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NORWEGIAN TEXTILE LETTER Vol II No 3 From heather clad hills to the roof of a medieval church ... THE STORY OF A WOOLEN SAIL ... By Amy Lightfoot 1996 One late autumn day in 1989, several fragments of brown woolen cloth were removed from darkness beneath the roof of a medieval stone church at Trondenes near Harstad, on the coast of northern Norway. Strips of cloth found between the boards in the roof and on the cap between the roof and the masonry wall were used as (skarsi) scarfing or chinking material. Wear, sewn seams and other signs revealed for the finders that the cloth had once served quite a different purpose. The more than 100 square meters of wadmel (coarse woolen cloth) were woven 600 years earlier and originally used as a sail for a boat. For more than 500 years, the woolen rags were banished to the quiet darkness of the roof, a silence only broken by the soft and clear chiming of the church bell beckoning faithful parishioners to baptisms, weddings and funerals. After years of intermittent exposure to the unpredictable moods of the wind, the salty sea, a humid dampness from the rain and the sharp light of a midsummer day, a sail was tom into powerless shreds of cloth and left to stiffen between the boards in a church roof. These small fragments once used as a sail were tacit observers of countless everyday and sometimes dramatic events that were never written down. Their existence is tangible proof of the survival of thousand year old knowledge about making textiles. Continued Pg 2
Transcript
  • NORWEGIAN TEXTILE LETTERVol II No 3

    From heather clad hills to the roof of a medieval church... THE STORY OF A WOOLEN SAIL ...

    By Amy Lightfoot

    May~ 1996

    One late autumn day in 1989, several fragments of brown woolen cloth were removedfrom darkness beneath the roof of a medieval stone church at Trondenes near Harstad,on the coast of northern Norway. Strips of cloth found between the boards in the roofand on the cap between the roof and the masonry wall were used as (skarsi) scarfing orchinking material. Wear, sewn seams and other signs revealed for the finders that thecloth had once served quite a different purpose. The more than 100 square meters ofwadmel (coarse woolen cloth) were woven 600 years earlier and originally used as asail for a boat.

    For more than 500 years, the woolen rags were banished to the quiet darkness of theroof, a silence only broken by the soft and clear chiming of the church bell beckoningfaithful parishioners to baptisms, weddings and funerals. After years of intermittentexposure to the unpredictable moods of the wind, the salty sea, a humid dampness fromthe rain and the sharp light of a midsummer day, a sail was tom into powerless shredsof cloth and left to stiffen between the boards in a church roof. These small fragmentsonce used as a sail were tacit observers of countless everyday and sometimes dramaticevents that were never written down. Their existence is tangible proof of the survivalof thousand year old knowledge about making textiles.

    Continued Pg 2

  • 2

    My daily work as a craftswoman, anddocumenter of woolworking traditions inareas of the Faroes, has made it possiblefor me to detect and interpret a trail ofsigns visible in the cloth fragments. Overthe course of nearly three years, I wasresponsible for reconstructing a 100square meter woolen sail for the newlybuilt "tendring" ~ARA KJERSTINE ofHitra (a tendring is a clinker-built woodenboat used in coastal ~ Norway frommedieval times until the middle of the lastcentury). The sail reconstruction wasbased on pieces of cloth found in the roofof the church at Trondenes. Sometimes,when the laborious tasks associated withthis work progressed very slowly, myattention was diverted and thoughtsdwelled upon a time 650 years ago whenthe sail from Trondenes was first made. Ican almost visualize the faces of thewomen involved, but what mentalprocesses dictated their actions, therhythm of their work, or their choice oftools and equipment? Last but not least,how did they obtain· the enormousamounts of raw material of a quality bestsuited to the purpose?

