I love finding folky, traditional textiles wherever I am. This is one I just have to show you: Gubbaväv!
This technique of weaving is also called Rosengång and is a twill weave that forms small repeated patterns. Rosengång exists all over Sweden and can take countless expressions. It can be woven in different materials – linen, cotton and wool – and be made up of geometric shapes and/ or smal figures. When it portrays small figures or stylized trees, flowers and cottages it is usually called Gubbaväv. Gubbe means “old man”, “chum” or a generic human, often older. Väv means weave.
These beautiful Gubbasnår patterns usually consist of a linen warp and multi coloured wool weft. As you can see in the picture here, the Gubbasnår weaves were usually made like longer wall hangings, but could also be sewn into cushions. Rosengång is also used on carpets.
Back to Gubbaväv! I just love the word, it says exactly what it is. A weave with people. This wall hanging I found in a small charity shop close to Delsbo in Northern Sweden, a place well known for folk patterns & music. Sometimes you find these weaves with trees and houses, but stylized people are most common. On this one you can see lots of differently dressed people. Since it doesn’t come with an explanation, my best guess would be something like different professions. There are soldiers, bakers, police officers (I think), nurses, priests, farmers…
What I love about Gubbaväv is that the technique uses very small repeats to portray details so you can recognize shapes. Plus, of course, lots of colours in lovely thick wool!
Rosengång from Dalarna
This is another one of my finds – two large, long wall hangers intricately patterned in a Rosengång pattern. These I found on my way back from Dalarna and was told they have a traditional colourway and pattern from Rättvik in Dalarna. Of course, the pattern inspired me to make the knitted lamp in the same colours hand knitted in thick Alafosslopi Icelandic yarn.
The patterns are intricate and almost hypnotizing (when you look at them too long). The wall hanging is woven in a very strict colour-scheme of bright red, warm yellow, black and white with small details in a peaish green. With so much patterning going on, any more colours would have been confusing!
Below you can see some close-ups of the pattern. Sooo much inspiration to find in these densely repeated patterns!
