Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest (Exhibit Recap)

By Robbie LaFleur

Important note: The exhibit has been extended to April 19, 2025

Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest, an exhibit including 49 traditional and contemporary weavings, opened at Norway House in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 31, 2025. For more than thirty years devoted fans of Scandinavian weaving techniques at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota have been gathering to learn from one another. This resulted in a strong community created by a shared interest in traditional Scandinavian weaving techniques and commitment to keeping our craft alive — and vibrant. The current exhibit at Norway House in Minneapolis celebrates the history and the ever-constant enthusiasm of the members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group.

Each piece in the exhibit is accompanied by a QR code, which leads to information about the artist and the piece. The weavers were encouraged to give detailed background about their weavings, and because this is a study group retrospective, to write about how the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group has been important to them. All the descriptions are linked to this table: Artists and Description

Norway House
913 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
January 31 – April 19, 2025

In the center of the exhibit is a magnificent weaving in progress by Melba Granlund on a warp-weighted loom.

People of all ages enjoyed an introduction to weaving on two Family Fiber Days on February 22 and March 22. The March event began with a group from a local retirement center, Becketwood, followed by a steady stream of families and children all day long, more than 60 in all. The Family Fiber Day demonstrators (Beth Detlie, Nancy Ebner, Melba Granlund, Holly Hildebrandt, and Peg Hansen) gave away at least 10 frame looms with shuttles so visitors could finish weaving at home.

Carstens Smith, Program Coordinator at Norway House, shared several positive comments about the first two months of the exhibit.

“This is one of the best-attended exhibits we’ve had.

“People are using the collateral materials more than I have ever seen them used before. People want to learn about the artists, the materials, and the processes.

“When people first walk in the gallery, I can see an immediate reaction – whispered “oh wows,” smiles, zeroing in on a piece and going straight towards it like an arrow – strong positive responses that one doesn’t normally see at an art gallery.”

(Photo: Lisa-Anne Bauch blends with her weaving, Aegean Norwegian.)

Carstens also shared a story that reflects a change in audience responses to textile-related exhibits. “I have seen a tectonic shift in the attitude towards working with textiles as art. In the early 80s, I attended a gallery showing of quilts with my father-in-law. He barrelled through the exhibit, and when I caught up with him, he snorted, “I wish they wouldn’t pass these things off as art.” The people coming to this exhibit clearly recognize the textiles they see as art. They appreciate the work that went into each piece and they acknowledge the artistry. There’s no snorting here.”

I agree with Carstens, and also feel that even if textile objects are not exclusively examined as art, they can be appreciated as important cultural historical objects or examples of exquisite (and often disappearing) craftsmanship. Those are all valid reasons to be worthy of gallery exhibits.

Vibrant Tradition honors the Scandinavian Weavers’ longstanding programs, including education, mentorship, group projects, exhibits, and collaborations with other organizations. Several group members studied weaving in Norway and other Scandinavian countries through weaving schools and private study, while others have taken classes with visiting teachers at American institutions such as the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Vesterheim Folk School, the American Swedish Institute, and Vävstuga. Several of the members teach weaving.

Our Scandinavian Weavers Study Group is a source of personal connection and sharing of expertise. This retrospective will be over soon, but plans are already underway for our next opportunity, featuring even more interactive programming.

Read more about Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest in these two articles:

“Vibrant Traditions on display at Norway House: A colorful tapestry of Nordic color.” Carstens Smith, The Norwegian American, January 25, 2025.

“Norway House’s Vibrant Traditions — a tapestry of time and place.” Sommer Wagen. The Minnesota Daily, February 5, 2025.

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk

Review: “Krokbragd: Contemporary Weaving with Colour” by Angie Parker

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Review by Jan Mostrom

Krokbragd: Contemporary Weaving with Colour, by Angie Parker. Crowood Press, 2025. ISBN: 9780719844669

Angie Parker’s “Krokbragd: Contemporary Weaving with Colour” is filled with photos showcasing Parker’s playful, unexpected and gorgeous color combinations. Having worked with krokbragd since the 1990s in her Bristol, England studio, Parker has refined her contemporary approach through her textile business and teaching practice. This book offers a bridge between historical authenticity and modern expression.

