Heather’s Hairband

I and several of my colleagues at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota eagerly await the publication of Heather Torgenrud’s new book, Norwegian Pick-up Bandweaving.

Since most books on the topic are not in English and I read no Scandinavian languages, the book will be a welcome addition to my readable library. I hope that the book will be a good resource for my upcoming Nordic/Sami bandweaving classes.

The book is due near the end of this monthages away, it seems. Happily, Heather published a teaser article in the latest issue of the Norwegian Textile Letter. In it she describes two Hallingdal-style bands: one, a hairband found at the Hallingdal Museum; and the other, a skirt band from the Norsk Folkemuseum. Since she also published pattern diagrams for the two bands wait for the book before reproducing them.

Here’s my reproduction of the hairband (much shorter than the original):

I did not have the yarns that Heather used for her reproduction: 8/2 Möbelåtta wool and Bockens unbleached cotton. I substtituted Harrisville Shetland wool and an 8/2 unmercerized cotton available at the Weavers Guild’s fiber store. The wool is approximately the same weight as 8/2 Möbelåtta wool, so I expected the band’s width to be about the same as Heather’s model, 1/2 inch. But my band’s width is a little under 3/4 inch, 40% wider. Hmm. I’ll try again once the Möbelåtta wool and Bockens cotton arrive from Vävstuga.

Next, the skirt band!