Hidden Treasure

I've borrowed a book from the library called "Selbuvotter Biography of a Knitting Tradition." It is written by Terri Shea, a knitter from Seattle who has been researching the history of Selbu mittens (the black and white Fair Isle mittens traditional to Norway.) As I was reading the historical background information about these beautiful knitted items, I discovered her reference to The Evangelist of Selbu knitting. This woman was so keen to preserve the tradition and quality of the Selbu technique, that she spread the gospel throughout the country. I was extremely excited to discover that she was none other than Annichen Sibbern Bøhn, the author of the book that I found in the secondhand bookshop last week!

Her book of Norske Strikkemønstre (Norwegian Knitting Designs) was first published in 1929 and received huge acclaim. It was so popular that it was kept in print for several decades and eventually translated into English in 1965.

Looks like I really did strike gold with my 1947 find last week!