Sámi bandweaving book: Ave, bátte ja vuoddaga

Ave, bátte ja vuoddaga: Band från lulesamiska område
[Belt, Band, and Shoeband: Bands from the Lule Sámi Region]

Published by the Sámi Handicraft Foundation

Ave, bátte ja vuoddaga [Belt, Band, and Shoeband] contains patterns for bands in an array of striking color combinations and patterns, all organized by use—from belts to shoes. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Sámi bands and techniques, including general weaving instructions and photos of traditional Sámi band accoutrement (buckles, equipment, finishing notions). It contains a broad mix of patterns: plain weave, pick-up (simple and complex), and finger weaving. Of the Sámi bandweaving books I offer, this one includes the most finger weaving patterns (11 total) along with basic instructions.

This is one of three Sámi bandweaving books I carry. All the way from Jokka, Sweden, these Sámi produced books offer a smorgåsbord of bandweaving patterns. The journey was long (by way of a Swedish train, a Dutch bike, a Danish plane, and maybe a reindeer or two) so you can marvel at the rich cultural tradition of Sámi bandweaving. This is a rare opportunity to grab a copy of a small second-printing of these long out-of-print books. My gratitude to Juhán at the Sámi Handicraft Foundation for helping me acquire a few copies to share with you. Text in Swedish but the patterns are visual. I include a basic glossary (e.g., colors, “pattern threads,” “ground threads”). I also recommend the free translation program DeepL.

Softback
73 pages
ISBN 91-631-0498-9

You can weave Sámi pick-up bands with a regular rigid heddle or on a band loom, but I highly recommend Stoorstålka’s pattern heddles. The Sigga heddle is especially helpful when weaving designs with groups of pattern threads that move, or “jump,” together. Along with yarn and other weaving supplies, Stoorstålka also sells excellent instructional kits with accompanying YouTube videos. They ship to the US.