Selbuvotter

by Anne Bårdsgård

Hva er en Selbuvott og hvordan strikkes den?

Vi finner Selbuvotter overalt i Norge, og det er til dels uenighet om hva en ekte selbuvott er. Med egna garn og tynne pinner har forfatteren og strikkere i Selbu gjenskapt vottblad, grep, stælpe, toppinj, vekk, tommelkile og tommåsfinger til bladvotter og fingervotter etter gamle mønstre.

Selbuvotter presenterer vottetradisjonen i Selbu fra 1850-tallet og fram til i dag. De eldste vottene ble brukt som stasplagg og finere gaver, ofte til brudgommen og hans familie. Vottene var håndverk på høyt nivå både med tanke på ullsortering, spinning, strikking og originalitet i mønsterkonstruksjon. Senere ble votteproduksjon en viktig inntektskilde for Selbu. Mange tonn votter er produsert opp gjennom årene. Mønstrene ble standardisert, men ennå i dag lages nye mønster og nye kombinasjoner.

Selbuvotter er ei vakker bok og ei skattekiste for strikkere. Mønstersamlingen i boka kan kombineres på utallige måter og framgangsmåtene er forklart både i tekst og bilder. Et utvalg votter blir grundigere omtalt med mønster. De er hentet fra eldre mønsteropptegnelser, eldre votter eller foto av eldre votter.

Bokdetaljer

Genres: Knitting, History, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! You will need prior knowledge of knitting and mitten knitting to get to a finished product, but the stories behind the patterns and all the history and background make this a worthwhile read- far beyond a "pattern book".

[Mircah Foxwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in knitting as a folk tradition, you will like this book. It was written by a woman who wanted to capture the traditional knitting designs of Selbu in Norway. She asked local people to bring her their heirloom mittens and gloves, and carefully recorded the designs. There was more history and detail in this book than I personally cared about, but it was certainly a labour of love and a great collection of folk art.

The book also presents many pages of knitting charts, and I am endlessly fascinated by the number of designs that can be created by arranging patterns of light and darks squares in a grid.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

This pattern book is FANTASTIC! It has everything, a history section, photographs from the last 150 years, recreations from original patterning from museums, a dozen or so antique knitting patterns, and hundreds and hundreds of colourwork charts for you to chart your own favourite.

If you have a knitter in your life that likes Norwegian colourwork or fairisle, this book would make the best gift!

PS: I've also read the sequel for sweaters, hats and socks, and I would rate that one a 3.5 stars. It was ok but there were just less patterns or styles to chose from, and the sweater patterns were confusing. Not as successful as the mitten volume...

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable collection of art history as well as technical manual for recreation of traditional knit mittens. It contains history, examples of extant work, patterns from actual women, and countless charts. An absolute gem of a book for anyone interested in the oft forgotten and minimized history of women's creative labors and or knitters of all sorts.

[Jeanette H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selbu Mittens by Anne Bardsgard

This book in general was really good. Packed with the history of the mittens, which I loved. BUT, the Kindle e-book was just way to small to actually be able to see the patterns, no matter how large I made it. So, I'm going to see if my local library either has or can get a copy that I can borrow

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe this book. It is a fascinating look at a very specific genre of knitting. Paging through the archival photos of both knitters and knitted items is like visiting a museum. I’ve already ordered my yarn and can’t wait to cast on my mittens!

[Karrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed history of the traditional mittens. Loved the inclusion of not perfectly preserved mittens and biographies of the pattern contributors.

The various patterns were great, and definitely not for this novice knitter.

[CZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential, indispensable resource for all selbuvotter knitters and anyone who wants to know the history of this signature technique.

The patterns are hard to follow, ngl, but they're a great jumping-off point. For experienced knitters only.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of techniques, materials, and local culture, along with an amazing number of beautifully photographed examples and also usable charts and patterns.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource full of details about this knitting tradition. I’m looking forward to trying the patterns.

[Satu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful resource for Norwegian stranded knitting patterns from Selbu area. They specialise in stars and roses, but there are also many other patterns.

[Mary Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fantastic book!

[Aimee Leonhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive study of the history and design of Selbu mittens with detailed instructions on how to knit your own. Includes some surprising biographical details of Norwegian knitters.

[Joy Jannotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a beautiful book with a plethora of stitch patterns. This volume is a keeper for my knitting library.

[Tam G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. Well documented.

[Jonna Gjevre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a monster book of selbu mønster. Tons of historic patterns for Nordic selbu mittens.

[Marni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book of knitting patterns and history.