Jewelry of hair made in Sweden
When we travelled in Sweden about 25 years ago, we visited the Vämhus in Mora in the province of Dalarna. This is a centre forarts and crafts in that region. I was looking for bobbin lace and was curious if it was still made in that area.
Allthough it looked a lot like bobbin lace making, we found something quite different. Jewels of hair were made on something which looked like a pillow of wood with a hole in the middle.
The jewels were made of horsehair and especially the hairs from the tail. These are long, but sturdy and curly. To keep the hairs smooth little weights were hung on the hairs. To keep the work smooth a weight was also hung on to it. The way of working was as follows: with 2 pairs a whole stitch and twist was made, then a new pair was token from the right and again a whole stitch and twist was made. This way was continued around and around. The result is a cord, that can be laid in several forms. From the cord necklaces, broches and pendants are made, visible in the show-case behing the worker.
