Erika Nordvall Falck

Erika Nordvall Falck is an ethnologist, author, and knitting enthusiast living in Jokkmokk. For several decades, she has collected, documented, and reconstructed historical mittens from Sápmi and northern Sweden. Her work is based on studies of older mittens, knitting traditions, and cultural-historical sources that help preserve the knowledge of knitting in the northern regions.

Through her books and booklets, Erika Nordvall Falck has documented traditional patterns, techniques, and stories from the inland of Norrbotten. In her work, Erika recreates historical mittens based on older originals and makes them available to today's knitters through well-crafted knitting patterns. At the same time, she documents the people behind the mittens and tells about their lives, work, and the cultural-historical environment in which the knitting developed.

To understand the history of the mittens in their context, Erika Nordvall Falck also bases her work on interviews with people who have a connection to them. Through conversations with relatives of the knitters, former owners, and other people with knowledge of the mittens, she documents not only patterns and techniques, but also stories about the people, their everyday lives, and the conditions under which the knitting traditions developed.

Knit Mittens with a History

Erika Nordvall Falck's knitting patterns are based on historical originals from Sápmi and northern Sweden. Each pattern combines clear instructions with stories about the people, places, and traditions behind the mittens.

Market Mittens

In the book Marknadsvantar (Market Mittens), Erika Nordvall Falck tells the story of the traditional knitted mittens from the Jokkmokk and Kiruna areas. Through photographs, archive material, and personal stories, she portrays both the mittens and the people who knitted, used, and sold them.

The book is not a pattern book, but a cultural-historical journey through knitting traditions, everyday life, and craftsmanship in Sápmi and northern Sweden. At the same time, it documents an important cultural heritage and highlights the craftspeople whose work has shaped the region's rich mitten traditions.

The Siessá Yarn

In the past, there was a yarn that was very popular among knitters and weavers in northern Sweden and Sápmi. It was a strong, smooth, and durable worsted yarn that was just as suitable for stranded colourwork mittens as for woven belts and shoebands. For many years it was a given material in sloyd (handicraft), but when production ceased more than half a century ago, it gradually disappeared from the market.

Siessá is the yarn that today best corresponds to this historical material. It is a six-ply worsted spun wool yarn that has been developed with inspiration from the yarns used by previous generations of knitters and weavers. The smooth surface makes the patterns stand out clearly, and the carefully selected colors connect to the traditional shades that have long been difficult to find from modern producers. The yarn's high durability makes it particularly well suited for mittens, bands, and other everyday objects intended to be used for a long time.

For those who want to knit or weave with materials that are close to the historical originals, Siessá is a natural choice. In her knitting patterns, Erika Nordvall Falck usually recommends the yarns Siessá or the thinner four-ply Áhkko, as they are closest to the yarns used in the historical mittens she has documented and reconstructed.

A Mitten Collector

Since the age of 15, Erika Nordvall Falck has collected, documented, and reconstructed historical mittens from Sápmi and northern Sweden. Sometimes the work begins with a single mitten found in an old shed or a worn mitten remnant from an outhouse. Other times it is a beautifully knitted festive mitten that has been passed down through generations and whose history still lives on within the family.

Over the years, people from all over the region have turned to Erika with mittens, photographs, and stories that they want to preserve for the future. With the help of interviews, archive studies, and careful reconstructions, she pieces together the story behind each mitten and the people who knitted, used, and saved them.

Today, her collection includes around 200 pairs of mittens and a large number of documented patterns. The collection continues to grow as new discoveries are made and new stories emerge. Through books, knitting patterns, courses, and exhibitions, Erika works to pass this knowledge on to future generations.

The Driving Force Behind the Work

Erika Nordvall Falck's work is driven by a strong conviction that the northern and Sámi knitting tradition deserves a given place in our common cultural history. For many years, she has worked to make visible patterns, techniques, and stories that have long been unknown outside the villages where they were created.

For Erika, the mittens are about more than knitting. They tell about people's lives, work, identity, and belonging. By documenting both the objects and the people behind them, she wants to preserve knowledge that otherwise risks being lost.

An important driving force is also to make the cultural heritage accessible to those who carry it forward.

Erika often describes herself as a link in a long chain of knitters and craftspeople. Her goal is not to own the tradition, but to document, preserve, and pass the knowledge on to future generations.

Films with Erika

Together with Stoorstålka, Erika Nordvall Falck has recorded a series of films in which she talks about historical mittens, knitting traditions, and the people behind the patterns. In the films, you get to follow along as Erika shares her knowledge about the history of the mittens, how different patterns have evolved, and what they can tell us about life in Sápmi and northern Sweden.

Contact Erika Nordvall Falck

Erika Nordvall Falck gives lectures, courses, and workshops on historical mittens, knitting traditions, cultural history, and the reconstruction of older patterns from Sápmi and northern Sweden. With her long experience as an ethnologist, author, and mitten collector, she offers both inspiring stories and in-depth knowledge of the northern knitting heritage.

For booking requests or other questions, you are welcome to contact Erika directly.

Email: nordvallfalck@gmail.com