I want to tell you a little bit about my first sweater design «The Shieldmaiden Sweater», or Skjoldmøygenseren in Norwegian.
I have always had a fascination with the Vikings and that era of history, especially Norwegian history. It started in school when we learned about the Vikings and their daily lives, and continued into my adult life with reading different books, both factual and fictional.
The first fictional books I read was a book series written by the author, Trude Brænne Larssen. These books have it all, from historically correct facts about the viking age and their lives to magical creatures living in the norwegian forests. Sounds like a lot? It´s just the right amount of down to earth and magic.
The main character in these books is a girl named Ulva. She is a wild, tough, beautiful girl with long black hair and eyes like the wolf. She is not by definition a shieldmaiden, but she could have been one. A strong woman, surviving on her own, doing what is necessary to survive. She is my inspiration for The Shieldmaiden Sweater. In my imagination I can see her wearing this sweater.
Fun fact: our dog Ulva is named after this character and truly lives up to her name sister.
The Norwegian Saga 