Knitting and weaving practices

Knitting and weaving practices

The know-how about curating, harvesting and selecting the best parts of the sheep wool and different uses according to its natural properties: socks, sweaters, woven fabrics and felted wools. Knitting has been a practiced traditionally carried out at home by women. Spinning, knitting and weaving was common knowledge un homes up until 100 years ago, when industrial production begun to take over home-made textiles. Knitting culture has survived in Lofoten to greater extends than in other European countries, and traditional pattern and techniques are still known. Every piece of clothing, being socks, sweaters, mittens or hats, requiere speceific knowledge about stitch density, patterning and wool texture. When industrial dyes were not widely available, local natural plants and likens would do the coloring. The knowledge about plant use was mostly orally transmitted for generations. Currently, some of said traditions can be found in crafting manuals and school education, all of which is used to produce unique sweaters in Lofoten wool.

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iain

Norwegian

Intangible

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19/06/2025

https://lofoten-wool.no/en/pages/menneskene https://lofoten-wool.no/en https://www.nibio.no/prosjekter/amazing-grazing-baerekraftig-kjott-og-ull-fra-sau-som-beiter-i-norsk-utmark?locationfilter=true https://www.smabrukarlaget.no/aktuelt/bonde-og-smaabruker/, https://www.norskekunsthandverkere.no/kunstnerregister/ragnhild-lie https://husflid.no/ https://www.utdanningsforbundet.no/ https://www.bondelaget.no/ Esther Haukeland, Innføring til plantefarging. Cappellen, 1982. Animalia: Norwegian wool Standard. https://www.animalia.no/no/Dyr/ull-og-ullklassifisering/norsk-ullstandard/ Beder, Nicolina J., Seyður Ull Tøting. SPF. Sprotin, 2010. Flååt, Inger. Votter i Namdalen. Nauma Husflidslag, 2010. Grimstad, Ingun K. and Sårdal, Tone t. Norsk Strikkehistorie. Vormedal Forlag. 2018. Grimstad, Ingun K. and Sårdal, Tone T. Ren ull. Aschehoug, 2013. Hrútaskrá. https://www.rml.is/is/kynbotastarf/saudfjarraekt/hrutaskra Joensen, Robert. Seyðabókin. SPF. Sprotin, 2015. Johnston, Elizabeth and Juuhl, Marta K. The warp-weighted loom. Kljásteinavefstadurinn: kljásteinar klingja. Oppstadveven: klingande steinar. Skald, 2016. Kjellmo, Ellen. Båtrya i gammel og nyt tid. Orkana, 1996. Sundbø, Annemor. Usynlege Trådar i Strikkekunsten. Samlaget, 2006. https://www.norskebilledkunstnere.no/

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https://culturality.museum/wiki/index.php/Knitting_and_weaving_practices

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Elisabeth Rosa Brusin, Ole Andreas Sagmo, Rebeca Franco Valle

Knowledge of different types of wool, their different textures, and their applications to different kinds of clothing. Different knitting techniques and design patterns. Implementation of machine knitting techniques in the production line. In Lofoten Wool, the production of garment is divided into two practices: hand made knitting and machine knitting. Handmade knitting is carried out by skilled ladies who knit from home. The knitters are located in whole Northern Norway, and are coordinated by one of Ragnhild's co-workers, Nora. Machine knitting is carried out with the 3D zero waste knitting technology, which is a knitting practice that has been implemented by Lofoten Wool in order to offer more affordable, but still high-quality, garments. The garments made with this technique are machined knitted by partner companies in Tingvoll (Tingvoll Ull?) and Sykkylven (Krivi?), about 700 km southern Lofoten. The 3D zero waste knitting practice knits a sweater in 40 minutes, and reduces the yarn waste by using only the yarn needed for the production of the garment. The practitioner weaves and knits some of the garments herself, as well as designs new models and patterns with the collaboration of responsible for the quality check of the garments

There are schools for learning traditional fiber and textile work. Higher education in fashion design. Lugger (shoes for walking in the snow, in the dry winters. old woolen parts and then they would knit the shoes). Snow, shoes.

Current practitioners of the office: traditional textile workers, and employees responsible for coordination and administrative work. They can be learnt by choosing to work in that particular work. There is general gender differences that rely on longer cultural undercurrents (ie. wool textile workers are generally woman). Lofoten wool Hand-made sweaters relies on the work of knitters located in Northern Norway, that produce the sweaters for the company. The knitter may have school education, or practice-base knowledge to produce the sweaters. Current practitioners of machine knitted garments: partner companies in Tingvoll and Sykkylven (Norway).

