Alma: A Reconstructed Rag Rug.)
On the right is “Horda 3rd Gen,” a transparency by Lisa Torvik. Lisa studied weaving in Norway and focuses her work on traditional Norwegian techniques and geometric designs. In this case, the center panel is based on a coverlet from the Hordaland region of Norway, while the motifs along both sides are abstract improvisations on traditional motifs. In 2023, “Horda 3rd Gen” won first place in the “Weaving the North” exhibit at North Suburban Arts Center as well as a blue ribbon at Vesterheim’s National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition. (Read more: “Three “Generations” of an Old Hordaland Weaving Design.”)
Raanu is a traditional Finnish weave that takes many different forms. Lisa-Anne Bauch learned to weave raanu rugs from Wynne Mattila at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Most raanus take their color inspiration from the natural world. “Polar Vortex” explores the colors of a cold winter’s night.
For more beautiful weavings, stay tuned for Part Three of this post, which will be up later this week!
Becketwood is a senior housing cooperative in Minneapolis, located in the Longfellow neighborhood on a beautiful bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Becketwood has an active fine arts committee, including several weavers. The committee invited the Scandinavian Weavers to present an exhibit in their gallery space.
Scandinavian weavings at Becketwood
Our goal was to present a wide variety of traditional Scandinavian techniques. Since we were expecting our usual harsh Minnesota winter, we named the exhibit “Deep Winter Needs the Colors of Scandinavia.” Alas, it has been unseasonably warm with almost no snow. Nevertheless, the bright colors of the weavings are a welcome sight.
Kevin Olsen, who specializes in Scandinavian tapestry techniques, wove a wreath pattern called Betrothal, traditionally woven to celebrate an engagement. “Since my husband and I had already been married for six years when I wove the tapestry,” Kevin explains, “I called mine Anniversary instead. I included irises and peonies, which were our wedding flowers, while the tulips are a traditional motif.” The six red roses stand for the six years Kevin and his husband had been married. In the spirit of betrothal tapestries, Kevin included the date and an image of the marriage certificate.
Kevin Olsen’s Anniversary tapestry
A vitrine showcases woven bands, a common element of Scandinavian folk costumes. As seen below right, Jane Connett used card-weaving to create a wide belt for a bunad (traditional costume). In this ancient technique, warp yarns run through holes in square cards. Each single card has four holes, one in each corner, and dozens of cards may be combined to create intricate patterns. After each weft shot, the cards are turned forward or backward to create the next element of the pattern.
Below center, Judy Larson wove a smaller band using a heddle or bandgrind. In this portable technique, the weaver raises and lowers the heddle to create the open sheds through which the weft passes. To weave designs, the warp strings can be picked up individually and a curved knife is used to beat in the weft yarn.
The charming tea cozy in the background was woven by Marie Nordland (1909-2000), the aunt of current Scandinavian Weavers member Nancy Ellison. Marie was a member of De Norske Vevere (the Norwegian Weavers), a group in the Weavers Guild of Minnesota that was a forerunner of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group. She used a variety of techniques in her tea cozy, including krokbragd, danskbrogd, and rya.
Back row, left to right: Tea Cozy by Marie Nordland, Heddle Band by Judy Larson, and Bunad Belt by Janet Connett. Foreground: Sami-Influenced Band by Sharon Moe Marquardt.
Sharon Moe Marquardt wove the Sami-style band in the foreground using a simple tube loom. She added miniature Sami boots that she purchased at the husflidlag (handcraft association) in Manndalen, a Sami community on Kåfjord, east of Trømso in Norway, where she learned the technique.
Close-up of Sharon Moe Marquardt’s Sami-style band, including miniature boots of reindeer leather.
Syvilla Bolson (1928-2011) wove the wall hanging below in Flesberg technique, a style of three-shaft bound rosepath from the Flesberg region in Norway. Syvilla was a beloved member of the Scandinavian Weavers for many years. (Learn more about the flesberg technique in the November, 2020, issue of the NorwegianTextileLetter.)
Flesberg technique woven by Syvilla Bolson
Jan Mostrom wove the rutevev wall hanging below, evocatively named “Old Soul.” Rutevev, or square-weave, is a geometric weaving technique using single or double interlock joins.
