Fiskur - English Knitting Pattern

Fiskur was the name of a fishing boat that once belonged to my husband, Rune, a 33-foot fishing vessel based on Magerøya in Nordkapp. This is where I grew up, in the small fishing village of Gjesvær, almost as far north as you can travel by land in Norway.

Growing up, the sea and fishing were a natural part of everyday life. Our fathers were out at sea, while mothers and grandmothers baited the longlines in the fishing sheds. For us children, the drying racks became playgrounds, and during summer, reindeer grazed between the houses.

But life in a small coastal community was not always idyllic. The sea provided a livelihood, but it could also take lives, and many families experienced fathers, brothers and sons who never returned home.

I wanted to bring all of this into the design of Fiskur. The sweater is a tribute to the coastal community, the fishing boat and the coastal fisherman.