Weaving Roger's Norwegian Garters

Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Duluth... Lake Gitche Gumee

While up in Grand Marais this spring (?), I made some Norwegian garters for Roger's costume.

Spring, June, in Grand Marais, MN, about 1/2 hour from the Canadian border, is about 55 degrees during the day and about 45 degrees at night.  When Roger and I left Minneapolis, it was around 80 degrees and we were worried the new bunnies would have heat stroke in the truck on the 5 hour ride north.  The bunnies were fine, especially when we hit Lake Superior and the north wind flow.

Whenever I drive along Lake Superior, Gordon Lightfoot is singing the sad song of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Lake "Gitche Gumee" and the skies of November turning gloomy in my head.

When it started raining, I realized a trip to the thrift store in town was necessary for some pant liners and a wool coat.  I had brought shorts, skirts and short sleeve blouses and no wool mittens or wool hat. The thrift store had a nice wool, made in USA jacket, red and black checks. The red and black checks turned out perfect as Marco and Roger made me the steering "lumber jane" in the boat race later on.is 

The boat race below had refreshments to ward off the cold. I was steering.

















Anyway, I started weaving the garters a couple of weeks before in Grand Marais.

And finally, they were done. Garters, like mittens, require you make two the same. Each one was about 4' long and 3/4 inch wide.  I used brown and yellow wool, sport weight.


Warp your loom, 32 threads, and follow the pattern below.

This is such a simple pattern, I just picked up the 2 center yellow threads and dropped the 2 brown threads with my fingers.

This was the only pattern I could find in an early Norwegian illustration.  It seems to be appropriate and was very simple to follow.

Happy weaving!