Ann Haushild, a Becketwood resident and long-time study group member, wove this colorful hanging in Vestfold technique, named after the Vestfold region in Norway. It is an inlay technique, in which weft yarn is laid in to create the designs. (There is more on this technique in the February, 2020, issue of the Norwegian Textile Letter.)
Vestfold wall hanging by Ann Haushild
Last year, the Scandinavian Weavers set up a group warp to weave in telemarksteppe technique. (See previous blog posts for more photos of this technique.) Kala Exworthy wove the beautiful version below in colors inspired by the natural world.
Telemarksteppe wall hanging by Kala Exworthy
Rya is a traditional pile technique. Marilyn Moore’s lush version below was inspired by the colors in her expansive flower garden.
Rya wall hanging by Marilyn Moore
Nancy Ebner wove a rutevev wall hanging called “Divine Order.” The original pattern drawing was produced in the 1930s by Linnea Kullman (Johansson), a student at Johanna Brunsson’s Weaving School in Stockholm, Sweden. Nancy discovered the pattern in the historical collections at the Nordisk Museum (via digitalmuseum.se).
“Divine Order” by Nancy Ebner
Brenda Gauvin-Chadwick wove the pillow below, called “Joy Exploding,” in rosepath technique. “The pillow was woven with Fåro yarn that I purchased in Sweden many years ago,” she writes. “I carried it all over Scandinavia for weeks in my suitcase. I bought it after skiing the Swedish Vasaloppet. Two weeks later in Norway I skied the Birkebeiner race. The colors represent the forests, the beautiful sunshine and my heart exploding with joy as I skied along!”
Brenda Gauvin-Chadwick’s “Joy Exploding”Detail of “Joy Exploding”
Robbie LaFleur’s weaving below is in double krokbragd technique. Called “The Old Pattern” it includes a sheepskin backing and fringe. (Read the full article from the Norwegian Textile Letter on the old pattern.)
“The Old Pattern” by Robbie LaFleurDetail of “The Old Pattern”
Stay tuned for more blog posts featuring photos from the exhibit, which will be on view through April 4.
If you would like to visit the exhibit, please call the Becketwood front desk at (612) 722- 4077 prior to your visit to make sure the galleries are open for viewing.
The Scandinavian Weavers’ “Domestic to Decorative” exhibit included several heirloom textiles, which came with wonderful family stories. The heirlooms inspired members of our group to weave new versions of the same technique—in one case, to combine old and new in a single weaving—or to use their imaginations to create something new inspired by the past.
Weaver Mary Skoy next to the woolen blanket given at her great-grandparents’ wedding.
One of Mary Skoy’s most treasured family heirlooms is a simple woolen blanket. The blanket was a gift to Mary’s great-grandfather Per Mikkjelson Lønning and great-grandmother Synneva Fransdatter Kanelønning, who were married at the Lønning farm on the island of Stord, Hordaland, Norway in 1880. “The blanket was a gift from a wedding guest,” Mary explains. “The faded PL in the corner of the old blanket refers to Per Lønning. Sadly, the name of the weaver was not recorded.” Note: Mary always encourages those of us in the Scandinavian Weavers group to include our initials on everything we weave!
Per Lønning and Family
Mary researched the history of blankets from this era, consulting Norwegian weaving instructor and textile historian Ingebjørg Monsen. Ingebjørg sent the following information about similar blankets from that era: “The red thread is a traditional way of hemming the blanket. The colored thread is for decoration purposes, but it also makes a cover up for the hem stitches in a very nice way. The hand spun yarn in the piece is from a dropspindel. This very fine blanket I expect to have been in used in bed. Could also have been used as a tjeld (curtain) to protect from draught. The more common width of the farm loom is represented in the half width of the blanket.”
Inspired by the heirloom blanket, Mary wove a new blanket for the birthday of her great-niece. “The elements from the old blanket I incorporated are the color, two narrow lengths hand-stitched together, and most importantly the initials embroidered into one corner,” Mary says. The new blanket is also much softer, incorporating alpaca, mohair, silk, and wool—luxury fibers that would not have been available to her ancestors in 1880.
Original blanket on the left; Mary’s blanket on the right.Close-up showing theembroidered initials.Note the difference between the simple wool fibers in the original and the fluffier fibers on the new blanket.
