Hillesvåg blåne lanka

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The Blåne is especially lovely, and while it reminds me of Alafoss Lopi, it’s a loftier, smoother yarn with more luster. It’s a longwool, very similar to pure Gotland (with the same natural grey shade, seen above second from left) but with a bit more luster. It has been in the same family for 4 generations and is one of Norway’s most long-established yarn producers.

Being a cross between two northern European heritage breeds, the wool from the pelssau is similar to other northern European wools you may have worked with, like Lopi or Shetland. The Spælsau breed in turn is a descendant of the Old Norwegian Gammel Norsk Spælsau - this ancient breed is the sheep which the Norsemen carried with them when they travelled across Northern Europe and is the ancestor of several of our modern island breeds, including the Icelandic, Faroese and in part also the Shetland and other Scottish breeds.

The historic mill is now a working museum, part of the European Économusée network, an organisation which aims to preserve and showcase traditional crafts and knowhow – some of the machines still in use at the mill are over 100 years old. I’m particularly fond of Hillesvåg’s yarns made from this wool, and I’ve actually mentioned it on the blog before:

The green hat is worked up in Hifa Pelsull, the sport weight version, and the pink hat is Hifa Blåne, a bulky weight version of the same wool (for those curious, the patterns are Middle Fork by Veronika Jobe and Capstan by Norah Gaughan).

Take a peek at the behind-the-scenes of the mill:

If you find yourself in Bergen, you can visit the mill on the Osterfjord, and be sure to also check out the Norsk Trikotasjemuseum (aka the Norwegian Knitting Industry Museum) while you’re in the area.

I’m not sure if Hillesvåg has distributors in North America or the UK, but if you know of any please let me know and I’ll update this post with links!

Update: Ysolda and Knit With Attitude are both UK shops that now carry some Hillesvåg yarns.

If you missed the first post in this series, you can read about Rauma Garn here.

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The names of Hillesvåg’s wool yarns are tied to Norwegian folklore and countryside history: the core line includes names like Trollgarn (“troll yarn”), sock yarns Fjell, Fjord, and Bonde (“mountain,” “fjord,” and “farmer”), Ask (“ash,” with askeladden or “the ash lad” being a central character in many Norwegian folktales), and Alv (“elf”).

Founded in 1898, Hillesvåg’s mill is located about a half hour outside Bergen, and it’s part of the économusée network which means that the mill is open the public and you can go visit.

Their wool yarns are made from Norwegian wool – primarily the norsk kvit sau (Norwegian white sheep), which is the most dominant breed among sheep in Norway, but several of their yarn lines are made of wool from the pelssau, a cross between a Gotland and the Norwegian heritage breed spælsau.

Blåne describes the subtle blue shades of layers of mountains in the distance, and I’m dying to knit something with Huldra, a light fingering/heavy lace yarn named for a forest spirit in Scandinavian folklore.

As with the Rauma post, I have a video to share about Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk – and this time, with subtitles in English!

As Norway and its sheep are the common link between so many of these islands, we feel that it is only right that this beautiful country and its yarns are represented in our shop.

  • Blåne pelsullgarn, lys koksgrå

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, blågrå

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, cognac

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, beige

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, lys brun

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, burgunder

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, støvet ismint

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, marineblå

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, ren grønn

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, rød

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, petrol

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, turkis

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, lime

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, naturgrå

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, oker

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, svart

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, olivengrønn

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, gråfiolett

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, lys dongeriblå

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, mørk rosa

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, mørk brun

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, rosa

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, rødgul

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  • Blåne pelsullgarn, gul

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    • Paper Tiger

    I’m getting around to this second post in my new Norwegian wool series a bit later than originally planned (thanks, finals), but I’m happy to finally be sitting down today with a cup of coffee to write about what might be my favorite Norwegian yarn company/mill, Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

    This is a cross between the Gotland sheep (which originates from the Swedish island of Gotland) and the Norwegian heritage breed Spælsau. The mill itself is not on an island, however it lies on the shores of the Oster fjord, just 35km north of Bergen, on the edge of the Bergen archipelago and several of the farms which provide wool for Hillesvåg’s yarns are situated on the islands.

    The Norsk Pellsullgarn range, which includes the yarns Solje, Tinde and Varde, is spun from the fleeces of the Norwegian pelssau breed.

    hillesvåg blåne lanka

    Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk

    Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk is a family owned mill founded in 1898.