Norway sweaters

The Lusekofte is the original name given to the sweaters that were first knitted back in the fifteenth century by women villagers. They were hand-knitted from locally sourced wool and dyed to create specific color patterns. The dyes were very primitive so the early sweaters also referred to as jumpers featured limited colors such as blue, gray, and cream.

Today, you will find more colorful Norwegian sweaters since there are many more colorful dyes available on the market. You will likely find many more patterns available as well since people tend to be more imaginative these days.
The Setesdal sweater is thought to be the original sweater since it was named for the village where it is believed to have originated.

How are Norwegian Sweaters made?

Norwegian Sweaters are made using premium lambswool, which makes them extremely soft and very comfortable. They are hand-knitted in factories in Norway using local wool and dyes. The unique patterns are what give all of the Norway sweaters their charm and character. It is also what makes them so popular.

Today, most Norwegian sweaters are machine knitted in factories in parts of Norway. This is primarily in order to keep up with the high demand for the evergrowing popularity of sweaters.

The traditional Norway sweaters are still being knitted today and worn by Norwegian fishermen out at sea. You will also see them worn by people all over the country. As they are extremely warm and help to keep out the cold during the winter.

What do the patterns on the Norwegian sweaters represent?

There are many reasons why Norwegian sweaters are popular in Norway and all around the world for that matter. One of the primary reasons for their popularity is the unique patterns that are created using dyes to color the wool yarn used to knit them. In the early days, no two sweaters ever looked identical and that is because they were hand-knitted and primitive dyes were used.

The patterns that were created using the different colored yarns were often represented as symbols. A few examples would be flowers which represented the sun and zig-zag lines were often used to represent protection. Since these sweaters or jumpers were worn by Norwegian fishermen, many believed that by having a specific pattern on their sweaters they would somehow be protected at sea.

Where does wool come from?

Wool is a material that is used for making several things for the textile industry. The wool comes in the form of yarn that is spun from fibers that come from a hair of a variety of animals. The primary source of the hair comes from sheep, however, there are many different animals that the hair is gotten from to make the wool yarn.

Wool is second to cotton as the most commonly used of all the natural fibers used by the textile industry for making clothing items. Wool has unique characteristics that make it especially perfect for certain types of clothing items. One of those characteristics is that its fibers possess a crimpness to them.

This crimpness allows them to form a specific structure that produces a natural insulative effect. This is one of the reasons why wool makes such a great material for making sweaters, such as Norwegian sweaters.

What you should know about Norwegian wool?

Norwegian wool comes from animals such as sheep and lamb that are raised entirely in Norway. The wool yarn is considered to be coarse, resilient, and durable, which makes it perfect to be used in a number of different textile manufacturing. Norwegian wool is highly prized for its quality and is exported to all parts of the globe.
Here are some specific facts about wool that you might not know.

Wool Facts

Wool has a natural moisture-wicking effect – Wool absorbs a great deal of moisture and pulls it away from the body. This helps to keep your skin more comfortable year-round, but it keeps you especially warm in the winter.

Possesses a natural anti-microbial property that eliminates odor naturally – It is a very clean material and since it has built-in antimicrobial properties it doesn’t have to be cleaned as often as other types of fibers.

Wool creates a natural temperature regulatory effect – Items made from wool will actually feel cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This is due to the special characteristics of the individual fibers in yarn.

Wool is made from animal hair that is similar to human hair – Wool comes from the hair of animals which means that they are 100% natural. The fibers contain proteins similar to that of human hair.

Has a natural elasticity that helps it to retain its shape – Garments made from wool possess a certain amount of elasticity. So, if there is any type of stretching that occurs it can quickly regain its original shape after a while.