Discover the rich history and traditions of Norway's iconic black-and-white mittens.
What started as a dare became an icon of Norwegian knitting and started a snowball of knitting traditions across the North Atlantic. Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition follows the story of these beautiful mittens and gloves, from folk tradition to major regional industry to national symbol, and passes the tradition on with over 30 patterns taken from actual antiques. Every aspect of business today can be found in the story of Selbu knitting. And above it all, thousands of women and men, using spare moments to create spectacular designs that are as fresh today as they were 150 years ago.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By W. Black
Format:Paperback
This is a great book for those who like to learn new techniques and appreciate beautiful designs with history behind them.
The whole book is an interesting read, with a section on the history of Selbu knitting, techniques used and then the patterns.
The mittens and gloves are recreated with great attention to detail and with thoughtful treatment of the modern knitter and the originators.
Yarn structure is addressed so this book is good for the handspinners who wish to use their own yarns and knitters will find the suggested yarns or suitable replacement yarns easily available.
Shea's openness in describing the reproduction process of these gloves and mittens gives the adventurous knitter more confidence to branch out and adapt the patterns to their own needs, but I love them as is.
The whole book is an interesting read, with a section on the history of Selbu knitting, techniques used and then the patterns.
The mittens and gloves are recreated with great attention to detail and with thoughtful treatment of the modern knitter and the originators.
Yarn structure is addressed so this book is good for the handspinners who wish to use their own yarns and knitters will find the suggested yarns or suitable replacement yarns easily available.
Shea's openness in describing the reproduction process of these gloves and mittens gives the adventurous knitter more confidence to branch out and adapt the patterns to their own needs, but I love them as is.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Selbuvotter are patterns from Selbu, Norway. This region of Norway, though near the Arctic Circle, enjoys a milder climate than one would expect due to the Gulf Stream nearby and is home to a tradition of folk knitting. Terri Shea takes us through a quick run of Norway's history (first a country under Danish rule, then Swedish) and shows how home-knit items supplemented farm income, as in so many parts of the world. Selbu patterns, including the famous Selbu Rose, are familiar to anyone who watched the Olympics in Lillehammer or who loves skiwear.
Through the magic of knitting, the 5 stitch-7 row proportion transforms itself into a perfect diamond when you knit a snowflake or a rose on the diagonal. This magic is the heart of Selbu patterns, though there are a lot more motifs, including grids, leaves, ravens, dogs, and reindeer, of course. The author includes a method for knitting dates and initials into the knitting as well--handy for knitting MITTENS for SCHOOLKIDS who LEAVE THEM ON THE BUS--you know what I mean.
The book has many clear charts for making folk knit style mittens and absolutely beautiful gloves; the "Annemor #17" -- a snowflake and arrow design is good for beginners to knitting gloves. The book is only mittens and gloves, but if you are determined to make something else, the patterns are easily usable for stocking, hats or sweaters. I plan to make the Annemor #17 first (a beautiful glove) and then try some mittens with initials for a few youngsters. There are some interesting cuffs--not as elaborate as the fringed and braided Latvian cuffs, but still more interesting than simple 2x2 knitted rib.... Read more ›
Through the magic of knitting, the 5 stitch-7 row proportion transforms itself into a perfect diamond when you knit a snowflake or a rose on the diagonal. This magic is the heart of Selbu patterns, though there are a lot more motifs, including grids, leaves, ravens, dogs, and reindeer, of course. The author includes a method for knitting dates and initials into the knitting as well--handy for knitting MITTENS for SCHOOLKIDS who LEAVE THEM ON THE BUS--you know what I mean.
The book has many clear charts for making folk knit style mittens and absolutely beautiful gloves; the "Annemor #17" -- a snowflake and arrow design is good for beginners to knitting gloves. The book is only mittens and gloves, but if you are determined to make something else, the patterns are easily usable for stocking, hats or sweaters. I plan to make the Annemor #17 first (a beautiful glove) and then try some mittens with initials for a few youngsters. There are some interesting cuffs--not as elaborate as the fringed and braided Latvian cuffs, but still more interesting than simple 2x2 knitted rib.... Read more ›
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A good Norwegian name! Mittens from Selbu, and I had to find an American book to get some really GREAT patterns. Sure, we have patterns galore, but the older patterns disappear and you have modern versions. Nothing wrong with those, but some of the older patterns are really great, although knitted on what can only be termed "sewing needles" with laceweight yarn. I thoroughly recommend this book, better than most Norwegian knitting books for mittens I have seen!
