Setesdal Knitted Christmas Sweater: The Norwegian Lusekofte
The Owl has been sitting on this one since March.
Our Head of Knitwear decides what gets knitted around here, and she does it slowly, wearing her glasses, halfway through something she will not show you. She brought Setesdal to the table in a folder. An actual folder. Nobody else here has ever used a folder.
Setesdal is the Norwegian lusekofte, black and white and grey, with one line of red running through it like a rumour. Everyone else at the party is wearing a reindeer with a flashing nose. You are wearing two hundred years of Scandinavian knitting tradition. Nobody knows what to do with you. The Owl considers this the correct outcome.
The Owl explains herself
The lusekofte comes from the Setesdal valley in southern Norway and has been knitted since the 1800s. The name means “louse jacket”, after the little white flecks scattered on the black ground. The flecks are the lice. The Norwegians named their finest knitwear after a parasite and then wore it to weddings for two hundred years, which the Owl regards as the single most respectable thing any nation has ever done.
We kept the grammar: speckled body, dense patterned yoke, geometric bands at the cuffs and hem. We added one line of crimson where the eye lands. It is the smallest amount of Christmas a sweater can contain and still count.
The Owl was asked whether she wanted more red. She said no. She was asked again the following week. She said no. There is no third account of this conversation because nobody went back.
The Ugly Rating: 2 out of 10
This is the lowest score we have ever given a sweater, and it is a problem, because the site is called UglySweaters.com and this thing is beautiful.
The Chief Festivity Officer, a capybara, reviewed it from a hot spring. He rated the ugliness 2 and the strategy 10 and went back to his tangerine. He is the only one who saw immediately what it was for.
Because there is a party you have been to. The invitation said ugly sweater. The venue has a coat check. Your boss is going. The photographs are going on LinkedIn. Setesdal is the sweater that obeys the letter of that dress code and quietly breaks the spirit of it, and you will be the best dressed person in a room that was trying very hard to look bad.
What the rest of them made of it
We put it in front of the whole leadership team, because we do that, and because the Owl wanted an audience.
Sitting Duck, Head of Quality Control
Sat very still. Looked at it for a long time. Said nothing. Then said nothing again, at greater length. Signed off. This is the highest praise the Duck has ever given anything, and the Owl has not stopped mentioning it.
Cool Cat, Head of Morale
Objected on the grounds that it does not light up, make a noise, or contain a single pom-pom. Wore it to the office party anyway. Was photographed more than anyone else. Has not conceded the point and does not intend to.
Deer, Head of Illuminations
Asked whether we could put lights on it. We said no. He asked whether we could put a small number of lights on it. We said no. He is still holding the fairy lights and looking at the sleeves.
Bull, Head of Careful Handling
Approved it immediately, on the grounds that black hides absolutely everything, which is the only opinion the Bull has ever expressed about clothing and, in fairness, a good one.
Dressed for it? Our own designs are in the shop.
Every form Setesdal comes as
Five, all knitted rather than printed, so the pattern is made of stitches and not ink.
The knitted crew, $149
The full lusekofte. Real jacquard through our custom knit program, two colours per row, speckled body, patterned yoke, ribbing at collar, cuffs and hem. Unisex classic fit, 3XS to 3XL, one price at every size. About two weeks on the needles, because it does not exist until you order it.
The knitted vest, $119
The same chart, sleeves removed. Buy this one if you run hot, if you want the pattern over a shirt, or if you have ever described a room as stuffy. The Owl prefers it. She has not said why.
The knitted pet sweater, $75
Same pattern, same yarns, resized for a dog. The smaller sizes fit a cat, in the narrow sense that they physically fit a cat. What happens next is between you and the cat.
The you-and-your-dog matching set, $199
One for you, one for the dog, $199 together against $224 apart. This is the most photographed thing we sell. Two creatures in matching Norwegian heritage knitwear is roughly four times funnier than one, and the dog has no idea, which is the whole joke.
The couples matching set, $279
Two crews, one pattern, $279 together against $298 apart. Matching without the matching personalities. Order two different sizes, the set expects it.
Wearing it without looking like an exhibit
Plain trousers, plain boots, nothing else patterned anywhere. The usual mistake with heritage knitwear is adding a second traditional thing, at which point you stop reading as a person at a party and start reading as a museum.
It runs true to size, unisex classic. Between sizes, or after the slouchy look, go up one. The sizing and fit guide has the detail.
One thing that matters more than styling: this is a real knitted garment, not a printed sweatshirt. It will still look correct in January, in February, and in five years. No light-up snowman can say that. Several of ours get bought in December and worn until March, which the Owl counts as a personal victory and mentions often.
When can you get it?
Every knit is made to order and ships standard only, so the Christmas deadline lands earlier than people expect.
Order by November 15 for delivery before Christmas, worldwide. That is the hard date for the crew, the vest, the pet sweater and both matching sets. There is no express option on knitwear, because the two weeks on the needles happens before anything ships and no carrier can win that time back.
After November 15 the knits stay orderable, they simply arrive after Christmas Day. If you are reading this in December and you need something under a tree, the all-over-print sweatshirts and badge tees run until December 11 in the USA. Every date is on the shipping and cut-off page.
FAQ
What is a Setesdal sweater?
The traditional Norwegian lusekofte from the Setesdal valley, knitted since the 1800s in black and white, with a densely patterned yoke and a speckled body. The name means “louse jacket”, after the white flecks on the dark ground. Ours follows the old charts and adds one line of red so it reads as festive.
Is Setesdal really an ugly Christmas sweater?
No, and we have stopped pretending otherwise. It scores 2 out of 10 on our Ugly Rating and we were being generous. It is the sweater for a party where the dress code says ugly and the room says something else.
Is it knitted or printed?
Knitted. Real jacquard through our custom knit program, two colours per row, made after you order it. Hold it to the light and you see stitches, not pixels. That is why it takes about two weeks and why November 15 exists.
Does the dog version match the human one exactly?
Yes. Same pattern, same yarns, resized rather than reinterpreted. The $199 matching set is the cheaper way to buy both.
Does the price change by size?
Never. One flat price per form across the whole range, 3XS to 3XL. We do not charge more for a bigger sweater, on the grounds that doing so is rude.
When is the last day to order Setesdal for Christmas?
November 15, worldwide, on every knitted form. Printed items run later, to December 11 in the USA and November 26 internationally.
The Festive Folks’ Verdict
Buy Setesdal if you want to win an ugly sweater party by refusing to play. It is the only thing we make that will still be in your wardrobe in a decade, and the Duck approved it in silence, which has never happened before and may never happen again.
The Owl would like it noted that she was right in March.
Get Setesdal
Every form, made to order and shipped with tracking.
Christmas timing: Real knits take real time: order by November 15 for guaranteed Christmas delivery. The full list is on our shipping times page.
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