The lusekofte (, ''
lice jacket''), also called the Setesdalsgenser (''
Setesdal
Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes.
The Otra river flows through the ...
sweater'') is a traditional
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
sweater
A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jumper (British English and Australian English),[ ...](_blank)
, dating from the 19th century.
The original sweater features a black and white design, the name referring to the isolated black stitches.
[Anne Kjellberg]
lusekofte
Store Norske Leksikon, retrieved 30 March, 2013 They may also feature
selburose
In Norwegian knitting, a ''selburose'' () is a knitted rose pattern in the shape of a regular octagram. It is traditionally used for winter clothing such as the Selbu mitten (''selbuvott'') and sweaters ('' lusekofte, lopapeysa'' and '' mariu ...
designs. In recent times additional color is sometimes given to this black and white sweater by woven ribbons or bands of black woolen fabric
embroidered
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...
in the type of colorful designs also found in the
bunad
''Bunad'' (, plural: ''bunader''/''bunadar'') is a Norwegian umbrella term encompassing, in its broadest sense, a range of both traditional rural clothes (mostly dating to the 18th and 19th centuries) as well as modern 20th-century folk costume ...
s and in
rosemaling
Rose-painting, , or is a Scandinavian decorative folk painting that flourished from the 1700s to the mid-19th century, particularly in Norway. In Sweden, rose-painting began to be called , c. 1901, for the region where it had been most popular ...
around the neck and along the front opening. These front opening are usually closed by a row of
pewter
Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades ...
or
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
clasps.
After the lusekofte was discovered by tourists in the 1920s, it became very popular and today they are made in many different patterns and colours
[ in addition to the traditional Setesdal sweater.
The lusekofte is casual attire, traditionally mostly worn by men.
]
See also
* Mariusgenser
Marius sweaters ( no, Mariusgenser) are Norwegian-style knitted sweaters with patterns inspired by traditional Setesdal sweater ( no, Setesdalsgenser), but without lice, a type of pattern. While the traditional sweaters used the natural colors of ...
* Lopapeysa
A lopapeysa () or Icelandic sweater is an Icelandic style of sweater originating in early or mid-20th century, at a time when imports had displaced older and more traditional Icelandic clothing and people began to search for new ways to utilize t ...
* Intarsia
Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. The start of the practice dates from before the seventh century AD. The technique of intarsia inlays sections of wood (at times with contrasting ivory or bone, or mother-of-pear ...
References
External links
{{Commonscat-inline, Lusekofte
* Lusekofte pictures
* Setesdalsgenser pictures and instructions
Norwegian clothing
Knitted garments
Sweaters