    Oral tradition and practical kn'owledge

    An important aspect of work withdocumenting craft skills is tracing oralremnants of once lively traditions. This isno simple task when "progress" hasimpoverished or nearly eradicated theoriginal context in which a skilldeveloped. The work is furthercomplicated because physical actionsinvolved in craft traditions were often

    dictated by a collective thought processthat was seldom, if ever, articulated.Skills were communicated from hand tohand in a logical series of actions. Duringmy years of work for the CraftsmensRegistry documenting wool workingtraditions in coastal Norway, The FaroeIslands and Shetland, I realized that theremnants of textile traditions uncoveredare part of a very ancient culture. One is

    . tempted to compare the isolatedfragments of knowledge with mountainpeaks on a sunken continent, wherescattered islands are the only visibleremains of a common heritagetransformed and in some cases lostforever.

    Mountain peaks

    Work reconstructing the woolen sail fromTiondenes has served as a practicalframework in which to apply knowledgepassed on by elderly residents onShetland, The Faroe Islands and in coastalNorway. Traditional knowledge of textilepreparation has guided our efforts frombegimring to end. Only after starting thetask of making the woolen sail did Iconsciously realize the importance ofpiecing together isolated details, gleanedfrom "mountain peaks" across the ancientNorse influence area. Suddenly thewoolen fragments from the roof atTrondenes acquired "voices". strained,eager, elderly voices repeated everydaystories. They explained how quantities ofwool grew out of the landscape, throughhands which tore, sorted, cleaned, teased,napped, carded, and combed, before

  • being spun into thread, woven intolengths of cloth called "vad", and sewninto sails.

    The story I am about to relate is puttogether from scraps of information.When speaking to elderly people over thepast five years, I never asked anyone howto make a woolen sail. No person hasmade a woolen sail in a traditional wayfor more than 140 years . Nevertheless,there are many older women and menbetween 70 and 100 years of age whopossess a finely tuned knowledge of selfsufficiency skills developed and passedon in coastal environments. Until therelatively recent past, people in coastalNorway, Shetland and The Faroes weredependent on woolen clothes for use atsea. Conversations about these textiletraditions have furnished valuableinformation useful to our work inanalyzing and interpreting the clothfragments from Trondenes and inreconstructing the woolen sail for SARAKJERSTINE.

    The heather moor

    When thoughts drift back in time~ they donot come to a halt on a particular day 650years ago, when the assembly (ting) of theparish at Trondenes decided to requisitiona new sail for the "leidangskip" (a shipconscripted from the parish in time ofwar). In fact, thoughts return to a moredistant era, when coastal forests wereslashed and burned to create moorland.The heather moor is a biotope created andsustained by human activities including

    burning and harvesting of heather and, ofcourse, extensive year-round grazing bydomesticated, indigenous sheep.

    Year-round grazing on the rough pasturesof the heather moorland was the basis forthe existence of sheep in coastal areas andresponsible for development of theirunique wool. The wool consists of twolayers, a soft undercoat of fIne insulatingfibres called underwool, and a layer oflong, strong and protective guard hairs inthe outer fleece. The lanolin content inthe wool of sheep living on pasturethroughout the year is much higher thanfor animals kept indoors in the winter.The result is a type of wool with highlydeveloped water-repellent qualities.

    When collecting the raw materials tomake a sail for the "leidangskip" atTrondenes, age old knowledge aboutdifferent properties of wool fiber wasborne in mind and exploited. Yam wasneeded for the warp and weft whenweaving a sail. Wool for the warp had tobe strong, with an ability to withstandtensile stress and stain from the wind, aswell as water repellent. The weft wasmade of softer fibres which were easilyfulled and bound the fabric together tokeep it windtight. The people involvedknew how to extract the requiredcharacteristics from the available rawmaterials to produce a cloth suited for thejob.

    At least twice during the summer, thesheep were gathered in from hill pastureand small islands. The fmal round-up

    3

  • 4

    sometimes took place as late as earlyJuly, but usually occurred aroundmidsummer day. Sheep of the primitiveshort-tailed breeds common in coastalNorway, Shetland and Faroe Islands shedtheir wool naturally at this time of theyear. The loose fleece was pulled off or"rooed" by hand, leaving the newgrownfleece of the year as a protectivecovering, instead of shearing down to thebare skill. Shearing also resulted inunnecessary extra work for the cardersand spinners of yam. When shearing,short useless lengths of the new fleece aremixed with the long fibers and must beremoved before spinning. In additionsheared wool is less water resistant thanrooed wool, where the entire fibre lengthremains intact.