Beth Detlie was also inspired by Norwegian textiles: “Vegteppe was a wedding gift from my husband’s aunt to us in 1978. She told us that the weaving was done by a distant relative of mine. (My mother’s ancestors immigrated to the United States from the Telemark region in Norway during the 1850s.)” Beth’s Telemark Reflection is an echo of this beloved weaving.
Original vegteppe on the far wall with Beth’s smaller version on the right. In the foreground is the special case holding other heirloom textiles.
Edi Thortensson donated a simple but treasured handtowel. “The towel was handwoven around 1950 by my mother-in-law, Ellen Svensson, for use in her home in Tröjemåla, near Ryd, Småland, Sweden,” Edi writes. Inspired by Ellen’s towel, Edi wove a paradhandduk, or display towel, meant to cover utility towels hanging near a washstand.
Edi Thorstensson and her parahandduk.
Barb Yarusso shared two Finnish heirloom textiles for the exhibit, including a 2/2 twill linen towel embroidered with her great-grandmother’s initials. Her great-grandmother’s name was Josefiina (Fiina) Norhala. “Josefiina grew the flax, spun the yarn, and wove the towel,” Barb writes. “She gave the towel to my grandfather Eino when he emigrated from Finland to the United States in 1913.”
On the far left is the red and white towel woven by Edi’s mother-in-law Ellen Swenson and embroidered with the initials ES. On the right is the white towel with initials embroidered in red by Barb’s great-grandmother Josefiina Norhala.
Barb also has a rug woven by Alma Norhala, Eino’s wife. Alma was also born in Finland and came to America as a child. The original rug was woven in the 1950s, in plain weave with log cabin threading. Barb carefully salvaged the cotton weft material and re-wove it into a new rug as her way of honoring Alma’s work.
Barb Yarusso proudly holds the rug she rewove using weft material from her grandmother Alma Norhala.
Peg Hansen was also inspired by Finnish weaving. Löytyi Karannut Lemmikki (A Runaway Pet Was Found) is a vintage (over 100 years old) Finnish Rya/Ryu wall hanging from the collection of Peg’s friend Susan Sutherlund. It belonged to Susan’s grandmother Lydia Ivonen. Unfortunately, the weaver is not known.
Löytyi Karannut Lemmikki (A Runaway Pet Was Found)
This piece served as Peg’s inspiration to learn more about the Rya/Ryu weaving technique used in Scandinavia.
Peg’s rya weaving on her hand-builtwarp-weighted loom.
Kala Exworthy’s source of inspiration was a beloved quilt. “My maternal Grandmother loved making things,” she writes. “From her I learned to knit, rosmal and paint those cute plaster gnomes, which we painted red hats on and called “Nisse.” The photo below is of a quilt given to Kala by her grandmother. “I was the oldest granddaughter and was given first choice of the pile of quilts,” Kala explains. “The fabrics are from worn garments and I have always been a fan of bright colors. As a practical quilt, it has been used from day one. It’s worn and faded now but no less precious.”
The quilt given to Kala by her grandmother.
Inspired by the quilt, Kala wove a wall hanging she calls Memory Fragments. “The wall hanging represents not only the colors in the quilt but also the random memories that I have when I look at the quilt,” she writes. “Pictures in my head of Gram at different times in our lives, red paint on the paintbrush for the Nisse hats, the smell of turpentine and linseed oil used to clean our brushes, yarn and needles and of course, lefse with mashed potatoes, chicken and crispy sugar cookies. I loved going to Gramma Egstad’s house because there was always time to make something.”
Kala’sMemory Fragments inspired by her grandmother’s quilt.
For Nancy Ellison, her heirlooms come in the form of sheep. Nancy raises Icelandic sheep and other heritage breeds on her farm near Zumbrota, Minnesota. “Historically in Iceland shepherds wore a mantel or cloak woven with locks of wool to protect the wearer from the weather,” Nancy explains. “The shaggy surface is like the wool growing on a sheep.” Nancy wove a pillow and chair cushion in this technique, using gray, black, brown, and white wool from her flock.
Nancy shaggy sheep contributed to her weaving!
Some weavers were inspired by vintage objects, even though they didn’t have a family connection. Sharon Marquart’s From Garment to Garnish was inspired by an antique embroidered bodice, possibly Scandinavian, and an antique beaded belt, which may have been part of a Norwegian bunad (ceremonial dress).
