Support from Scandinavia
Lisa-Anne Bauch wrote about the red hat movement sparked by ICE actions in Minnesota, in this issue: ““We Knit to Keep from Unraveling”: The Red Hat Resurgence.” One of the key early supporters of Needle & Skein’s red hat project was the Red Hat Factory, a Norwegian company that sells hand-knit beanies in the style of traditional Norwegian knitwear. Founder Benjamin Andersen had previously researched the red resistance hat and shared its history on the company’s YouTube channel. On January 27, 2026 he shared a message on the company’s Instagram account:
Though I am by no means a representative of the courage and real sacrifice my countrymen showed back then, I will attempt to use my little voice to honor them and remind you all of what the symbol stood for.
I do this in honor of my mom, the even keeled countryside knitting woman, believing that most of us are just like that — peace loving and would rather knit than fight.
And in honor of my grandma who smuggled a bar of chocolate for the Norwegian Resistance movement as a young teen — believing that even small good deeds matter.
My contribution to this movement is to mark the date, and to build a small creed to remind us all of some of the values the Norwegian Resistance Movement stood for — values we need all the more in trying times.
Andersen called for a worldwide day of unity Thursday, February 26, 2026, asking everyone to wear their red hats. (This was the anniversary of the day the original hats were banned in Norway.) He noted that the Norwegian resistance not only fought against the Nazi ideology but fought for their own, embodied in the principles of Democracy, Unity, and Menneskeverd, a Norwegian word for the intrinsic value of any human being, simply for being human. The Red Hat Factory’s full statement is well worth reading and can be found on redhatfactory.com/creed
Note: The Red Hat Factory sells finished hats rather than knitting patterns.
Scandinavian Weaving: Read and Watch
From rugsandkilims.com: “Hannah Ryggen’s Memories of Three Returns to the Market: Tapestries Redefining the Art of Interior.”
“Memories of Three” was sold at auction in 2025 for “an astonishing SEK 2,801,400 ($302,193) including buyer’s premium and taxes — a record-setting result that underscores the surging esteem for Ryggen’s work among international collectors.”
The thought-provoking essay includes a section on tapestry as interior architecture. “A work like Memories of Three transforms a room not through grandeur but through gravity. Against lime-washed plaster or walnut-paneled walls, its vegetal palette lends warmth and authority. It absorbs sound, modulates light, and softens modern rigor with tactile intellect. In luxury design today, this is the new opulence: silence, authenticity, and craft as conscience.”
“Un-Weaving Memories,” by Lena Ylipää. Kunstkritikk.
This conceptual, historical project involving rag rugs will appeal to many Norwegian Textile Letter readers who love (and weave) rag rugs. “The artist Matilda Kenttä traces the heritage of the Tornedalians, a Swedish minority whose quiet endurance speaks of belonging across generations. She lives in Kiruna, in the far north of Sweden. Today, almost all of old Kiruna is being demolished because the state-owned company LKAB’s iron ore mine is expanding and causing the ground beneath the city to shake. In Sju omvävnader (Seven Re-weavings, 2022), an art project created in connection with Kiruna’s urban transformation, Matilda unravelled Kiruna residents’ rag rugs and rewove the strips according to the exact measurements of seven spaces in the city that have now disappeared.”
1950s HOMESPUN Movie by Harry Webb
This is a film about a Swedish woman in Minnesota. She does everything from “sheep (Alpaca) to shawl!”
Exhibits
Anne Knutsen
I MELLOM
Kunstnerforbundet
February 26-April 12, 2026
Anne Knutsen works with flatwoven textiles in a minimalist formal language. By exploring the possibilities of thread and weave, she seeks to give the woven surface immaterial qualities.
Throughout her artistic practice, Knutsen has worked in large formats, creating conditions in which fleeting and unstable effects emerge depending on the angle of the light and the viewer’s position in the room. Read more about the exhibit.
Even if it is too late to see her exhibit, visit anneknutsen.no for amazing photos of her linen works. Especially recommended: I det grønne.
Upcoming Classes and Webinars
Vesterheim Folk Art School, Decorah, Iowa
It’s time to choose among the many in-person and virtual fiber art classes recently announced for Vesterheim Folk Art School, Summer 2026. Browse the full list here. One tempting offering is Norwegian instructor Monika Ravnager‘s class in weaving a boat rya on a warp-weighted loom.
Historical Lichen Dyes (Webinar) June 20, 2026 (10:00-11:00 am CT)
Join artist and instructor Jane Addams for an introduction to natural dyes on pieces in the Vesterheim Collection. Jane will share how traditional Scandinavian makers used lichen to color textiles. She will explore what these dyes reveal about culture, place, and everyday life. Register here. If you read this after April 12, check the Vesterheim YouTube site for the archived talk. (You’ll find many other interesting webinars, too!)
Thank you to everyone who helps support the Norwegian Textile Letter with donations to cover expenses. Your financial support is crucial and much appreciated. Thank you for being a subscriber!
Click on the image for easy Paypal donation. To send a check, the address is here. Thank you! Robbie LaFleur