The Selbu snowflake, or Selburose, is a traditional Norwegian knitting motif featuring an eight-pointed star. Though often interpreted as a snowflake, its original meaning was that of a flower—the Rose of Selbu. This timeless design is a hallmark of Norwegian knitting and is most famously seen on Selbu mittens, as well as hats, scarves, and headbands.

Originating in the small town of Selbu, the pattern became deeply tied to the local economy, providing generations of women with economic independence through home knitting. The innovation is credited to Marit Guldsetbrua Emstad, a young knitter from Selbu who, as a teenager in the 1890s, created the first pair of high-contrast, two-colored mittens. Her design quickly became a national symbol of craftsmanship and identity. Today, Emstad is remembered as the mother of Selbu-style knitting, and the Selbu snowflake remains one of Norway’s most beloved and enduring textile motifs.

As someone with Norwegian heritage, I’ve always felt a special connection to this iconic pattern. Ever since I took up stranded colorwork, I knew I would have to knit the famous Selbu design—and now I have two sweaters to share!

The first is Starry Starry Night, knit in fingering-weight yarn. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the pattern, as I found it challenging to achieve a good fit. I started it several years ago, set it aside for more than a year, and only recently decided it was time to either finish or frog. Finish won! I’m so glad I pushed through—it turned out beautifully. The yarn was lovely to work with, and I would definitely use it again, though the pattern required quite a bit of size adaptation (stitch count adjustments across the yoke, arm depth and neck) and might not suit a knitter who isn’t comfortable making those adjustments in colorwork. I’ll be wearing this one from November through February, as the colors don’t particularly shout Christmas.

• Starry Starry Night pattern by Beth MacDonald
• My Ravelry project page
• Knitting For Olive Merino
• The link above is for the shop in Denmark, but this yarn is sold throughout the USA.

The second sweater, Nordic Snowflake, combines a traditional high contrast Selbu pattern with a modern placement of colorwork lower across the shoulders. Knit in dk-weight yarn, the pattern was exceptionally well written, and I enjoyed every stitch. It's perfectly cozy to wear and I can’t wait for December, because I know I’ll be wearing this one nonstop!