A visitor examines the vintage clothing items that inspired the woven motifs inSharon’s From Garment to Garnish, seen on the wall.
Melba Granlund wove a telemarksteppe she called Reflections. “My color inspiration for Reflections came from a stained-glass window salvaged from an old farmhouse,” she states. “It was purchased at a farm auction in central Minnesota and currently hangs in the dining room window of our “new” farmhouse a few miles away. “
Melba’s Reflections and a photo of the stained glass that inspired the color palette.
Although humble, these beloved textiles are still treasures, even a hundred years later. As shown in this exhibit, even the simplest textile can inspire later generations to weave on. We are all part of the fabric of history, and our own small threads can have a positive impact far beyond our lifetimes. Just remember to put your initials on everything you weave!
A cold January is the perfect time to start a new weaving project! The Scandinavian Weavers’ latest group warp is a pattern called Kukkoladräll.
The Kukkoladräll pattern was composed by Elsa Kerttu in 1926 when she was a student at Jämtslöjds Kvinnliga Slöjdskola (Women’s Craft School) in Östersund as an assignment to create a pattern in Jämtlandsdräll. It was named after Elsa’s hometown of Kukkola, a small fishing village in northern Sweden, just across the border from Finland. A lovely version of this pattern was woven by Ulrika Bos Kerttu, Elsa’s niece, in a palette she named Cloudberry. The draft for the pattern is copyrighted by Sveriges Länshemslöjdskonsulenter and provided bytextilhemslojd.se
Image of cloudberries from Pinterest.
The Weavers Guild of Minnesota is equipped with two Glimakra looms for classes and group projects. The Scan Weavers generously dug into their stashes for the linen warp. At least 14 of us will weave on this warp, so it is quite long.
There’s nothing more beautiful than a plain linen warp. Note the slightly different colors that result from blending.
Warping is always more fun with a group! (Especially with coffee breaks.) Below, Lisa Torvik explains the benefits of pre-sleying the reed to newer weavers Holly and Beth.
Patty Johnson demonstrates how she used to warp her Glimakra all by herself – controlling the warp tension while winding on the back beam. Fortunately, Lisa is there to help.
Lisa reminds everyone to spritz the linen warp with water to prevent breakage. (Lisa does this every time she advances the warp, which she does every three to four inches.)
Lisa adapted the draft for towels and included four motifs across the width instead of three.
Lisa wove two towels in different colorways. For the first, she used 16/1 linen doubled on stick shuttles for the pattern weft and 12/1 linen for the ground shots.
For the second towel, Lisa chose to work with perle cotton for the pattern weft.
Stay tuned for more updates on this project. I like to think that Elsa Kerttu’s original design of multiple squares was inspired by the many small fishing huts in Kukkola.
Image of Kukkola from PinterestStock image
If you now want to visit Kukkola as much as I do, search online for the Kukkola Tourist and Conference Board. They say the area provides natural beauty, peace, and creative inspiration. What could be better for weavers?
At the Scandinavian Weavers recent holiday gathering, our host Nancy Ebner shared a wonderful children’s book called Woven of the World, written by Katey Howes and illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova. The author and artist spent years researching the technical, cultural, and relational aspects of weaving in order to portray them with accuracy and sensitivity. In the book, a young weaver learns from her elder as the loom sings of fabric, friendship, and families.
One page in particular made some of us stoic Midwesterners a little misty-eyed…
All of us are drawn to the artistry of Scandinavian weaving, both in its home countries and wherever it has traveled around the globe. Some fell in love with weaving on first sight while others inherited weaving as a family legacy.
Veronna Capone is one such lucky weaver. Her Swedish maternal grandmother brought her weaving skills to South Dakota, where her brother built her a rug loom with hand-cut mortise and tenon joints and metal rockers for the beater. She wove rag rugs to help support her family and was such a prolific weaver that she wore those metal rockers down to slivers. (The loom is now in the permanent collection of a university museum but is rarely put on display because it is so large and heavy it requires four strong people to carry it.) Veronna’s family on her Norwegian father’s side also wove rag rugs but twined them on a frame loom instead of using a floor loom. Veronna says that these rugs, woven from literal rags, were “hard-use back-door rugs!”