    Up to five sortings

    In the early summer, sheep were roundedup and herded from moorland hill pastureinto an enclosure. Many hands wereneeded for the job. Year-old eweswithout lambs, dry ewes and castratedrams were taken in at the ·.first gatheringand rooed. Wool on ewes with lambsgrows more slowly, so they are rooedlater when the underwool is sufficientlygrown to protect them and their lambsfrom cold or inclement weather. When"rooing", loose wool is pulled off andimm~diately sorted according to quality.The finest wool from the neck was keptaside for soft shawls and lace of finelyspun yarn. More durable wool along theshoulders was used for garments. Woolfrom the thighs was very coarse and could

    be used for hard wearing mittens orsocks. Lambswool was not considered tobe very durable and· was sortedseparately. When making cloth for workclothes, wool from adult sheep which hadnot been mated until their third year of lifewas thought to be the best. Theseanimals are in excellent condition andtheir wool is of a much better quality.

    After being thoroughly sorted accordingto colour and intended future use, theloose tufts of rooed wool were made upor twisted into a single length resemblinga thick rope. The two ends were joinedtogether and the compact fleece wasstored in bags made of sheepskin takenoff in the round. This prevented the woolfrom drying out or becoming rancidduring the time between the bright nightsof summer and the autumn evenings whenwool work began.

    Teasing the wool

    Autumn darkness descended suddenlyover mountainsides of coastal districts, aportent of winter storms and days oflanded idleness for fishennen. Peat forwinter fuel was stacked and broughtindoors, the grain harvest was dried andstored. The time had come to bring outthe wool. Skin bags, cured with oilrendered from fish livers, were openedand the wool was emptied onto a mat on

    . the earthen floor near the hearth of theopen fire. The flickering of the fire andbright flames of lamps fueled with fish oilwere the only sources of light.

  • A sweltering humidity and strong odourof wann wool filled the entire room. Thenatural grease of the woolen fleeces ran inthe heat. The fibres were opened andteased, and the long outer fleece of guardhairs was separated from the softerunderwool. Large amounts of wool wereprocessed in this way, and the work wasdone by men, women and children. Nohand in the household was idle. Thesofter underwool was sprinkled with fishoil and put back into skin bags where theoil worked its way into the fleece. Thecoarse hairy fibres were stacked in woolbaskets.

    Combing and carding

    Once the wool in each household wasteased, napped and oiled, word was sentto neighbouring women. Coarse fibreswere combed with wool combs made oflong iron prongs fixed at intervals to acrosspiece of hom with a handle of wood.The softer underwool was carded withwool cards or worked by hand (the exacttime when cards were introduced is notknown, but wool combs have been foundin women's graves dating from the 8thcentury). The wannth of the room keptthe wool fibres supple and easier to card.The work proceeded rhythmically andthoroughly. Pride was taken in a job welldone. Rolags and rovings were carefullyprepared in bundles called "knokks" and"knytti" (a twisted bundle with a fixednumber of prepared rovings or rolagsready for spinning).

    When the work was finished, bundleswere stowed away and the menfolk wereinvited to a dance lasting into the weehours of the morning. The same tookplace in every house throughout theautumn.

    The spindle

    The drop spindle is a mysterious andtimeless spinning tool. It belongs to theworld of women. Women on the westcoast ofNorway used the drop spindle forspinning warp yarns until early in thiscentury. It is a versatile tool which canbe carried everywhere and used whilewalking from one place to the next tomake the most of any idle moment.Women spun the carded and combedwool clockwise to make strong warpyarns of the combed coarse outer fleece,counterclockwise to make the looselyspun weft of the softer underwool. Whenthe yarn was finished, looms were set upin every home.