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book has some great patterns, and history, but it has some big problems when it comes to making the mittens. Almost every mitten comes out a little off... not centered, the thumb in the wrong place, the pattern not on the back of the hand, instead wrapping around to the middle of the palm. While she does publish corrections for some of the patterns she has not done so for every pattern, so you might end up doing some recalculations with this book, but the end result is quite nice once you figure everything out.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a great book. That said, if you're looking for Alice Starmore, you won't find her here. HOWEVER, this book stands on its own and as a classic in its own right. BE AWARE that all photos in this book are black and white.
This book is divided into three sections. The first section is about the HISTORY of Selbuvotter knitting. Terri Shea's writing style will take you on a great journey: on a cold winter day you can curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and this great book and find yourself sitting along side the Selvubotter knitters, listening to their tales told to the background of clicking needles inside and howling wind and yes, bombs and marching invaders' boots echoing outside. The second section is TECHNIQUE. Terri does an excellent job of (symbolically speaking) pinning the specimens to a dissection board and performing a mitten autopsy for you: she diagrams and explains the components and mechanics of mitten and glove in a way that is interesting and fun (and made me realize why my own past attempts at knitting these types of projects didn't always turn out so well). The last section is PATTERNS - over 30 of them. Who knew a pair of mittens could say so much, contain so many symbols, and make so many statements about knitter and wearer? "Dancing ants?" Yes, it's in there. Lilies that symbolize purity and the Virgin Mary? That's in there too, on page 101.
If you're looking for Alice Starmore-type color work patterns, you'll need to buy an Alice Starmore book. But if you're looking for something with depth and adventure, that goes beyond the design to the history and symbolism behind it, then this is definitely the book for you.
This book is divided into three sections. The first section is about the HISTORY of Selbuvotter knitting. Terri Shea's writing style will take you on a great journey: on a cold winter day you can curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and this great book and find yourself sitting along side the Selvubotter knitters, listening to their tales told to the background of clicking needles inside and howling wind and yes, bombs and marching invaders' boots echoing outside. The second section is TECHNIQUE. Terri does an excellent job of (symbolically speaking) pinning the specimens to a dissection board and performing a mitten autopsy for you: she diagrams and explains the components and mechanics of mitten and glove in a way that is interesting and fun (and made me realize why my own past attempts at knitting these types of projects didn't always turn out so well). The last section is PATTERNS - over 30 of them. Who knew a pair of mittens could say so much, contain so many symbols, and make so many statements about knitter and wearer? "Dancing ants?" Yes, it's in there. Lilies that symbolize purity and the Virgin Mary? That's in there too, on page 101.
If you're looking for Alice Starmore-type color work patterns, you'll need to buy an Alice Starmore book. But if you're looking for something with depth and adventure, that goes beyond the design to the history and symbolism behind it, then this is definitely the book for you.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Selbuvotter Rip Off
I was thrilled to receive This book but after reading it and studying the patterns,this book is just a rip off of other peoples patterns and hard work. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sonja Heinie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still in Print
There is no reason to pay an outrageous price for this book. Google the author's name, go to her website, and order it directly from her for a reasonable fee.
Published 5 months ago by susanh
3.0 out of 5 stars
Math doesn't add up
virtually all of the mitten patterns have problems, particularly the directions for making the thumb. Read more
Published 18 months ago by L. Gouge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
At the beginning of the book is the history of Selbu knitting. I thought it would be boring at first sight, but not at all! Read more
Published 18 months ago by Jaina
5.0 out of 5 stars
a knitting treasure
This is the ultimate book on nordic mittens. She's got history, techniques and patterns...and the patterns are great...and easy to follow. Read more
Published on April 5, 2011 by Book Maven
4.0 out of 5 stars
No-sell clause
This is a marvelous book, but read the fine print: you can't sell the mittens that you have crafted from this book. Read more
Published on February 11, 2011 by Mayhar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific resource
As any denizen of Ravelry can tell you, there are a ton of great patterns out there for stranded colorwork mittens. Read more
Published on January 31, 2011 by Ellen
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice History...Pattern Directions Lacking
I really did have high hopes for this book. This is my first attempt at making fair isle gloves and the finished examples on Ravelry are beautiful. Read more
Published on January 5, 2011 by Lilyan Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars
My mitts are ready for Norway!
After a nice review of the history of Selbuvotter (specially patterned gloves and mittens from the Selbu region of Norway), the book goes into the juicy bits: page after page of... Read more
Published on October 23, 2010 by Melissa Ann Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolute Gem!
I was overjoyed to find this book online after looking for years for "real" Selbu patterns. There is a pattern for everyone in this book, and she freely invites the reader to be... Read more
Published on October 6, 2010 by nathanael
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