The American Swedish Institute's “Bohus Radiant Knits,” a Swedish explosion of color and texture, opens January 23, 2009, and runs through April 5.
Bohus knitting, which flourished under the aegis of the Bohus Stickning
knitting collective in Sweden for 30 years (1939 to 1969), is
well-known to American knitters through such books as Wendy Keele's Poems of Color.
It reminds many people of Fair Isle knitting, since it too features
color strandwork on fine yarn, but it uses textured stitches as well,
and sports the signature colors of hand-dyed yarn. The ASI event, which
runs January 23 to April 5, marks the first time that Bohus couture
garments have
been on exclusive exhibit in the United States since the 1964 World’s
Fair in
New York. Of special interest to MKG members are the select Bohus
knitting kits on sale at the ASI museum shop from Solveig Gustafsson, a
luminary in the field. Some are expected to be exclusive kits, for sale
only during the exhibit at the ASI (but available through Gustafsson's Web site after the exhibit closes). The kits cover a range of projects, from wrist-warmers to sweaters.
This exhibit opens on Friday, January 23, at the museum, the Turnblad
mansion at 2600 Park Avenue in Minneapolis. During the opening weekend,
the ASI offers a variety of opportunities to learn about Bohus knitting
and its history, including workshops, lectures, a knit-out in the
museum, guided tours, knitting workshops, and a film premiere. A number
of special guests from Sweden and the U.S. will be present to share
their expertise.
A schedule of the weekend's events (with a link to a downloadable registration form) is at the ASI Web site.
Many require advance (paid) registration, and as of this writing these
are all sold out. They include a lecture by master dyer Gustafsson and
two knitting workshops by internationally known Bohus knitting
instructor Susanna Hansson. Check out the ASI museum shop
for the Bohus project yarn kits mentioned above. The museum is open
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m, Wednesday
noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. General admission is $6 for
adults, with reduced prices for students and seniors.
The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild is a proud sponsor of the ASI exhibit. Check out www.americanswedishinst.org, or call the ASI at 612/871-4907 for more information.
I bought a Bohus sweater in Malmo, Sweden in 1961. It was my treasure and I felt beautiful every time I had it on. I cried when I could no longer wear it. I would like to knit one for my grand daughter now that I am elderly and have the time and determination. Where can I buy a kit? We don’t really have a knit shop in Dallas which specalizes in Scandinavian Art Knitting.
Sincerely,
Robin Stephens Robin Stephens () - 19-Jan-2010 13:12