    Weaving

    A warp of wadmel for a sail was preparedin widths of about 2 feet (correspondingto the old Norse ell). The width of thewarp was slightly greater than the finishedcloth to account for shrinkage caused byfulling. Wadmel for sails (coarse woolencloth) was usually set up in a three or fourshafted twill pattern. The finished clothwas then slightly fulled, by a variety ofmethods depending on where one lived.Fulling stabilized the cloth from shrinkageand made it more windproof. Some laid

    Continued Pg. 7 5

  • 6

    Conference on Norwegian Woven TextilesOctober 24-25, 1997

    Sponsored by Vesterheim Norwegian-American MuseumDecorah, Iowa

    The Conference will include:Formal Papers

    CD Prehistoric, historic, and contemporary handwoven Norwegian textilesCD Fibers and the processes and equipment used to prepare and weave them• The role of textiles in everyday life and on special occasions, such as rites of

    passage (baptism, marriage, and death)GIl Pattern drafts and practical information for contemporary weavers

    Informal reports, Show and TellWorkshops on weaving and conservationTraining session for registering old textiles in private collectionsLunch with discussion groupsBanquet with a special speakerExhibit in Vesterheim CenterGuided tours of the museum, conservation lab, and textile storageOpportunities to use Vesterheim's textile collection and reference library

    "It's official! Mark your calendars for the fust (of hopefully many) Conference onNorwegian Woven Textiles. Weavers and scholars and students from across North America willmeet in Decorah, Iowa for two full days of lectures, discussion groups, and workshops. Planninghas just begun, but look for regular updates in this newsletter. Lila Nelson will present the mostcurrent information at a meeting of the Breakfast Club during Convergence in Portland, OR.

    Laurann Figg, Lila Nelson, and Betty Johannesen make up the "executive" planningcommittee. There will be many opportunities for Norwegian Breakfast Club members toparticipate in the conference. In the next newsletter, we will ask for help with several differentprojects, including publicity, workshop set up, and local arrangements.

    A special thank you to Betty and Donald Johannesen for cleaning and repairing theMacomber looms that Vesterheim uses for weaving classes. Betty and Don donated the time andmaterials necessary to get the looms in top shape for summer classes and our 1997 conferenceworkshops.

    If you have not yet received Vesterheim's 1996-1997 Schedule of Craft Classes, please contactme for a copy. In 1996, Linda Elkins, Pirkko Karvonen, and Lila Nelson are teaching beginningweaving, Finnish coverlet weaves, and Norwegian weft-faced weaves, respectively. AnneHolden ofValdres, Norway will be here in July of 1997 to teach tapestry and traditional floorloom weaves.

    Laurann Figg, Curator of TextilesVesterheim Museum, 502 W. Water S1., Decorah, IA 52101

    (319)382-9681 e-mail: [email protected]

  • Continuedfrom Pg. 5

    the finished cloth in the sea weighteddown with stones to let the ebb and flowdo the work. Others used large feltingboards, working the cloth over the boardwith their hands, or with another board.The fulled cloth was then stretched anddried. Finally, one by one the lengths ofcloth were sewn together by a saihnaker.The finished sail was treated with amixture of fIf-tar, fish oil and sheep'stallow, brushed onto the sail to keep itwindproof and water repellent.

    Conscientious hands had labouredintensely in a, communal effort frombeginning to end, and the sail for the"leidangskip" was ready to be hoisted.The woolen cloth from the roof of thechurch at Trondenes was discovered byaccident. In our work reconstructing asail on the basis of the secrets revealed bythe cloth fragments prompted manyquestions, none of which were accidental.Our questions were answered by bearersof traditional skills with a genuine senseof responsibility. Their goal was to takedown the barriers of time and lend theirfaces and voices to a common heritagewhich might not be lost after all.

    SARA KJERSTINE

    Sara Kjerstine of Hitra is a unique boat.She is an accurate copy of a clinker-builtwooden boat type used in coastal areas ofNorway from the middle ages until about1850. The replica under sail today is 52feet long and proudly bears the largestwoolen sail entirely handmade in modemtimes. Woolen sails were common in

    northern Europe (including Scotland andShetland) from the Viking period until the19th century. Before becoming obsoletein Norway toward the end of the lastcentury, the use of woolen sails wasmainly restricted to smaller boats.Several old woolen sails have been foundin coastal districts ofNorway.

