“Ebony and ivory” wrote Paul McCartney, and sang a duet with Stevie Wonder about black and white keys side by side on the piano “…in perfect harmony.”
Sheep white and sheep black were the yarn colours they had the easiest access to back in the day. Other colours required considerably more work.
The first selbu garments in black and white were supposed to have been delivered to Husfliden in Trondheim for resale in 1897. The monochrome mittens quickly gained popularity. They became a permanent accessory to sports outfits, especially ski equipment, but you could also see them on the main street of Oslo, Karl Johan. Abroad they also wanted Norwegian knitwear. Hand-knitted mittens and gloves with selbu pattern are among the best sellers at craftwork outlets around the country.
Knitting contributed to a valuable income in Selbu during the interwar period. Men and young boys knitted and it was common to knit while you were walking along the roads. If you were good, you could knit a pair of mittens in a day. The best make two pairs. The high demand led to poor quality of the products. The knitters switched to coarser yarn and thicker needles to comply with the volume of orders. The merchants therefore demanded better quality and a standardization of the gloves and mittens. Labelling and inspections of the products were introduced in 1934, and still the knitwear from Selbu is labelled with a special seal.