Parker provides historical background on krokbragd in Norway and its evolution both in Scandinavia and internationally. The inclusion of work by contemporary practitioners like Karin Bøe from Norway, Petra Marciniak from France, and American weavers Robbie LaFleur, Wynne Mattila, and Jan Mostrom demonstrates how this technique continues to inspire weavers worldwide.

Instruction covers everything from equipment selection to loom setup for both harness and rigid heddle looms. Parker discusses suitable materials, expanding beyond traditional wool weft to include cotton, chenille, rayon, metallics, raffia, and fabric strips. The detailed instructions are complemented by numerous woven samples with designs graphed onto hexagon graph paper proving especially helpful in visualizing how the treadling order creates the characteristic angled threads within each pass. A variety of warp setts for different weft materials are given. Instructions for neat selvedges while using floating selvedges address the specifics of krokbragd edges. Finishing instructions for durable hems and tassels provide practical weaving tools. The troubleshooting section addresses common challenges like maintaining tight tension, using temples effectively, and preventing curling when the piece is removed from the loom.

Parker’s color theory chapter begins with fundamental principles of hue, value, and saturation before encouraging readers to trust their instincts and weave with colors that bring personal joy. She suggests using color wraps to audition yarns. Symmetry, asymmetry, and proportion, and a clear explanation of the relationship of Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio are discussed as design tools. Parker includes innovative design techniques. Weaving inlays of contrasting color and/or pattern sections within the weaving and shaft switching to change between single and double krokbragd threadings as you weave, create design options that extend beyond traditional patterns.

While Parker’s teacher voice comes through in her careful instructions making the book accessible to newcomers, this is not just a beginner text. As someone who has woven and taught krokbragd for many years, I discovered helpful tips, methods, and inspiration. The book offers a progression of techniques that would allow a newer weaver to build skills confidently while providing enough innovation to keep experienced weavers engaged and challenged.

This book will inspire me to be more adventurous with my color choices and material selection. I’m looking forward to weaving a rug using Parker’s techniques for creating beautiful hems, experimenting with cotton on a close-sett warp for upholstery or bags, and exploring the inlay technique. The shaft switching method she describes is at the top of my list for future projects.

Angie Parker’s trademark vibrant colors in a rug, Fryktlos, 2017. Photo: Yeshen Venema. (p. 101)

Krokbragd: Contemporary Weaving with Colour succeeds in honoring the rich Scandinavian heritage of krokbragd while pushing its boundaries into contemporary applications, allowing for personal expression and innovation. Whether you are just beginning your krokbragd journey or have been weaving for decades, Parker’s approach will inspire you to see new possibilities in this beloved Scandinavian weaving tradition.

Jan Mostrom learned to weave from Lila Nelson at Luther College. Her weaving journey led her to teaching and being a part of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group for 30 years. She has been a regular instructor at Vesterheim and has taught at a variety of guilds, art centers and conferences. Along with her friend Janis Aune, she taught a group of women in Tanzania to weave rag rugs to support their families. Creating textiles is a constant part of her life and she seldom spends a day without yarn in her hands.

Finding Unexpected Treasure in a Familiar Place

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By Lisa Torvik

Imagine my surprise when, at the end of a lovely dinner with my old friend “H”, her family and some of my relatives, she plucked something off the wall in the corner and proudly showed it to us: a genuine Hannah Ryggen tapestry! My jaw just dropped. I have visited this home many times since the mid-1980s, since her parents, then her brother and finally she and her family lived there, on her mother’s ancestral farm outside of Trondheim. Though we seldom dined in the formal dining room, which they call the Red Parlor, I was amazed that I had never noticed this particular part of the décor, somewhat obscured by her great grandmother’s wedding veil.