    Trondenes and the leidang system

    The cloth fragments from Trondenes havebeen analyzed and dated by theVikingskipshallen i Roskilde in Denmark.Results from the majority of the samplessuggest that the sail was woven sometimebetween 1280 and 1420. The five yearperiod 1385-1390 is represented in all ofthe samples. Whether the sail atTrondenes was originally intended for useon a "leidangskip" is a question whichremains to be answered. The quantity ofcloth remnants found in the roof suggeststhat they originate from a relatively largesail similar in size to that used by a"leidangskip". The practice of keeping aleidangskip continued in northern Norwayuntil the 18th century. The leidangsystem was an organized form ofmaritime defense established some timebefore the year 1000. The entire countrywas organized in "skipreder" orsettlements, responsible for maintainingand equipping one particular ship.According to a law enforced by KingHakon V in 1309, "the sail and otherequipment used in the protection of thecountry shall be kept in the church inkeeping with ancient tradition" (Christie,1986). An inspection report from 1609

    7

  • states that Trondenes church was used forstoring equipment from two smallwarships (Goda, 1991).

    cultural heritage which will otherwisesoon disappear.

    references:

    Christie, Hakon (1986)"Leidangsmateriell pa Kirkeloftet",Hikuin 12, Oslo

    Godal, Jon (1991) MaritimeArchaeology Beneath ChurchRoofs, Crossroads in AncientShipbuilding, Roskilde

    Woolen sails today

    Over the past 4 years, our workshop haspioneered in developing sailcloth of wooLProduct development was done on thebasis of my own research onwoolworking traditions for theCraftsmens Registry, and investigationsof sails and sailing technology byresearchers at the Viking Ship Museum atRoskilde, Denmark. The cloth producedis made entirely by hand. Industrializingany aspect of the process would result ina serious deterioration of the quality ofthe finished product. With propermaintenance a sail of this type can last fordecades.

    Andersen, Erik (1995)"Square SailsOffprint fromRoskilde

    of Wool"SHIPSHAPE,

    8

    There are only three woolen sails madeof raw materials entirely processed byhand in existence today. Two of themwere reconstructed by our workshop.Ongoing research into the subject incooperation with the Viking ShipMuseum at Roskilde should result intwo new woolen sails for Viking shipcopies at Roskilde within the next twoyears. We hope that others among themany Viking and medieval ship projectsnow in the planning stages throughoutEurope realize that high standards ofcraftsmanship are essential to all aspectsof a reconstruction. By creating ademand for quality instead of usingcheap imitations, museums and otherinstitutions support and perpetuate a

    AMY LIGHTFOOT, the author ofFROM HEATHER CLAD IllLLS TOTHE ROOF OF A MEDIEVALCHURCH - THE STORY OF AWOOLEN SAIL, lives and works inNorway. The following excerpts are froma letter written to Lila Nelson February21, 1996. Lila is kind enough to sharethem with us.

    "Just finished editing a short documentaryfilm I made in Shetland. Good fun·editingand clipping old archive fotos, along withvideo of some of my oldest and best lovedinfonnants who are now over 90 yearsold. Have applied for grants from varioussources to make a film about inspiringyoung craftspeople in rural areas to workwith indigenous raw· materials and

  • traditions. The story is based on ourexperience here at .the workshop, inparticular working with reconstructingfishennen's blankets. I wrote the manusand will serve as producer and director,with technical assistance from anexperienced documentary photographer.So far I have managed to get the projectnearly completely financed. We startfilming in the end ofMarch in Lofoten.

    As far as films are concerned, lastsummer was quite an occasion. DanIshtelevision made a 1 1/2 hour film aboutour work on the woolen sail and a voyageto ShetlandlFaroe with the boat SARAKJERSTINE. The program is being sentprime time in Denmark and Sweden inMarch, split up into three episodes. TheNorwegian Broadcasting Company mightbuy up rights next year.

