The Kirsten Project | Selbuvotter

Now that we’ve seen some of the classic elements of Norwegian knitting from the Fana sweater, let’s have a look at Selbuvotter, or mittens from Selbu, Norway!

I’ve found a couple different origin stories for this classic black and white mitten, but the one I like best is the story of Marit Gulsethbrua Emstad, a young girl who knit up both black and white wool from her family’s sheep using the 8 pointed star on the back of the mitten. She wore them to church on Sunday in the 1850s and a fashion trend was born. They grew to such popularity worldwide, that by the 1930s over 100,000 pair were exported a year! This motif became known as the selburose and later an icon of Norway in it’s quest for independence. This article from The Atlantic goes into even more of the story and I highly recommend it for more background!

I also found the following press piece that appeared in at least fifteen papers in 1938, including The Los Angelos Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Indianapolis Times, The Star Tribune of Minneapolis and more. The eye catching title of this article was Romantic Story in Knit Mittens and reads as follows:

The black and white Norwegian mittens which have for the last few seasons decorated the hands of American skiiers were original intended for a far different purpose. They were first made in accordance with an old marriage custom and owe their fine workmanship to the intense rivalry amoung the young girls who knit them, says an old tradition of the beautiful Selbu district of Norway. According to this story, girls of the valley were once expected to knit a pair of mittens for each of the guests attending their wedding.

They began the task very young, competing with each other to produce the finest designs. Typical Selbu patterns, such as the large eight-pointed star, an angular figure of a woman or a reindeer, are now knit by women in other parts of Norway and will be included in the handicrafts displays arranged for the great Oslo Exhibition of Norwegian life, which will open in Oslo May 12 and continue to Sept. 18

Socks and sweaters too are knit in Selbu patterns, and with the increasing popularity of skiing, these Norwegian articles are fast achieving international fame.

The above red caption is Google translated (questionably) as follows: “It was no easy matter for a self-made woman to marry in earlier times. According to the wedding traditions, an engaged girl had to start knitting well in advance of the wedding. First, they were to knit neat self-stocking socks for the groom and several pairs of socks for the closest male relatives of the groom. As if that weren't enough, all the men who were guests at the wedding separated a couple of self-propelled women home. These were knitted by the women who were invited to the wedding and delivered to the bride a few days for the guest room. All the mittens were hung on a pole riding a snow on the bridal ceiling while the wedding lasted. The woman knew that all the wedding guests and others would evaluate and comment on the work - it could be honored. so a good impression of the mittens was important and they were knit with file and care.”

If any Scandinavian readers out there want to add in, please help me in the comments! Regardless of where the trend of Selbuvotter started, we know for sure these design elements are what inspired Kirsten’s woolen sets!

For my Changes for Kirsten woolens I took on knitting my own mittens and hat using many of the motifs above - the selburose, alternative male and female figures and the 4 pointed flower with vines. I copied Kirsten’s hat directly from the doll’s version and used the Selbu knitting pattern from Skeindeer Knits for the mittens! They are so fun to make! I can’t wait to show you the completed costume tomorrow! Stay tuned!