Selbuvott

Selbuvott (transl. selbu mittens) is a knitted woolen mitten, based on a pattern from Selbu Municipality in Norway.^[1] Like all mittens, the purpose of selbuvott is to keep hands warm during winter, with one large space for fingers and a separate smaller section for the thumb. The pattern is a Selburose, which is a traditional rose from the Selbu area, shaped like an octagram. Marit Guldsetbrua Emstad (born 1841) first knitted the pattern into a pair of mittens in 1857,^[2] and sold it through Husfliden in Trondheim in 1897. Selbuvott is possibly the most-worn knitted pattern in Norway.

A display of selbu mittens

Marriage Tradition

Although traditionally only worked with two colors, patterns for these mittens could often be very intricate. Because of this, Selbuvott was used as a form of a dowry for young girls since selbuvott required an intense amount of time, care, and skilled practice in order to perfect the technique and get the desired look.^[3] A girl would start knitting these mittens from a very young age so that she could present them to her future husband and wedding guests.^[3]

See also

• Selburose

References

1. "The Story of the Selbu Mitten – Selbuvotten". Thor News. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
2. Sarappo, Emma (2018-11-25). "The Star of Norwegian Knitwear". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
3. "Romantic Story in Knit Mittens". Democrat and Chronicle. 1938. Retrieved December 2, 2021.

Further reading

• Shea, Terri (2007). Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition. Spinningwheel LLC. ISBN 978-0979312601.