For her part, Veronna loves the challenge of learning weaving techniques: “I have gone to many classes, workshops near and distant, textile tours, [conferences], and was amazed at the technical skills, and problem solving shown by weavers. I’ve been lucky to have classes with great instructors back east and out here [in South Dakota]. Learning different structures that can be used for other designs has been helpful. Scandinavian weaves are fascinating. As with all simple things it can become very complicated. This has been going on for 40+ years and I still have lots to learn.”
“Early last spring I started to feel it was time to part with my Glimakra loom,” Veronna writes. “And within a week or two I saw the note from Nancy Ebner that she was looking for one to buy.” Several Scan Weavers gathered to install the loom in its new home.
Like a giant Tinker Toy set, Veronna’s Glimakra arrives in its new home, carefully wrapped in an old quilt.
Nancy and Judy consult the diagram.
Veronna approves of the sunny space!
A handy frameworks holds the lamms in place for tie-up.
Tying up the lamms.
Handing on the hammer!
The loom in its new home!
By sharing our love and knowledge of weaving, Scandinaivan Weavers are part of a global community that spans generations, In the coming weeks, look for updates on our latest group projects, exhibits, collaborations, and resources. Happy New Year and Happy Weaving!
When we’re not weaving, we’re talking about weaving.
Thanks to Beth Detlie, who demonstrated at Red Wing Arts as part of the Scandinavian Weavers exhibit “Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving.” The exhibit is open through December 24 at the historic train depot gallery in beautiful Red Wing, Minnesota.
Photo by Heather Laurenz
Beth wove a classic three-shed krokbragd technique using a rigid heddle loom.
Photo by Beth Detlie
A close-up of Beth’s beautiful weaving. She is working with Holst Garn fingering-weight wool from Denmark, which she purchased at The Yarnery in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Photo by Heather Laurenz
Beth explains the finer points of her weaving to guests in the Red Wing Arts gallery. In the background are Lisa Torvik’s transparency weavings, based on a motif in a woven coverlet from the Sogn region of Norway. Lisa will demonstrate transparency weaving on Saturday, December 9 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Please join us!
Thanks to Melba Granlund and Peg Hansen who demonstrated weaving on a traditional Scandinavian warp-weighted loom at Red Wing Arts on November 18, as part of the Scandinavian Weavers exhibit “Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving.” Visitors were fascinated by this ancient weaving technique, and Melba and Peg looked their finest in their Viking garb!
Melba Granlund explains the history of the warp-weighted loom to visitors (dogs included). Melba teaches classes in warp-weighted weaving at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, North House Folk School, Shepherds Harvest, and other venues.
Red Wing Arts is the perfect space for weaving on a warp-weighted loom: Plenty of room and lots of sunlight!
The big loom always draws a crowd!
Peg Hansen demonstrates rya weaving on the small warp-weighted loom she built in Melba’s class at North House Folk School. (Notice the deer antlers.)
Any weaver who has used a warp-weighted loom will tell you the slowest part of the process is tying on the loom weights.
Yes, still tying on rocks!
Our beautiful Viking maidens!
For close-up photos of Peg’s handmade loom and the saga that inspired it, visit Robbie LaFleur’s blog post here
Thanks to everyone who joined us at the opening reception for Scandinavian Weavers’ new exhibit “Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving.” The exhibit is on view at the Red Wing Arts gallery through December 24. (Please see the Red Wing Arts website for hours.)
Scan Weavers present at the reception. Back row: Edi Thorstensson, Peg Hanssen, Melba Granlund, Kala Exworthy, Mary Skoy, Lisa Torvik. Front row: Nancy Ellison, Nancy Pedigo, Jan Mostrom, Lisa-Anne Bauch, Barb Yarusso.
Scan Weaver Kevin Olsen and his Norwegian tapestry Nativity.
Special thanks to Edi Thorstensson and Nancy Ellison, who demonstrated weaving techniques.
Edi and Nancy compare weaving techniques. Edi wove a band using a hand-carved heddle, while Nancy wove rya on a Norwegian cradle loom.
Tremendous thanks to Red Wing Arts Program Director Heather Lorenz and Gallery Manager Shawn Niebeling, who championed this exhibit and made the entire experience a joy.
Scan Weavers member Peg Hansen, who regularly volunteers at Red Wing Arts, provided hospitality in her Norwegian bunad.
