The Amazing History of Knitted Hosiery in the Faroe Islands
Knitting is a cornerstone of Faroese culture; sheep and wool have been central to the islands’ traditions and identity. An old Faroese adage says, “Wool is Faroe gold,” and even a cursory glance at Faroese history confirms this. The export of wool and knitted garments was once the backbone of the economy. Although fewer than 5,000 people lived on the islands during the 17th and 18th centuries, annual exports of knitted woolen stockings numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Given the harsh weather, people also knit woolen garments for their own survival.
Knitting, as we know it today, was practiced in the Faroe Islands as early as the 16th century. The earliest written references cite the value of stockings as a primary export. Prices were fixed during a parliamentary session in 1584, where “moorit” (brown) stockings fetched five hides, while white stockings were worth four.
Account books from the 16th and 17th centuries show records of rent payments from copyholders, with white stockings regularly listed as a form of currency.
The export of woolen stockings was critical to the Faroese economy in the Middle Ages. After the Scottish spinning wheel was introduced in the late 17th century, the new technique boosted production and soon overtook vadmal (woven cloth) as the primary export. This shift also led to social reform; while not everyone had the equipment or space for weaving, anyone who could obtain wool could knit stockings to sell.
Unfortunately, this efficiency led to oversupply. By 1683, it was estimated that it would take three years to sell a single year’s supply. Prices tumbled, and piles of unsold stockings grew in Copenhagen storehouses. Moths eventually infested the stock, and in the first half of the 18th century, 177,000 pairs had to be destroyed.
Despite this, production continued, and stockings remained the Faroes’ main export throughout the 18th century. By 1770, over 100,000 pairs were sold annually, accounting for roughly 98% of all exports. These were popular across Northern Europe, particularly for use in military and naval uniforms.
The demand for income led to an increase in people traveling between villages to beg for wool. To combat this, authorities enacted a new law on bonded labor known as Trælalógin (The Bondage Act). It stipulated that the working class and the poor were duty-bound to work on farms; those who failed to do so were punished.
The law was later altered to bar landless couples from marrying until they had served on a farm for four years. While authorities claimed this was necessary to curb poverty and maintain the land, many bonded laborers were actually ordered to knit because it was so profitable for the landowners.
Stocking production fell in the 19th century as the market shifted toward sweaters. By the late 1800s, only a few hundred pairs of stockings were exported annually. However, knitting did not stop. As the economy transitioned from farming to industrial fisheries in the 1880s, the booming population of seafarers required multiple sets of durable work clothes for their expeditions.
Why were Faroese stockings so popular?
The wool from Faroese sheep consists of two layers: a soft, smooth underwool that provides warmth, and an outer coat of long, coarse fibers that protect the sheep from rain and wind. By mixing these fibers, the Faroese created garments that were both exceptionally warm and incredibly long-lasting.