Føroysk bindimentan í søguligum og nútíðarligum høpi: Trupulleikin at staðfesta tað, sum er so sjálvsagt, at tað verður ikki sagt.

Translated title of the contribution: Faroese Knitting Culture, past and present

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The Faroese knitting culture is undergoing changes. Within the knitting culture there are several aspects. The traditional patterns are important, but how to hold the yarn, how to calculate the stitches and shape the pieces of clothing, and how the quality should be, are also part of the traditional knowledge.
It is not known when the Faroese first started to knit, but it has been an important part of the country’s indentity, not to mention economy, for hundreds of years.
The export of woollen goods is no longer vital for the economy of the country, and as most women today work outside the home, the traditional way of designing knitted clothes is no longer a part of every girl’s upbringing.
The article compares handdrawn knitting patterns from 1934 with the patterns documented by H M Debes in 1932, as an example of how the patterns were varied by the Faroese women.
A sweater fashioned by someone not familiar with traditional Faroese knitting, is described as an example of recent decline in the knitting culture.
A small inquiry about whether children learn to knit, at which age and from whom, is included. This shows a clear indication that girls learn to knit, while boys do not, that most of the learning takes place within the family, and that most girls learn to knit before they are 10 years old.
The conclusion is that if the traditional Faroese way of knitting is to be preserved for future generations, it is high time to use the new digital media in order to make the knowledge available. Whether or not the young people choose to receive it, is out of our hands.
Translated title of the contributionFaroese Knitting Culture, past and present
Original languageFaroese
Title of host publicationFrændafundur 8
Subtitle of host publicationgreinasavn frá føroysk-íslendskari ráðstevnu í Tórshavn 24. og 25. august 2013
EditorsTurið Sigurðardóttir, María Garðarsdóttir
Place of PublicationTórshavn
PublisherFróðskapur
Pages343-354
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)978-99918-65-74-4
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Publication series

NameAnnales Societatis Scientiarum Færoensis
Volume65
ISSN (Print)0365-6772

Keywords

  • knitting
  • society
  • history
  • culture
  • Faroe Islands

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