Members of the Zumbro River fiber arts guild watch closely while Nancy demonstrates rya weaving on her hand-painted cradle loom.
Lisa Torvik shows Mary Skoy the antique coverlet from the Sogn region that inspired her transparencies.
Scan Weavers Barb Yarusso, Mary Skoy, and Edi Thorstensson generously lent the heirloom textiles that inspired their weaving. Jane Connett’s colorful weavings are in the background.
Peg Hansen and her daughters Bitsy Joy and Rachel Hansen Morris collaborated on Tidligere Kvinner.
Kala Exworthy takes a moment to enjoy the Red Wing Arts shop. (Highly recommended!)
The Scandinavian Weavers’ new exhibit “Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving” is now open at Red Wing Arts in Red Wing, Minnesota. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular hours at Red Wing Arts. (Thursday through Monday 12:00 to 5:00 PM / Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM/ Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment)
Please join usfor a free Opening Reception on Saturday, November 4 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. In keeping with tradition, Scan Weavers are baking seven different kinds of cookies for the event.
Also on November 4, Edi Thorstensson will demonstrate band-weaving on a hand-carved Swedish heddle from 10:00 to 11:30 AM. Nancy Ellison will demonstrate rigid heddle weaving from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Additional demonstrations will be held November 18 (warp-weighted loom), November 25 (krokbragd on a rigid heddle), and December 9 (transparency weaving). Watch this space for further details.
Special thanks to Shawn Niebling at Red Wing Arts for shepherding this exhibit from concept to installation!
Visit Red Wing Arts in the historic train depot at 418 Levee Street in Red Wing, near the riverfront. (Yes, you can travel by Amtrak train to the depot.)
During the installation process, Peg Hansen carefully combs the fringe on Jan Mostrom’s beautiful weaving.Shawn Niebling expertly checking levels on Lisa Torvik’s transparency.Nancy Ellison’s rya weavings feature fleece from her flock of Icelandic sheep. (Photo by Peg Hansen)
Välkommen Hus at Gammelgarden (Photo by Brian Voss)
Scandia, Minnesota is the site of the first Swedish settlement in Minnesota. Gammelgarden Museum in Scandia helps preserve this history through its programs, exhibits, and five historic buildings while celebrating the stories of all immigrants and their communities.
On the second floor of the Välkommen Hus (shown above), there is an old floor loom. The loom was made in Sweden by a father with the intention that it would go to America with his daughter and her husband who would leave shortly after their wedding. The year 1879 is painted on the loom.
The daughter and her family used the loom in northern Minnesota until 1962 when it was sold at auction to Myrabelle Lange Sommerfeld. Myrabelle used the loom for rug weaving until early 1999. Everyone she knew had one of her rugs! In 2003, the loom was generously donated to Gammelgarden by Myrabelle’s daughter, April Sommerfeld Corgärd.
While the loom has been admired by countless visitors, it needed some minor repairs to be functional again. The Gammelgarden staff put an ad in the classified section of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota website, asking for assistance.
Ad on Weavers Guild website showing loom before restoration
Judy Larson, a member of the Scandinavian Weavers, happily volunteered. “It was an opportunity to see an old Swedish loom and visit Gammelgarden,” she explains. “The counterbalance loom is dated 1879 and was carved by a father for his daughter who was leaving for America. The side supports have some lovely wood carvings. As the loom was used by generations of weavers, there were changes made. A worm gear was added in place of the back brake. The string heddles were changed to metal heddles, and the shafts and treadles were held with nylon cords secured by wires, instead of knots. The front brake was still original and is exactly like the one on my great grandmother’s Swedish loom.”
Judy got to work restoring the loom: “I reset the worm gear rotation wheel to engage correctly, and then got the treadle cords and heddle cords to pull evenly and adjusted the reed height to get a better shed. The loom was now functional, and weaving could happen.”
Old Swedish loom at Gammelgarden after restoration
Judy returned two weeks later with fabric weft prepared and started weaving a blue gingham placemat: “I showed three volunteers how to weave on the loom, and even got some visitors to try throwing the shuttle across. The video was made, and a short description of weaving terms is posted by the loom. There is a QR code for visitors to access the video and see the 144-year-old loom in action.” Judy donated more weft fabric so weaving can continue.
