Artist Lavold at Ager House exhibit, 2004

View photos of Knitting Along the Viking Trail exhibit:

Dragon motif sweater
Assorted sweaters
woven motif
fighting bear motif
knitting hands, detail

The knitting designs created by fabric artist Elsebeth Lavold drew large numbers of people to the Ager house. A total of 521 people came to the house to see, smell, touch, and marvel at the technical quality and the historical references used by Ms Lavold in her designs.

Many people worked to make the exhibit a success. Dixie Gilley of Yellow Dog Knitting and Mary Jorgensen were among the key organizers. Ken Ziehr and Helen Wurtzel provided the leadership for the Ager Association. Ev Krigsvald organized the reception food, Avyril and Bob Osterhus recruited and scheduled the docents, Rod Johnson and Norb Wurtzel transported the exhibit back and forth to the Swedish Institute. Claire Chitko provided lodging at the White House Motel, and Dawn Bergstrom provided promotion and gifts. Beth Ager provided information and publicity on the agerhouse web page. Many others provided food or worked as docents.

In addition to the exhibit, the series of programs included two by Ager Association members, Kristin Risley and Heather Muir. Heather spoke about the "Viking ship as a Source of National Identity," and Kristin presented a program on "Iconography in Folk Arts and Literature." The exhibit and these programs were supported by a private grant and by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council. The Ager Board would like to sponsor similar exhibits in the future. Please let us know if you have a suggestion.

Updated November 2004

Knitting Along the Viking Trail, Minneapolis, 2003

Knitting Along the Viking Trail is an exhibit that will captivate anyone interested in Viking history, art or design. Elsebeth Lavold, of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish ancestry, currently living in Sweden, is the artist and designer. She will be at the Waldemar Ager House, 514 West Madison Street, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (get map here 92 kb), on August 27 to open a month-long exhibit of her knitwear, inspired by Viking jewelry, gravestones, rock carvings and runic inscriptions.

Lavold has shown this exhibit at the Sigtuna Museum, Sweden, Gothenburg City Museum, Gustavianum Museum in Uppsala as well as the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She comes to the Eau Claire exhibit from Stitches Midwest 2004 in Chicago, Illinois, where she taught and lectured.

August 27 & 28 events with Elsebeth Lavold

Knit cap modeled on Viking bowl

The exhibit, shown at the home of Norwegian author and newspaper publisher Waldemar Ager, begins with a reception featuring the artist herself, on August 27, from 7:00 to 8:30, p.m.

On August 28, Lavold will conduct two workshops in conjunction with Yellow Dog Knitting of Eau Claire. Please call (715) 839-7272 for information.

September 1, 15 and 22. A three-night class taught by Mary Jorgensen, an avid local knitter. The class will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ager House.

Passport Pocket--What more could a knitter ask for? Knitted cables create splendid eye-appeal, and they're as easy as pie! In this introduction to knitted cables, you'll learn the simple trick to forming cables, the difference between a cable and a traveling stitch, and how to read a knitting chart. By the end of the three-session class, you will have made a nifty cotton Passport Pocket which Viking Leif Erickson would surely have appreciated for his travels. (You only need to know knitting basics: how to knit, purl and cast on and off)

Call Yellow Dog Knitting at (715) 839-7272 for registration and supply list.

September 19, Dr. Heather Muir, U. W. Eau Claire, Viking Ships as a Source of Identity at 2:00 p.m. at the L. E. Phillips Senior Center, 1616 Bellinger Street, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Following the talk, there will be a tour of the exhibit at the Ager House.

September 26, Dr. Kristin Risley, U. W. Stout, Folk Arts in Scandinavian Literature at 2:00 p.m. at the L. E. Phillips Senior Center, 1616 Bellinger Street, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Following the talk, there will be a tour of the exhibit at the Ager House.

The Waldemar Ager Association, the Wisconsin Humanities Council, Yellow Dog Knitting and an anonymous donor sponsor this exhibit.

Tim Hirsch
Telephone: (715) 832-0410
E-mail: hirschtj@uwec.edu.

Ken Ziehr
Telephone: (715) 832-0956
E-mail: kenziehr@charter.net.