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. 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. 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. 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. 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). The Blåne is especially lovely, and while it reminds me of Alafoss Lopi, it’s a loftier, smoother yarn with more luster. 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”). 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! 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.