Quick show of hands: when it comes to blogs, who here reads mostly travel blogs?
I feel like my hand should definitely be up right now, but the truth is I’m more of a lifestyle and fashion blog reader. In fact I like to think that in another life I could have been a fashion blogger. Like, if I could do something about the fear that takes over my eyes when a camera is pointed at me.
And sometimes I even tag the brands I’m wearing in Instagram photos, you know, just in case anyone cares. No one ever cares.
Until winter comes around! And then my inbox is full of messages asking me where I bought that Nordic sweater. Have I mentioned winter is my favorite season?
I mean, not because people like my sweaters, but actually sort of because of the sweaters. I just really love a wool sweater. Like I’ve dedicated three full shelves of my precious closet space to wool. That’s okay, right – considering I live in Norway?
And if you don’t love wool, um this blog post might not be for you. I get that some people just can’t wear wool (but even with a soft cashmere sweater as a base layer??), but all of the sweaters I’m talking about today are 100% wool. Norway gets cold!
Dale of Norway
If you want a traditional Norwegian sweater, Amazon carries Dale of Norway sweaters here, or you can find them on Zappos here.
Dale of Norway has been making sweaters for over 140 years, and all their sweaters are designed and knitted in Norway, so this is about as authentic a Norwegian wool sweater as you can get. I love their traditional patterns, but they have some new modern designs as well. I have four Dale of Norway sweaters and the quality really can’t be beat.
They’re certainly not cheap, but I promise they will last you for years and years. I’ve had a couple of mine for over ten years and they still feel like new.
Wearing my new favorite, the Vilja Sweater
I’m wearing the lightweight Vågsøy sweater here. I also love this similar Cortina sweater in a heavier wool.
I’m wearing the Falkeberg sweater (men’s version here)
Kari Traa
Nordic sweaters are usually super thick and thus incredibly warm, which is great when you’re in the Nordics, but sometimes a bit much when you’re not. But if you still want that Nordic style with something thinner, look no further than Kari Traa!
Norwegians are big fans of wool, and the most popular wool under layers in Norway are made by Kari Traa. The patterns are very cute, and very Norwegian, and if you are in the mountains in Norway you’ll probably notice that most Norwegian women are wearing these shirts and leggings. I would even venture to say that wearing a Kari Traa top is even more (or at least equally) Norwegian as a Norwegian sweater.
You can buy Kari Traa merino wool on Zappos here and on Amazon here. It’s quite expensive but excellent quality – I’ve had my Kari Traa wool tops and leggings for years and they’re still in great condition.
Ebay
Okay so Ebay is obviously a great place to find cool vintage wool sweaters, but if you type in “Nordic wool sweater” a whole lot of sweaters are going to pop up.
So let me tell you a secret: some of my “Nordic” sweaters are actually totally American. Ralph Lauren, to be specific.
Apparently at some point Ralph Lauren was all about the Nordic/Fair Isle sweaters, so if you search for “Ralph Lauren nordic wool sweater” you might just find some gems. You might actually find a few too many gems and end up ordering a closet full of old Ralph Lauren sweaters:
And when you’re done searching for Nordic sweaters, look up “Ralph Lauren ski sweater.” That’s how I found this sweater, which is one of my very, very favorites:
Devold of Norway
Devold have the most beautiful Norwegian sweaters, ranging from traditional patters that they’ve been producing for decades, to modern styles and designs. I have to stop myself from buying all of their sweaters.
The only downside is that I’m not sure you can buy Devold outside of Norway. So maybe you’ll have to wait until you visit? Most sports shops carry their sweaters, and you can check out their Instagram here.
Mads Nørgaard
I really wish I had more Norwegian brands to recommend, but this last one is at least close – it’s Danish. I mean, at least it’s not Swedish! Though come to think of it, my winter parka and hat are both Swedish, I’m such a bad Norwegian “Norwegian.”
Funny story with this sweater:
I first came across this sweater as a college student and I wanted it so badly, but I couldn’t possibly spend over $100 on an item of clothing on my student budget. And then when I was working at the supermarket in Rauland I saw a girl wearing this same sweater, which I remembered from the red stripe on the bottom. Unfortunately that’s all I remembered about it, and I was too shy to ask the girl where she had bought it from.
