Selburose

Patterns and motifs

Typically Norwegian
The Norwegian sweater is very recognizable. This is mainly due to the typical two-tone knit with a star motif in it. It represents an eight-leaved rose. We therefore also call this traditional knitting pattern a Norwegian rose or selburose. According to tradition the design was first knitted around 1850 when a girl in the small Norwegian community of Selbu made three pairs of mittens with this motif and brought it to church. Since then, the region has been known for its black and white knitting. The rose became a symbol of Norwegian knitwear. In reality, the selburose is much older: comparable motifs already appear in sixteenth-century knitting pattern books from countries such as Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany.

 

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