Nordic Band

Day 85: I believe I can come close to dating when I first became fascinated with Nordic-style bands. When I was still in primary school, my favourite uncle gave my mother and me "car coats" for Christmas. Hers was light blue and mine was red, and both were trimmed with commercially-produced ribbons along the front edge of the hood and the cuffs in a pattern very similar to what you see here. The snowflake designs intrigued me, and I began noticing them elsewhere, notably on garments my classmates wore on skiing trips, and thus the "Nordic" association was firmly instilled in my mind. Only later did I discover that the bands were part of traditional costumes, especially in Norway and Sweden. I first learned to create my own Nordic bands on an inkle loom, pushing down or lifting up the appropriate pattern threads relative to the active layer. The purchase of a Swedish band loom simplified the process enormously. This particular band, similar as it is to that on my old "car coat," is bordered with what Heather Torgenrud calls "an interesting threading" in her book, "Norwegian Pick-up," in that it forms alternating spots of two colours rather than the typical "chain" or "flower" pattern, and for as complex as it appears, it is very easy to memorize.