I was really mad at myself for the rest of the week, wishing I had just asked her, but then she showed up in the shop wearing the sweater again! And she was so pleased when I asked her about it – I mean, who doesn’t like to be complimented on their clothing? Ahh sometimes I’m shy in the dumbest ways.
Anyways, Mads Nørgaard is all about slow, sustainable fashion – I mean, they still make the same sweater they were making back when I was in college, which was a long time ago.
If you’re in Europe you can order directly from their website or if you don’t want to pay customs, I ordered mine from Zalando. And I’m not sure about the US, but I know that at least ASOS carries Mads Nørgaard.
And since I’m a grown up now I splurged on a second Mads Nørgaard sweater as well. This one has that lovely sheep smell that I always take as a sign of a good wool sweater (though those close to me do not always agree).
And that’s it! If you have any more tips for places to buy wool sweaters, ugh please don’t let me know, my closet is full enough.
Ragnhild says
I’m a total fan of wool sweaters too, haha 🙂 I think Devold’s sweaters are perfect to add to this list. Like the “Svalbard sweater” in example.
Silvia says
I was actually thinking of adding Devold to the list! But I don’t actually have any of their sweaters, haha. Maybe I should get one. In the name of blog research.
Norse Van says
Super Sweaters. Even though I grew up in a Dutch community, I remember seeing many patterns from the North. I now live in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. Again I want to say i love Nordic Wool Sweaters.
Arielle says
I need more wool sweaters! I thought where I live in China would be warmer than Northern Europe but it’s so damp, it feels so much colder!
Silvia says
I remember being super unprepared for how cold Western China was! Definitely time to get some wool, haha.
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Jess says
Haha, I’m so jealous of your woolly jumpers!
I’ve been living in Vietnam for about 6 months and I’m loving it, but as it’s got closer to Christmas I’ve been craving the cosiness of a Scottish winter.
This will be my first Christmas away from home & my first year ever of no winter. 😢❄️🌧️
Dianna says
Commenting on a several months-old post, ha, but I want to say thank you for extolling the virtues of wool! I’m a knitter (and I actually write patterns for sweaters) and I finally knit my husband a wool sweater this past winter and he was like, “I can’t believe how warm this is.” I have a huge love for Norwegian wool and if you want another recommendation to pass on to folks, I’d point them at Rauma Collection: https://www.raumagarn.no/produkter/rauma-collection The pieces are made in Norway from Norwegian wool, so it’s supporting the Norwegian wool industry in a couple of ways. I don’t think they’re easy to get from abroad but since Husfliden carries them it’s a good tip for people traveling to Norway and wanting to buy something truly Norwegian! I almost never recommend Dale, since they don’t even produce Norwegian wool anymore – they’ve done so much outsourcing that I’ll give my money to Rauma over them every time.
Padi Phillips says
I have one Norwegian sweater that is now over 45 years old. It’s one my mother knitted for my father when they were still together and was made using knitting pattern in a book my mother bought when we lived in Norway during the mid 1960s.
It came into my possession a couple of years ago after my father died, but I was fortunate to get it as my sisters had put it in a bag with lots of other clothing that was going to charity shops – lucky I asked them about it!
Even though this sweater is over 45 years old, it is pure wool, (but I suspect that it’s made with wool imported from Australia rather than Norwegian, or even Welsh wool) and heavyweight. I take good care of it, ensuring that the moths are not allowed anywhere it!
My mother knitted me a sweater using a similar, (or maybe even the same) pattern some 30 years ago, but unfortunately used acrylic yarn, which soon loses its shape and is in (too many) ways a much inferior material. Sadly I that sweater, and another one made with a different Nordic pattern I had to throw away due to their having gone so terribly out of shape, one being so much a favourite of mine that the sleeves had stretched to about half as long as original. If they had been made with real wool I’d doubtless still have them both now.
Cat says
I love Dale of Norway! Devold looks nice but at this moment they don’t ship to Canada .. I just found out about another company (yeah, I love sweaters) called Arctic Circle, but unfortunately I can’t find their website. Googling their name returns only travel companies…
Would you happen to know about Arctic Circle? Any chance to know what they’re website is?
Tusen takk!
Cliff says
Frida Karlssoooooon ! ! ! (Thanks for the sweater info though.)