Judy Larson demonstrating weaving on the old Swedish loom at Gammelgarden.A volunteer weaves while Judy and visitors look on
Judy also restored an old tape loom at Gammelgarden so it is now functional. Thanks to her generosity and expertise, visitors to Gammelgarden can try their hand at weaving, which played such an important role in the daily lives of Swedish immigrants.
Tape loom before restorationRestored tape loom in action. The band is about the width of a shoelace.
Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, Gammelgarden is well worth a visit! Be sure to try out the loom while you are there. To learn more, visit their website at gammelgarden.org (link below)
The Scandinavian Weavers’ latest group project was weaving in Telemarksteppe, organized by Lisa Torvik. Lisa was inspired by Laura Demuth’s table runner in a 2013 issue of Handwoven magazine. Laura wrote:
“Telemarksteppe is a technique that originates from Telemark, a county located along the southeastern coast of Norway. Using six shafts and five treadles, Telemarksteppe is a three-block weave woven on a tabby ground. This three-block structure allows for more design elements than the two blocks found in monk’s belt. Another aspect of Telemarksteppe that I find especially charming is the inclusion of weft loops along the selvedges. The loops also make frequent pattern-weft color changes easy. A color that is not used for several picks does not have to be cut because its end may be woven into the selvedge and reintroduced by making a loop at the selvedge that blends in with the other weft loops.”
This was our first group project in the new home of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, the Open Book building in Minneapolis. It was a joy to work in this bright space and also have the opportunity to demonstrate weaving Telemarksteppe to visiting students, guests, and Guild members.
Scan Weavers members used a variety of weft threads in wool, linen, or cotton. The first group of weavers had so much fun that we put a second warp on the loom. Stay tuned for more pictures as their projects are finished!
Telemarksteppe runners fresh off the loom!Lisa-Anne Bauch
Pillow by Jan Mostrom featuring Swedish art weaves
On Tuesday, June 27, the Scandinavian Weavers Interest Group hosted an open house at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Guests viewed samples of work by Scan Weavers, enjoyed refreshments, and watched weaving demonstrations by Lisa T as well as students in the Weaving with History workshop. (See previous post.)
Judy setting out her pepparkakor. (Tin is for transport only – those cookies were home-baked!)
Bri helping in the Guild’s fabulous new kitchen!
No party is complete without Marimekko!
Lisa T explaining Telemarksteppe to guests.
Sharon demonstrating Munkabälte (Monksbelt).
Peg and Melba reminiscing about recent travels to Norway. Melba is warping repp weave.
Mary admiring Finnväv (reversed) by designer Maija Kolsi-Mäkelä. Scan Weavers member Mandy Pedigo researched Kolsi-Mäkelä’ ‘s work during her MFA program and owns several of her designs, which she brought to the open house. (See Mandy’s blog at http://www.mandypedigo.com/maijakolsimakela for more info.)
Rag rugs by Judy Larson (left) and Robbie LaFleur (right). (Robbie wove her rug in a class at Sätergläntan. See her blog for details.) Above left is a krokbragd weaving by Lisa-Anne Bauch. Above right is a band weaving by Jane Connett.
Smalandsväv by Nancy Ebner. The design is by Becky Ashenden at Vävstuga.
Tapestry by Jane Connett.
Swedish art weaves pillow by Jan Mostrom.
Twill blanket in wool woven by Peg Hansen in Norway.
Rosepath pillow by Sharon Marquardt.
More samples in a variety of weave structures.
Scan Weavers meetings are held monthly September through May. Contact Robbie LaFleur at lafleur1801@me.com to join the fun!
Editor’s Note: Today’s blog entry was written by Judy Larson.
“Nordic Handcraft Workshop: Weaving with History – Using Historical Textiles” was a class co-hosted by American Swedish Institute (ASI) and Weavers Guild of Minnesota (WGM) and planned to be taught by Susanna Ayton of Sätergläntan Institute for Craft and Handwork in Insjön, Dalarna, Sweden. Enrollment filled quickly, and five members of the Scandinavian Weavers Interest Group offered to wind warps and prepare the twelve looms. Betsy Konop, the WGM Education Coordinator, ordered the materials and assigned the warps for winding.
