Topic:
Textiles
Traditional
Danish Shawls
Lotte’s
father took this picture in Copenhagen, more than 60 years ago.
It shows a female fishmonger who is in the process of serving
a customer; a stone-monument of her trade provides the background.
Both women wear traditional shawls which are perfect for work:
not only are they warm, they are also tied in the back to leave
arms free for movement.
Women still sell
fish on the “Gammel Strand" (the old pier) which is
a famous tourist attraction in the center of Copenhagen, about
2 minutes from “Foketinget” (the Danish Parliament).
This is also the point of departure for popular Harbour tours.
My Danish
friend Lotte came to visit in the Fall of 2006. She brought along
her latest knitting projects and I was immediately captivated
by her shawls. They are based on traditional Danish patterns.
Lotte kindly agreed to knit two different versions, using my hand-dyed
yarns. She also provided me with a pattern, which I adapted and
modified. This pattern is now available for purchase.
First of all, some historical background: for practical purposes,
women wore these shawls mainly while working. Similar shawls were
once also popular in Germany, but I am not aware of examples or
patterns still in existence.
Den
Gamle By (The old town) is the largest museum in
Denmark. Its “open-air” exhibits document the cultural
development of towns over the past 500 years. Lotte took the picture
above as well as the 4 photos below during her visit there in
2006.
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In
the museum “Den Gamle By” |
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(The
Old Town) in 2006 |
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In 2006, Lotte also
visited the “Museum of Nursing” in Kolding. She took
pictures of a mannequin wearing a variation of the traditional
Danish Shawl.
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Front
view of shawl |
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back view of shawl. |
Here are photos of
the shawls which Lotte and I have re-worked. There are 2 different
versions and therefore two different knitting instructions. One
is called a “Bindetuch” because of the ease with which
it can be tied from the back to the front. The other is a “Heidetuch”,
so named for its origin in the Danish heather region.
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Lotte created
both versions
(featured on the left) and entrusted me with the instructions.
I have adapted and modified them;
the patterns are now for sale
(3 pages
of instructions and illustrations each).
Please contact me via e-mail.
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Here
are the shawls created by Dorothea: the orange version on
the left, the dark red one on the right. |
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On the right:
the “Heidetuch” with a scalloped edge. Back,
shoulders and kidneys are kept warm while the hands are
free to work!
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STR
02 |
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The
heart shape of the “Heidetuch” is the result
of an increase in stitches. |
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This
large shawl is made from a blend of wool and silk. Because
of its heart-shape, it too is a “Heidetuch”. |
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Instructions are available
for individual (non-commercial) use only.
Knitting
Instructions/Patterns
New:
please pay with PayPal - - unless you
order from within Germany.
You may pay on my account.
Please contact me via e-mail and I will send you the necessary
details..
Other countries: please inquire about shipping charges.
dorothea@lustauffarben.de
If you live
in Canada or the US and are interested in purchasing any of the
patterns,
please contact Friedl
Ballaban (friedl.ballaban@cogeco.ca).
The patterns are also
available in Danish and German.
The
translation into Danish and the addition of relevant
photos was the result of Lotte’s visit in April 2007.
April 7, 2007: Dorothea
busy at work on her homepage.
German
version:
Patterns
- diese und weitere Strickanleitungen finden Sie hier:
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Lotte
Wackerhagen came to visit at Easter 2007. She brought along
a shawl (Bindetuch version) which she had made with wool
from my stash. You can see the result for yourself! |
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Lotte
even designed and knitted
a shawl using the
Lily-of-the Valley- pattern! |
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Here
you see Dorothea at home on her balcony. She is wearing
a small version of the “Heidetuch”.
Time to say “good bye”! Dorothea stands in front
of Lotte’s Danish car, wearing a larger version of
the “Heidetuch”. |
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Click
HERE to see a variety of other shawls. Though they are based
on common instructions (either for the “Heidetuch”
or the “Bindetuch”), they are as different as the
people who created them!
English
Translation provided by Friedl Ballaban.
In
der Frühjahrsausgabe des amerikanischen Magazins Spin
Off ist am 1. April 2008 mein Artikel über die dänischen
Bindetücher erschienen, verbunden mit einer Strickanleitung.
Der Artikel entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit Lotte Wackerhagen,
Friedl Ballaban und Mechthild Fischer.
