Describa su profesión, sus productos terminados y sus particularidades.
I am a highly skilled weaver who can weave on modern floor looms, tapestry looms, rigid heddle looms and tablet looms. My favorite looms are the old warp-weighted looms and old tapestry looms. I like the old weaving techniques, and I am full of respect for the persons which was able to weave difficult and beautiful patterns on the old looms in ancient times.
I draw my own weaving patterns for tapestry weaving. I love to dye yarn with different kinds of plants and then use it in weaving.
I have written one book in norwegians and one book in english about how to weave twill and tabby on the warp-weighted loom. My books are sold world wide since 2014. The reason why I wrote the books, was to keep the old weaving techniques alive today and in the future, and to honor the old weaving masters who lived in the viking age and before.
¿Qué materiales se utilizan?
I normally use yarn of linen and wool, often plant dyed yarn.
¿Cuál es el perfil típico de su clientela?
My «ideal» client's are the ones that is patient and love old weaving techniques. This is a very slow method of weaving compairing to the modern weaving industries.
¿A qué edad y bajo qué circunstancias comenzó este trabajo?
I was 44 years old and could not understand why nobody of the «modern vikings» I met in Norway, did not care about learning the most important weaving technique from the viking age, and using the warp-weighted loom.
¿Dónde y cuánto tiempo ha recibido instrucción antes de estar listo para comenzar su propio negocio? ¿En un instituto de formación, con un artesano o ambos? ¿Cuál cree que es la mejor manera de aprender su trabajo hoy? ¿Escuelas, formación con artesanos ...?
I took two classes of modern weaving at Asker husflidslag in Norway (in total 108 hours in 2011 and in 2012). Then I bought an old book about the warp-weighted loom. I did not understand it, so I decided to write and publish my own book, since this is an very important weaving technique in my eyes. During spring 2012 I found a warp-weighted loom on Facebook and started to learn the technique on my own. I visited Manndalen husflidslag in the North of Norway for two days, and Osterøy museum on the West cost of Norway for one day,to see and learn how they where weaving grenes and tabby/tapestries on their looms.
The best way to learn the weaving technique is to do it with a professional combined with self studies and weaving on your own.
Describa los conocimientos, las técnicas, las herramientas y los materiales que utiliza en su trabajo.
I weave tabby, tapestry and 4-shaft twill on my looms. I use a weaving sword/beater made of whale bone and a fork made of silver. The weaving sword is used for cleaning the shed before I put the weft into the warp, and to beat the weft upwards and towards the woven fabric. The fork is used to push the weft upwards and towards the fabric. For warp and weft I normally use wool.
¿Qué papel desempeñan el "talento" y la "creatividad" en su profesión?
The more you weave and dear to weave, the better skills you get, as long as you learn from your mistakes. The more you weave the more creative you get. I love to try new color combinations and mixing different kind of yarns to get new effects in my products.
¿Y qué hay de la innovación, ¿cuáles son los cambios desde que empezó? ¿Utiliza nuevos materiales, herramientas o procesos en la fabricación y comercialización? ¿Cuál es el impacto de la innovación en su rendimiento? ¿Cómo podría ser tu profesión aún más innovadora?
There is one huge change since I started in 2011. More people around the world are interested in this old technique.I have a webshop and my customers can pay with PayPal. I do not think it would be possible to make weaving on the warp-weighted loom more innovative.
¿Cuál es la mejor manera de aprender tu profesión?
To try to weave, do all the mistakes you can imagine and not imagine. And start all over again, plus read my books and connect to the warp-weighted loom-weaving group on Facebook, and share your weaving experiences with others.
¿Cuál es su mensaje para las generaciones más jóvenes que podrían elegir su profesión?
Try it and have fun, but you do not make much money on this weaving technique/profession.