A Finnish Weaver in Michigan Inspires her Granddaughter to Study Rya in Finland
“Studying Rya Rug Weaving at Omnia, Espoo Adult Education Centre.” A blog post from Omnia, the Joint Authority of Education in the Espoo region, Finland. October 2, 2023.
Lisa Wiitala from the very Finnish-American town of Hancock, Michigan, studied rya rug weaving at Espoo Adult Education Centre’s weaving studio in the summer of 2023, with support from the American Scandinavian Foundation. Her grandmother was a weaver of rag rugs, but never passed on her skills to her granddaughter. Now Lisa has learned to weave and traveled to Finland to expand for expertise and inspiration.
From the post: “At the start of August I arrived in Tapiola to begin my studies at Omnia, Espoo Adult Education Centre, using a Finnish-made Toika loom generously lent to me by the Weaving Studio. For three weeks I studied with Ulla Karsikas, learning different ways to create a design template, how to choose yarns and color combinations that blend well and achieve the right density, and how to properly finish a rug after being removed from the loom. I also learned to weave a rya in a shape other than rectangular, and how to use different lengths of yarn to create a transitioning of height along the surface. During my time at Omnia, I wove a total of three ryas – I tied a lot of knots in a short amount of time!”
A Norwegian Cat in Love with Knitting
Perhaps you have owned a cat who likes to bring rewards to your doorstep, a baby mouse, perhaps – but probably not hand-knit mittens. The story of Siri, the kleptomaniac cat, was described in the Norwegian media earlier this summer, in Aftenposten and NRK. You can meet Siri in this one-minute video (Scroll down a bit in the article.) It is in Norwegian. You could largely get the point even without a translation, but here are the titles that appear, in English translation.
Meet: Kleptokatt Siri. Tone Lund, cat owner. “She is especially interested in wool clothing. She came home first with a Selbu mitten. I didn’t know it was her who showed up with it. But then another one came. Then it was like they came one after the other. And I didn’t know where she got them.” Siri has built up a large collection of mittens. “In all there are 12 mittens, a knitting project with knitting needles, and two hot pad holders. I am sitting with them and wonder who is missing them. It’s begun to be embarassing. I’ve begun to feel like a thief myself, having these things I don’t own.” Where do the mittens come from? “No, unfortunately I haven’t found the owner, But I really hope the owner turns up. Then she will get back all the beautiful things she knitted. If there is anyone out there who has knitted Selbu mittens and can’t find them, there are here in my house.”
An American Weaver Helps Save an Old Swedish Loom
Judy Larson also helped restore an old Swedish tape loom
“Swedish Loom Restoration at Gammelgården.” Lisa-Anne Bauch. Scandinavian Weavers Study Group Blog, July 7, 2023.
From the post: “Scandia, Minnesota is the site of the first Swedish settlement in Minnesota. Gammelgården Museum in Scandia helps preserve this history … while celebrating the stories of all immigrants and their communities. On the second floor of the Välkommen Hus, there is an old floor loom. The loom was made in Sweden by a father with the intention that it would go to America with his daughter and her husband who would leave shortly after their wedding. The year 1879 is painted on the loom.”
Judy Larson, from the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, brought the loom to working order and taught the museum volunteers how to help visitors try out the loom. She said, “I reset the worm gear rotation wheel to engage correctly, and then got the treadle cords and heddle cords to pull evenly and adjusted the reed height to get a better shed. The loom was now functional, and weaving could happen.”
The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group Experiments with Telemarksteppe Technique
Telemarksteppe by Melba Granlund
“Telemarksteppe Project.” Lisa-Anne Bauch. Scandinavian Weavers Study Group Blog, July 4, 2023.
The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota warped a Glimakra loom for a group project. It was the group’s first warp set up in the new home of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, the Open Book building in Minneapolis. It was a joy to work in this bright space and also have the opportunity to demonstrate weaving Telemarksteppe to visiting students, guests, and Guild members. People were especially interested in the loops left on the edges of the pieces, which is traditional to this Norwegian technique.
Pop-up Exhibit of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group in Minnesota
Swedish Art Weaves pillow by Jan Mostrom
“Scandinavian Showcase” at Weavers Guild of Minnesota.” Scandinavian Weavers Study Group Blog, July 2, 2023.
In connection with a Scandinavian weaving workshop at the Weavers guild of Minnesota, the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group held an open house. The wide range of weaving brought by members for a pop-up display was remarkable, and visitors were very interested in several demonstrations underway. See more photos of the pop-up exhibit in the post.
Exhibit in Norway
Alt Henger Sammen: Billedvev [Everything Hangs Together: Tapestry] Nelly Aasberg. Veien Kulturminnepark, Hønefoss, Norway. October 1-.
The artist statement: “Everything together” is an exhibition that holds experiences and impressions from nature. It’s everything from forests, mountains, plains, marshes, trees, plants and even small seeds and soil.
Everything has a connection, a reason, and an end that in turn gives life. People, animal life, insects, nature – Everything has a connection. The loom is connected with warp and weft – warp and yarn… I am a tapestry weaver and painter; one does not exclude the other. Nelly Aasberg.” Nelly Aasberg Instagram: @nellyaasberg. Nelly Aasberg Art Facebook: Nelly Aasberg Art.
Exhibit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Karin Larsson: Let the Hand Be Seen. American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 19, 2023 – February 2, 2024.
The American Swedish Historical Museum is honored to debut the artistic work of Karin Larsson for the first time in America! Immersed in the world of the Swedish countryside, Karin Larsson’s work in the textile arts, furniture construction, and interior design reflect her artistic training, curiosity, innovation, and openness to the emerging trends facing life in the late 1800s. Karin’s contributions to the prevailing art movements like Art Nouveau, the Arts and Crafts style, and regional folk techniques, are distinguished by her boldness, simplicity, and taste for abstraction. Karin embraced new methods while embroidering, weaving, knitting, crocheting, making lace, sewing clothes, and producing tapestries for the home she shared with her children and husband, the celebrated painter Carl Larsson. Read more…
Exhibit in Red Wing, Minnesota
Click on the image for a pdf version
Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving. Red Wing Arts Depot Gallery,
Woven textiles from Nordic countries evolved over the centuries into an acclaimed decorative art, both in the home countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland and wherever immigrants traveled. The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota traces this journey in the curated exhibition “Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving,” as each of the twenty weavers present a personal take on the theme. Some are inspired by treasured family heirlooms and traditional techniques, others by the possibilities of modern looms and materials. The exhibit will include demonstrations of weaving and spinning.