On Tuesday, June 20, the warps were delivered, and five of the looms got the warps wound on. Each loom had to be carefully warped using 6/1 linen, 6/3 linen, 6/1 wool, and 16/2 cottons. The next day, more warps were wound on, sleying started, and the process continued. That night, we were informed that the instructor had been called back to Sweden for a family emergency, and we could choose to continue with the class as a group study or get a full refund. Betsy said she was sure we could “make lemonade out of these lemons!” Besides, the looms were almost ready!
Loom warped in beautiful Swedish linen
Ten of the twelve students chose to still do the class as a group study, and so the warping continued. It looked like everything was ready! Just before leaving on Thursday night, I noticed that one of the 6/1 linen warps had “churros” between the reed and the back beam, so it had to be completely wound to the the front beam, all the way to the end, and the twists removed. Betsy’s dog, Hopsy, was patiently waiting to go home, and he sat toward the end of the warp as the twist was slowly worked back. The decision was made to make it to Hopsy’s ears, and then cut the warp! It was then tied to the back beam and re-beamed the next day.
Hops hard at work!(Note his magnificent ears)
Friday morning, the group met at ASI and had a quick introduction to Sätergläntan’s programs in weaving, woodworking, blacksmithing, and hand sewing.
American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis
Then Phyllis Waggoner shared information and showed textiles from ASI’s collection in each of the weave structures we’d be sampling. Phyllis has been working with the ASI textiles for many years and is our local expert!
Phyllis explaining Blådrättar, a style of Dukagång
We first saw the Dukagång and Blådrättar. Blådrättar means “blue dish” in Swedish and refers to the fact that this type of Dukagång was traditionally done in blue and white/cream, similar to the colors on porcelain dishes. In Dukagång, the wool pattern weft is laid in fine rows separated by thin lines of tabby wefts.
Close-up of Blådrättar from ASI collection
Rölakan and munkabälte (Monksbelt) pieces were shown next, along with Daldräll (Overshot) and Rosengång (Rosepath).
Close-up of Rölakan showing distinctive interlock technique
Close-up of mythical creature on Rölakan weaving
Another Rölakan from ASI’s textile collection
Daldräll from ASI’s textile collection
Munkabälte (Monksbelt) from ASI collection
After lunch, the group went to the Guild and started our group study. Those with any experience in any of the structures gave their mini-demonstration, and then the weavers began making their samples.
Swedish wool yarn with WGM looms in the background
Lovely Swedish linen in a rainbow of colors!
Munkabälte and Daldräll were both pattern/tabby weaves and were more familiar. The Rosengång on opposites was a little trickier to do, but remembering the treadle partners of 1/4 with 2/3 and 1/2 with 3/4 helped. The Rölakan differences with single or double interlocks, plus the dovetail and over two without interlocked were discussed. The most challenging weave was the Dukagång.
Marianne weaving Rosengång (Rosepath)
Ever working on Rölakan interlocks
The weavers wove 6-inch samples of three different Munkabälte patterns, two Rosengångs (one with twills 4321234, and one with 123414321 threadings), two Daldräll patterns, two Rölakan, and three Dukagångs. As the weaving started, the patterns were coming out underneath. The tie-ups were all for counterbalance looms, so the tie ups needed to be reversed! More learning was happening!
Daldräll by Judy
Second Daldräll threading
Two of the Dukagångs were on 6/1 Farö wool warps, which kept breaking. Finally, the decision was made to re-warp one of them with 6/1 linen, which worked much better.
Sharon’s beautiful Blådrättar!
Sharon experimented with color blending in munkabälte
Close-up of Sharon’s munkabälte
More munkabälte
Munkabälte
Analyzing weave structure’s in Nancy’s show-and-tell
After weaving on Saturday and Sunday, there was a reception at ASI for all the participants in any of the four areas for Sätergläntan classes. The blacksmithing teacher commented that it was impressive that the weaving class went forward, even without a teacher. But it just shows that when weavers get a chance, they make the best of it! We truly did make “lemonade out of the lemons!”
After the warps are taken off the looms, Betsy will take pictures of each sample, and send them out to their respective weavers. The weekend was a great opportunity to meet more weavers, learn more about Swedish structures, and support the Guild/ASI partnership with Sätergläntan. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Betsy and Judy (and Hopsy!) as well as Erin Swenson-Klatt at ASI, who all went above and beyond to make sure this week was a wonderful experience for all!
Scandinavian Weavers Study Group 