Besides preserving the sense of belonging to a long-term domestic tradition, it opens the gates to thinking about fiber choices, local production and slow-fashion as gatheways to the sustainable fashion industry. Tourists engage in this sustainable industry by choosing locally produced raw materials and products that support the local primary sector, but also acquire a durable piece of clothing made in ways that respect the local nature and culture.

The current practices are not directly tied to old traditions, but they aim to recover, maintain and enhance the former domestic textile production. Knitwear is known in Scandinavia since the Middle Ages, and has a long tradition in domestic production until recent times. With the arrival of regulated public education to Norway, schools of offices also took up textile learning traditions, and offered them as professional education, while domestic hobby craft was kept in the families. However, the learning of hand-made crafting educations has been diminishing during the past decades, where fast-fashion industry has slowly been taking over consumer needs. Hand-made knitwear survives today partially as a hobby craft, and through revival initiatives. The connections of the craft with the land in Lofoten wool however, permeate much deeper than the hobby stores, investing in local ancient sheep breeds to produce fashionable items for tourist, naturally bridging between the primary and quaternary sectors with their textile (sweater) productions.

Lofotr Viking Museum, the slaughtery, the organizations Norske Kunsthandverkerer and Norske Biledkunstnerer, Småbrukerlager and Bondelaget, and Husflidlaget.

Local husflidslaget, factories in Ålesund area (Tingvoll and Sykkylven).

Water pollution,Loss of biodiversity,Invasive species,Coastal erosion,Sea-level rise,Increased rainfall,Deterioration of material,Deterioration of space

Water pollution as a result of industrial production. Loss of Biodiversity: there are few sheep farms left in Lofoten. Invasive species come with streams of imported products, vacations abroad and mass tourism. As an island, coastal erosion and rise of sea level may affect the place. Increased rainfall modifies the flora and the naturall cicles on which fodder for the sheep is produced.

Industrial production,Surge of new technologies

Indrustrial production has to be used to make the business sustainable. Surge of new technologies to improve the machine knitted production.

Human encroachment on boundaries

The increasing pressure of new inhabitants on the area and vacation houses creates conflicts with the use of pastures for the sheep. Younger generations are moving away from Lofoten/Northern Norway creating a a lack of generational turnover when it comes to learning and carrying out textile traditional handicraft.

Touristification,Misappropriation

Mass tourism demands more and faster production of garments to be sold. Traditional weaving patterns are appropiated by fast fashion industries.

Aged practitioners,Diminishing participation,Halted transmission between generations,Reduced practice

Knitting is a popular hobby in Norway. However, there is a steady decrease of textile production in Norway in favor of relocation to countries where production is cheaper.

Rapid economic transformation

Raw material production is being increasingly outsourced, away from the country. Rural road infrastructure in the islands with few options of public transport

Lack of conservation policy,Educational standardisation

Rural-urban migration

New pastimes,Rapid sociocultural change

Craft hobbies with wool have been reduced in the past decades. At the same time, industrial production of clothes and fast fashion produced in other countries, with more affordable products, makes the products less attractive.

Loss of cultural spaces,Loss of knowledge,Material shortage,Loss of cultural significance

With the loss of traditions linked to traditional manners of processing the wool, also the old tool usage has been lost to big extends. Oral traditions preserved are very few, since the founder of the project Lofoten wool is not a local herself.

Lofoten wool is situated in the proximity of the town of Stamsund. The town belongs to the municipality of Vestvågøy, in the Lofoten Archipelago and by 2023 counts 1.104 inhabitants. The town is one of the largest fishing towns in Lofoten, and an important fishing harbour. The fishing town was established in 1983 by JM Johansen, and today houses one of the largest fish processing plants of Lofoten, a Tran refinery, and its own shipping company.

Different types of knitting needles, 3D knitting machines, industrial loom, yarn unwinder, pots and utensils for dying.

It creates direct local employment for people hired for their skills. This helps against rural exodus, nurturing the local community development.

Sheep farming has very little impact over the local landscape. It helps preserving the landscape too. There is very waste generated during thr process of obtaining the wool. The energy employed is electric. The materials are sources locally, but the wool preparation has to be outsourced from another region, since there is no local installations that offer this service and the production center is not big enough.

It diversifies the production of the region, offering locally produced textiles using local raw materials. This also benefits the local sheep farmers, that find a use for the sheep wool that would otherwise go to waste.

Decent Work and Economic Growth,Industry Innovation and Infrastructure,Reduced Inequalities,Sustainable Cities and Communities,Responsible Consumption and Production,Climate Action,Life On Land

Stamsund, Lofoten, Norland

thriving

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