Move over, Vikings. Sweden鈥檚 new seafaring heroes are knitting grannies.
| Visby, Sweden
History is unavoidable on the Swedish island of Gotland, where the medieval walls of its capital, Visby, still stand. So it made sense that on Nov. 9, Allm盲nna S氓ngen Visby, a local choir, celebrated a daunting sea voyage launched on that very day 200 years ago. 鈥淪amma Ull鈥� (鈥淲e Are All Made of the Same Wool鈥�) is a choir drama about knitters who sailed across the Baltic Sea to Stockholm, and how their courage and seaworthiness were tested. That鈥檚 right, knitters.
Gotland was known for its abundant wool and talented craftswomen. Two hundred years ago, there was no fast fashion. Knitters were as important as wool. They even had a name: 迟谤枚箩办盲濒濒颈苍驳补谤, or 鈥渟weater dears.鈥� In fall, they sailed to Stockholm to sell their wares, bringing home cash and supplies in time for Christmas.聽
But in 1824, some sweater dears were lost at sea. Eva Sj枚strand wrote 鈥淪amma Ull鈥� about them. She first found their story on two pages of a commemorative 1924 book by Nils Lithberg, a professor in Stockholm鈥檚 Nordic Museum. She was captivated.聽
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onWhat better way to tell a true holiday story than with singing 鈥� and knitting? In Sweden, an island choir comes together to celebrate community.
After further research and writing, and plenty of rehearsals, she now sings the part of Briten Granquist, who knitted 777 sweaters, hired a boat, and gathered sweater dears to join her.聽
As Ms. Sj枚strand began the project, Mats Hallberg, the conductor of the choir, said, 鈥淎re you crazy? Shall we sing about some old ladies going to Stockholm selling cardigans? What is this for a story?鈥�
But Ms. Sj枚strand says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic story. You can place everything in it鈥�: the doughty Gotlandic community; knitters who made more money than their husbands; the spirit that sent them onto the Baltic in cold winds and scant daylight. Most of all, it鈥檚 a fantastic story because they survived. Their boat was blown off course to Estonia, where they waited for wind. Families rejoiced on Christmas Eve, when mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and a fianc茅e they had mourned as lost sailed home.
In 75 minutes 鈥� in fluting, soaring voices, to music by Jan Ekedahl 鈥� 35 singers carry us to Stockholm and back. This choir doesn鈥檛 stand on risers. Under direction by Karin Kickan Holmberg, they sing about herding sheep, and then become them 鈥� circling, bent over, soprano voices suddenly baaing. In storms, everyone leans dramatically to one side 鈥� or over the rail. Also, they knit. They knit while singing, selling sweaters, or lurching onboard. 鈥淢ost of us knit鈥� anyway, one singer comments after the show. Two women singing the parts of Anna and Magdalena Norrby knit both ends of the same scarf. It brings out Ms. Sj枚strand鈥檚 theme for the choir drama. 鈥淚 say it in my songs: We exist for each other.鈥�
The song 鈥淪amma Ull,鈥� declares, 鈥淩egardless whom I meet in life, we are of the same wool 鈥� we are all the same.鈥� So many hands knitting create a sense of calm, steady progress. Clicking needles even serve as percussion. Is it difficult for the actors to knit and sing at the same time? 鈥淚t calms you down when you鈥檙e waiting behind the curtains,鈥� says Eva Flemming, who by day works for a Swedish partnership with Tanzania.
Choir members have been preparing for 鈥淪amma Ull鈥� for months. 鈥淵ou go to rehearsal on Monday so tired, but afterwards, you鈥檙e dancing down the street to your car,鈥� says Bengt-Olaf Grahn, an environmental engineer. Anna Jutehammar agrees. 鈥淚t gives as much energy as it takes.鈥� She treasures 鈥渂eing warm together and the equality in these dark times.鈥� She is a journalist with Swedish Radio. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a small island and everyone knows who you are but as a choir member it doesn鈥檛 matter what you do.鈥�
鈥淐hoir singing is the most peaceful thing you can do,鈥� Ms. Sj枚strand says. 鈥淵ou have to cooperate. If you are angry and having a fight, you can鈥檛 do anything good. You have to accept that people are different.鈥� She has been a choir member since 1980. There are 11 choirs in Visby, and 30 choirs in all on Gotland, according to Camilla Ahlberg, vice chair of the island鈥檚 choir association, Gotlands K枚rf枚rbund. One member remarks, 鈥淚 want to live in the choir.鈥�
Professor Lithberg鈥檚 two-page account noted only a few passengers on the ship, named The Three Brothers. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to tell fantasy stories, so I had to find characters to fill the boat,鈥� who would have lived at that time, Ms. Sj枚strand says.
Having written 23 books about Gotland, she was no stranger to historical research. And 34 years working at Swedish Radio gave her a reporter鈥檚 investigative chops. She found likely passengers in small-town parish records. Two formidable women 鈥� Briten and Cajsen, played by actor Lena Bogeg氓rd 鈥� in 19th-century garb and headscarves, with knitting needles clicking, welcome the audience. Both were real people. Briten was the champion knitter. Cajsen was the strongest woman on Gotland. She could carry four buckets of water, two yoked on her shoulders and one in each hand.
Parish records noted a young woman named Maria who donated 24 shillings to the church in Oj盲, also on Gotland, after a trip to Stockholm. 鈥淎nd then I got it!鈥� Ms. Sj枚strand snaps her fingers. 鈥淚 got a bride.鈥� In 鈥淪amma Ull,鈥� Maria misses her Nov. 25 wedding date when The Three Brothers is becalmed in Estonia. She sings, 鈥淲hen I close my eyes, I can see my home, paths on the moor, the beach, stones, water, waves, and wind. I can see my longing.鈥� Meanwhile, passengers ponder how to get the wind to blow. Maria vows to offer her shillings at church. Others pony up a silver coin for Visby Cathedral and a carved boat. The wind picks up.
Ms. Sj枚strand also researched handwritten notes by historian Pehr S盲ve, who interviewed Briten and another 迟谤枚箩办盲濒濒颈苍驳 in 1860. An account of a grieving mother whose daughter arrived on Christmas Eve to say 鈥淚鈥檓 alive鈥� became a scene.
When the choir drama was first coming together in 2019, she saw a problem. One character, Maria鈥檚 fianc茅, Olof, stayed in Gotland. 鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 afford having a good tenor sitting idle, so the singer had to play another role.鈥� Ms. Sj枚strand explains.聽
She searched for a family with a second son. A first son wouldn鈥檛 go to sea; he needed to survive to inherit the farm. She found Peter Jacob J枚nsonn. She told the Olof of the 2019 cast that Peter was his other, onboard character. He replied, 鈥淲ell, that鈥檚 good; he is my grandfather鈥檚 grandfather鈥檚 brother.鈥�
She found a distant relative of her own who was a seaman at the time. He鈥檚 played by Mr. Grahn, the environmental engineer. The singers who now play Maria and Olof had seen the earlier version in 2019 on their first date. Commenting on all the coincidences, she says, 鈥淪omeone out there is knitting for us.鈥�
In the end, the ship returns. Maria and Olof are reunited. There鈥檚 Christmas rejoicing. The choir sings 鈥淪amma Ull,鈥� walking forward to surround the audience members, who are tearing up. After applause and encores, it seems like every singer is being hugged. They are the audience鈥檚 neighbors, children, and co-workers. It鈥檚 a community affair, and it鈥檚 a community that also includes those who, 200 years ago, set out on the Baltic Sea with a lot of sweaters to sell.
