One day in 1983, Annemor Sundbo of Kristiansand, Norway, became the owner of a 'shoddy mill', a facility designed to process rags, scraps, and other discarded fabric into reusable material. However, Sundbo wasn't interested in running the mill; she was drawn instead to the store of thousands of mittens, gloves and other knitted castaways, bundled into a warehouse on the mill's grounds, awaiting their turn. These well-used discards were in fact a treasure trove of traditional Norwegian patterning and technique, and the beginning of her life-long effort to document, preserve, and reconstruct classic Norwegian designs - dozens of which are assembled here in a timeless collection, now available for the first time in paperback. Among the traditional Norwegian motifs featured are animals, figures, flowers, hearts, palm and thumb patterns, and border designs, for mittens and gloves. The historical and cultural context of each motif accompanying every pattern are explored. Also included are resources and instructions for understanding pattern repeats and successfully transferring motifs to hats, sweaters and many other items.

You'll appreciate your favorite Nordic patterns in a new way. Nordic knitting designs have long enchanted the world. What makes their allure and beauty so timeless? The answer is fascinating, and author Annemor Sundbo, known as "Norway's Sweater Detective", welcomes you on a wild ride to discover it. She's the foremost expert on the subject of these designs' history and evolution and reveals how the centuries of Norway's culture, prehistory, history, myths, and more have created the patterns we love to knit. Now available in English for the first time, the book won Norway's prestigious Sorlandets literary prize in 2020. More than 800 images take you through the mountains and fjords of Norway with knitting in mind. As Annemor shows us, Norway's knits hold real-life tales of burial customs, royals wearing knits, nation building after the Napoleonic wars, child labour, female role models and ski fashion, and the sustainability of knitting through history and today. How did folk costumes morph into hiking gear? What messages have the Norwegian myths left in the patterns we knit today? A pattern bank contains dozens of knitting grids for authentic traditional designs, ready for you to continue their amazing journey with a new appreciation.