~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What is this? This is a complete pattern for the suspenders to the male folk costume of Karleby/Öja in Finland. The design is traditional, dating back to around 1870, and there is no copyright to the pattern. The reason as to why I’ve stated myself as the designer, is that I cannot share the diagrams and instructions without signing them with my own name. But I am also sharing my own analyses, experiences and tips on the design.

The motifs: The central ribbon is decorated with roses (or cloudberries?), while the long ribbon are decorated with birds. My guess is that the birds may be sky larks (the bird of the county).

Since Karleby had a big harbour and was a rich town, they early got aniline colours from Germany (my guess is that the first colours of this type became available around 1850). All sorts of strong colours quickly became popular, so it is quite OK to use strong colours for this pattern.

Instructions: All ribbons are made in tapestry crochet in the round, and cut afterwards. It is a bit tricky to crochet with a hook that is half the smallest suggested size for the yarn, so you may have to practise a bit.

The gauge is supposed to be between 48 sts x 41 rows and 50 sts x 43 rows = 10 x 10 cm. Make a test swatch and the shorter ribbons first, so that you can accurately measure your gauge before making the long ribbons!

I estimate that it takes around 150 hours to crochet, add lining and decorate a pair of suspenders with the length 120 cm (XL).

Technical tip: The slow and careful turtle wins against the hasty hare. Trying to crochet these suspenders quickly, forcing the hook through stitches, only causes problems, ugly stitches and aching hands. Working soft and slowly causes less problems and is actually quicker!

The fringe is a so called “kvalfrans” (a Swedish word for this type of crocheted fringe, see my pattern “Nordic Folkloric Crocheted Fringe”).

As a final touch, I suggest you sew a simple leather rhomboid to hold the ribbons together on the back side.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~