    BOOK DISCUSSIONbyBarbara SchwegerNorwegian Immigrant Clothing andTextiles Published by The PrairieCostume Society, Edmonton, Alberta,Canada. 1990. 113 pages, 61 black andwhite illustrations. ISBN 0-9694539-0-6.

    Betty Johannesen asked that I review thisbook for the Norwegian Textile Letter. Imust stress this since book reviews areexpected to be impartial and I authoredone of the papers included in thepublication.Nonetheless, I do agree withBetty that this offering by the Prairie

    Costume Society should become betterknown among those interested illNorwegian textiles.

    The Prairie Costume Society is a uniquecommunity of people residing in westernCanada, mostly Alberta, who share aninterest in costume and textiles, be thesecontemporary, multicultural, historical, orrelated to the performing arts. P.C.S. wasfounded in the early 1980s and, thoughthe degree of activity varies from time totime, it generally hosts two symposia anda variety of lectures or field trips duringthe year. (For example, in October, 1995,a day long symposium called "The Allureof Lace" was hosted in Calgary. InMarch, 1996, a seminar was presented inEdmonton on ice skating costumes, this inconjunction with the world ice skatingchampionships being held in Edmonton atthat time. In June, 1996, a field trip isscheduled to Custom Woolen Mills inCarstairs, Alberta.)

    On May 17, 1987, a one day seminar washeld in Edmonton that focused uponvarious aspects of Norwegian immigrantclothing and textiles. It was no ordinaryseminar because Aagot Noss, of theNorwegian Folk Museum in Oslo, andCarol Colburn, of the University ofNorthern Iowa in Cedar Falls, wereinvited participants. At the seminarAagot Noss, Carol Colburn, and HeatherPrince (from the University of Alberta)gave slide/lecture presentations. Aagot'stalk was entitled "Tradition andTransition: Norwegian Costume fromNorway to the United States, 1840-1880".

    9

  • 10

    In this she presented a wealth ofdrawings, watercolors, and photographsof folk costume and rural dress as shedocumented changes in clothing practicesand adaptions of American styles ofimmigrants. Carol discussed "ImmigrantHandweaving in the Upper Midwest".This focused upon the importance ofdomestic manufacture of textiles byfamilies as they fulfilled their needs foreveryday clothing and household fabrics.Heather reported on her investigation ofthe continuity of Norwegian materialculture, especially textiles and clothing, inmaintenance of cultural identity andNorwegian traditions, in her talk "TheTradition in Alberta: A Ca.se Study ofValhalla Centre". (Valhalla Centre' is ahamlet in northern Alberta that wasfounded in 1912 and settled mostly byNorwegians moving there from otherregions in the United States and Canada).

    Following the seminar, Catherine C. Cole, volunteered both to raise sufficient fundand to edit a volume of the proceedings ofthis meeting to be published as anOccasional Publication of the PrairieCostume Society. With this goal in mindeach of the above speakers kindlyprovided a much expanded written paperof her presentation, as well as numerousillustrations, for the publication; Inaddition, David Goa, of the ProvincialMuseum of Alberta, and I also wereasked by Catherine to contribute.

    'David sets the tone for NOlWegianImmigrant Clothing and Textiles in his"Introduction: The Norwegian Immigrant

    Experience" . In this he eloquentlyprovides a Canadian view of Norwegianimmigration and ventures opinion oneconomic, political, and religious eventsin Europe that· stimulated Scandinavianimmigration, especially to the Canadianprairie provinces. David notes thenational feelings that were retained byimmigrants through clothing, textiles, andother materials items. The concludingchapter in the book is "The FarvoldenCollection: Clothing and HouseholdTextiles brought to Alberta". Members ofthe Farvolden family immigrated toAlberta at different times in the 1920sfrom Telemark. From 1972 until herdeath in 1989, Svanaug (Nona) Farvoldenprovided family heirlooms to thismuseum's collections. As a result, theFarvolden Collection is particularlyvaluable to scholars of Norwegianimmigrant material culture because theprovenience of most items is so welldocumented. When Aagot Noss viewedthe clothing, textiles, and jewelry duringher 1987 visit she found no discrepancieswith the' documentation provided and theFarvolden family heirlooms; this isparticularly exciting because a few piecesare centuries old. Nona participated inthe Prairie Costume Society seminar, butpassed away a year before the bookbecame a reality. NolWegian ImmigrantClothing and Textiles is dedicated toNona Farvolden.

