Traditional Scandinavian Knitting (Dover Knitting, Crochet, Tatting, Lace) by McGregor Sheila

Author:McGregor, Sheila [McGregor, Sheila]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780486134161
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2012-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

FINE KNITTING IN DENMARK

The nattrøjer of Denmark are the direct descendants of the textured (purl-and-plain) silk shirts worn (as a passing fashion) by the upper classes in the seventeenth century. Jackets with knitted arms and woollen ‘nightshirts’ are mentioned in inventories of 1690. Particularly among poorer people, undershirts and nightshirts were identical and worn in cold weather by night as well as by day, hence the Danish name of nattrøjer — night jerseys. Similar textured jackets were worn in southern Sweden (in Halland) and in parts of western Norway, as well as in Denmark, from which they were possibly exported at first and then copied locally. A strong influence can also be deduced in English and Scottish seamen’s jerseys or gansies (from Guernsey, where they are said to have originated). This is supported, to some extent, by the likelihood that the earliest nattrøjer were worn by both men and women. Soon, though, they became an exclusively female article of dress.

Most were worn under cloth bodices and were often decorated with sewn-on silk ribbon or appliquéd decoration of colourful and splendid silk cloth round the neck-line and cuffs. Styles varied from district to district. In some districts knitted sleeves were sewn on to cloth bodices, not necessarily for reasons of economy, as this was the standard style among the wealthy and well-dressed wives of the Dutch Amager farmers. In general, large and elaborate patterns were placed where they would be seen and smaller all-over patterns, particularly two-by-two checks in purl and plain, used where they would be out of sight or covered by silk trimmings. Many show signs of having been altered, mended to increase their life, or adapted to a new style. New sleeves are often sewn in. Necklines may be cut away and bound, the old pattern still visible on the inside. These alterations could suggest that the parts were always sewn together; however I do not believe this was so as finely crafted knitted joins can also be seen on intact jackets.

In every peasant costume, every item had to be ‘right’ for the time and place, the place often being as restricted as one single parish. As the making of these Danish jackets was so highly skilled, it seems very likely that, as in Sweden, each parish was supplied by its own knitter, perhaps a childless widow or spinster who supported herself with knitting. These skilled knitters would have confirmed the old traditional styles while occasionally adding small improvements or changes of their own which in turn would be copied by the less talented.

As a simple rule, the longer jackets are older and more likely to have been worn by both men and women. The Empire style (or Gustavian style, as it might be called in Sweden) of around 1800 pushed up waists in peasant styles all over Europe and in Denmark led to tiny, short, knitted jackets with all the components of the older styles but half their length.

The most popular colour was red, with blue and green also being common and black rather unusual.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.