February 2023

Dear Norwegian Textile Letter readers and supporters, 

The end of 2022 marked ten years for the Norwegian Textile Letter online. It was a good time to take stock of the newsletter and my own research, writing and weaving. It’s been a rewarding challenge. When the newsletter was published in print, there were around 250 subscribers; now more than 1550 people receive notification of new issues, from many countries. Yet, it briefly crossed my mind — maybe this was a long enough run for the newsletter?

But wait! What about my five-page, ever-growing document titled “Future NTL Articles?” What about the articles already planned for the 2023 issues? What about all of the older black-and-white newsletters buried in pdfs, with articles that could be reprinted with new content and color photos? What about all of the amazing contemporary weaving underway by Norwegian artists? There’s too much to share to stop now!  

The upcoming issue will include an article about the life (with sheep!) and work of Norwegian artist Liliian Saksi, who interprets traditional Norwegian Sprang twining technique in a painterly way.

My goal with the newsletter is to create connection among fans of Scandinavian textiles, unearth and publish gems of historical research, and inspire weavers with information about beautiful historical and contemporary Scandinavian textiles. I’m still excited about that goal, and all the possibilities. I want to keep access wide and free, without burying articles behind a paywall. My mission is to spread information and inspiration, and to keep it available long into the future. Perhaps a weaver will find inspiration and connection through a Norwegian Textile Letter article twenty years from now.

The most-read article over time is “Varafeldur: An Icelandic Rya Reconstruction,” by Marta Kløve Juuhl, from November 2013.

The Next Chapter for the Norwegian Textile Letter

I’ve decided to change the publishing schedule from four times per year to semi-annually, March and October. However, the total content will remain the same, or even expand. During the interim between issues, new articles will appear on an occasional schedule and be added to the Current Issue page. The “Nordic Notes” column will come out more frequently, to keep readers abreast of upcoming lectures, exhibits, videos, and more. 

With this schedule the full administrative, formatting, and deadline-sensitive work of producing four separate issues is reduced to two, yet readers will get the same full plate of articles throughout the year. 

Watch for the new issue in late March! Through this year, I hope you’ll be as excited about the new format as I am. I’m always happy to hear your comments and ideas for content. (Email here)

Robbie LaFleur, Publisher

P.S. I’ve enjoyed making custom headers for each new issue. Here are a handful of my favorite header images. There will be a new one soon!