If you’ve ever owned a pair of traditional Norwegian mittens, you’ve probably seen a Selbu motif. Selbu is a small area in central Norway, but the knitting patterns from here have travelled far and are loved all over the world. They're popular both among native Norwegians and tourists coming to Norway. (This wall of Selbu mittens and socks are photographed in the shop Heimen Husfliden in Glasmagasinet department store in Oslo.)
Many of the motifs used in Selbu knitting are also found in other countries and regions around the world. That’s one thing I love about the crafting community — seeing how creativity can take different forms in different places, but still have something that connects us.
The Knitty Rose quilt
Most people know the famous eight-pointed star, but there’s another beautiful design I love: the rose made from eight ram’s horns. Each “horn” curls toward the middle, and together they form a flower shape.
Ram's horns - the central motif in many Selbu mittens and in the Knitty rose quilt. Photo by Tom Bradley on Unsplash
Same motif, many versions
Like all good traditional patterns, this rose comes in many, many variations — some simple and bold, others full of tiny details.
One example is this mustard yellow sweater I spotted in a vintage shop in Stavanger last fall. The design was one of the simpler ones, but you can still see those eight ram’s horns making the flowers. That sweater actually inspired the colour palette for my Knitty Rose cover quilt.
Another is my much-loved knitted gloves with a ram’s horn rose. I knitted them around 2002-2003, just after I met my husband. The roses are hot pink on a red background. (Not a knitting project for tired eyes! In dull light the colours look almost the same.) In daylight they are bright and happy. I’ve worn them a lot and mended them many times.
From yarn to fabric
Knitting and quilting might be different crafts, but they have a lot in common — repeating patterns, symmetry, and the clever use of small shapes.
For Knitty Rose, I turned the ram’s horn rose into a quilt design made from only squares. I used the web piecing method, which makes it quick to sew and keeps everything in order. The quilt works just as well in a scrappy mix of fabrics as in only two colours.
Keeping the Nordic roots
Knitty Rose is the third quilt pattern I’ve made that’s inspired by Norwegian knitting traditions — just like Old Cabin and Salty Fibers.
Want to make your own Norwegian quilt? You can make this rose quilt in classic black and white, or go for bold modern colours. Either way, it still carries the heart of its Norwegian roots.