    Weare all very proud of the publicationthat resulted through Catherine's diligenceand the financial support of variousAlberta agencies. This book is available

  • only through the Prairie Costume Society.It costs $7.50 for members of the P.C.S.or $10.00 for non-members; Shipping andhandling is an additional $3.00. Checksshould be made out to the PrairieCostume Society and payment can bemade either in American or Canadiandollars. If you are interested, order thebook from:

    The Prairie Costume SocietyOccasional PublicationsBox 61328217K 3630 Brentwood Rd. N.W.Calgary, Alberta T2L 2K6

    I do think this is an excellent book and afinancial bargain for the price being askedby P.C.S. Check it out! I also would liketo extend an invitation to anyone wholives within commuting distance ofAlberta to participate in the activities ofthe Prairie Costume Society. Just drop anote to the above address and ask to beplaced on the mailing list.

    BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

    Esther Sharrigan - "In the coastal Mainearea there are a number of weaversfocusing on Scandinavian designs andpatterns including multi shaft damask andopphamta weaving.I find it difficult getting Norwegianweaving articles and books, there is a lotout there from Sweden including theirVav magazine, but nothing from Norway.Yams from Norway is another problem.Maybe through the news letter we canmake contacts.

    Continued Pg. 12

    FOR THE LOOM

    "KROKBRAGD"Pointed threading with different distances

    between the points.

    Warp 20/2 cotton -57 warp endsWeft DMC 6 strand flossSett 15 epi

    3-shaft threading from the class by UllaSuul, Vesterheim, Summer 1995

    SKILLBRAGD ???

    We would like to feature skillbragd in afuture newsletter. Anyone who wouldlike to contribute infonnation, please sendit to Betty Johannesen.

    11

  • 12

    Continuedfrom Pg. 11

    Rosemary RoeW's table runner inrosepath, llynhild and aIdrevev is similarto a table numer I received as a gift frommy mother-in-law in 1957 and what gotme stated in weaving table runners.Using the right materials they last a lifetime.For those of us selling at craft shows, itwould be nice to hear what sells best, ispopular and prices from around thecountry. I have a difficult time putting avalue on my work, especially some of theintricate weaving i.e., lcrokbragd where Iuse anywhere from 10 to 18 differentcolors. My husband made me about 20flat stick shuttles that I wrote the colornumber on Index tabs to stick on eachshuttle I was working with. This 'helped alot especially when I was weaving atnight.My looms include a 16 harness Finnishcountermarch, 4 harness Leclerc counterbalance, 60" and 48" respectively and 16"4 harness table loom. I try to keep all mylooms dressed and weave between 4-8hours a day preparing for the sixshows/fairs coming each 'weekend beforeChristmas. Learning to spin on an antiqueNorwegian spinning wheel is anothertopic of conversation. "

    Would you like to continue to haveBIOGRAPHICAL NOTES in yournewsletter? If you have not alreadysupplied information about yourself, wewould like to hear from you.

    EDITOR, Betty Johannesen51577 Bridgewater CtSouth Bend, IN 46637(219) 272-9806

    NEW MEMBERS

    Ellen Decker Myers774 Point DrAkron, OR 44319(216) 644-0957

    Jean DickinsonR 1, Box 1484Williamstown, VT 05679(802) 433-1526

    Eva Hovde Douihit663 South 11th st.Coos Bay, OR 97420'( ) 269-1363

    Lynne Greaves4831 Keane Dr.Cannichael, CA 95608(916) 481-8061

    John SkareBox 51Old Creamery BuildingBricelyn,:MN 56014

    Noel A. ThurnerPO Box 271Lexington, GA 30648(706) 743-5120

    Darlene Valum5001 Best RdBellingham, WA 98226-9559( ) 952-5009


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