How did it come to be there? Here is the tale in “H’s” own words, my translation:

“The story: At the end of the 1950s, Hannah Ryggen broke her ankle. At that time my father was a “young” doctor at the Central Hospital in Trondheim. He operated [on Hannah] and set in a screw. When she left the hospital he said he thought he deserved a tapestry for the good job he had done, said with a gleam in his eye of course (you well remember my father….). She replied that he would never be able to afford to buy one of her tapestries. Certainly said with a gleam in her eye, also. When she came for a checkup some weeks later she had this tapestry with her, which of course shows the ankle with the screw and the doctor’s hand. Now it hangs in the Red Parlor!!”

Not a bad “tip” for good medical care, I would say.

Bio: Lisa Torvik credits early influences of her mother, grandmothers, aunts and friends in Norway for her knitting, sewing, embroidery and weaving interests. She spent a year in her youth studying weaving at Valdres Husflidsskule in Fagernes, Norway, and now focuses on projects in traditional Norwegian techniques and more contemporary applications.

March 2025

Editor’s note: If you want to celebrate and view the work of Hannah Ryggen this summer, visit the Hannah Ryggen Trienniale 2025 sponsored by the Nordenfjelske Kunstindustrimuseum.

Read more: Minnesota weaver Christine Novotny visited the Trienniale three years ago, and reported on her experience in this Norwegian Textile Letter article, “Anti-Monument: The 2022 Hannah Ryggen Triennial.”

Scotland is not the only Place for Plaids!

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By Lisa Torvik

Anne Holden came from Scotland to Norway as a young woman to learn to ski. She ended up farming and weaving in the Vestre Slidre municipality, part of the region known as Valdres.

She became one of the area’s most important weavers of traditional plaids for one of Valdres’ national dress or bunad, called a rutestakk. “Rute” means square or plaid in Norwegian and these plaids came into use in the 19^th century for formal dress, for church and for weddings and christenings. Certain plaids are associated with particular farms or areas in Valdres and one can imagine that a bit of local pride went into the creation of their different designs.

Women of Vestre Slidre outside Lommen church circa 1890. It is likely that plaid skirts are below most of the aprons. This picture was printed on the inside cover of the December 2020 issue of the membership magazine, *Budstikken,* which is sent out twice a year to members of Valdres Samband, the Valdres bygdelag in America.

Anne came to learn to ski on the advice of a Norwegian skiing instructor in northern Scotland who told her that she would have better luck going to Norway where the winter weather was more predictable. She convinced her parents that a three month sojourn was a good idea and she returned a few more months later a much better skier and with a Norwegian boyfriend.

She returned to Norway and married this fellow from Valdres and settled on his farm. In 1965 she enrolled in the local home craft school in the weaving class. After completing the six month course, she began at once to weave alongside her daily farm chores and caring for her family. She even had a loom to work on at the family’s cabin when they took the cows to the mountains in the summer.

Anne Holden’s weaving studio in an old hay barn

Over the years, Anne has supplied fabric for rutestakkar to professional tailors and home seamstresses, taught weaving in her home studio and abroad, and contributed to the preservation of this important tradition. She has been recognized with several awards for her skill and work. She was awarded the Cultural Prize from her home community, Vestre Slidre, in 2019.

Anne with son William at her award of the Cultural Prize in 2019

In April 2024, she and fellow weaver, weaving teacher and Vestre Slidring Marit Anny Tvenge were invited to a weavers’ conference at the palace in Oslo, hosted by Queen Sonja in honor of her daughter-in-law. Crown Princess Mette Marit has become an accomplished weaver over the past few years and requested this gathering as a present for her 50^th birthday.

In October 2024, I was fortunate to be introduced to Anne by Bodil Enger, a professional tailor of bunader who lives and works “over the hill” in the neighboring municipality of Øystre Slidre. She has enjoyed a working relationship with Anne for years, and we had a splendid visit to her home and the weaving studio she set up in the old barn that she herself rebuilt on her farm.

Two talented weavers from Vestre Slidre, Anne Holden and Marit Anne Tvenge

Left: This is my rutestakk in the Robøle plaid, which Anne Holden said she has not woven for a long time since it is so complicated. It is now woven elsewhere in Norway, I hope still by hand, as mine was. I have had it since 1972.

March 2025