On Sunday, the journey towards the Falun 2027 podium begins, as 190 knitting heroes cast on the first stitches of the hats that will keep all the medal winners warm during this winter’s World Championships in Falun.
Join us on the journey from wool to gold.
Fjärsmansgården is located in Abborrberg in Grangärde Finnmark. Here, 300 metres above sea level, around thirty Swedish fine-wool sheep graze alongside some twenty Värmland forest sheep. If they look up, they have a fantastic view, including towards the place where author and poet Dan Andersson once lived.
The Swedish fine-wool sheep, however, seem more interested in grazing than in the view.
“We have had sheep for the past fourteen years. We started with Värmland forest sheep, but three years ago we also got some Swedish fine-wool sheep,” say Michael Legneroth and Ulrika Bjurström-Legneroth, who run the farm.
The farm here in Abborrberg is one of around ten farms that have supplied Swedish fine-wool sheep fleece for the spinning of the yarn that will be used to knit the World Championship hat.
What are the qualities that make fine-wool sheep stand out?
“It’s the fantastic wool. It is soft, glossy and silky, with both a fine crimp and fine fibres. Fine-wool sheep also have many lambs. It is not unusual for a ewe to have four or five lambs. In terms of their characteristics, they are calm by nature, which is something that actually applies to all sheep. They are kind and peaceful animals that help keep the landscape open,” say Michael and Ulrika.
The sheep are sheared twice a year, and the wool from the most recent shearing was then transported around 50 kilometres to Wålstedts Ullspinneri (spinning mill) in Dala-Floda.
The family-owned Wålstedts Ullspinneri is now in its fourth (and fifth) generation.
“We are very proud to be an important part of creating the World Championship hat. The fact that there was such great interest from farms with Swedish fine-wool sheep in taking part in the project is really about the pride of helping to create something lasting, with such a clear connection to the World Championships and to Dalarna,” says Sonia Bush.
During the spring, large quantities of fine-wool sheep fleece arrived from around ten farms across the region.
A total of 190 hats will be knitted. Producing the yarn required will take around 150 kilograms of wool, although a significant proportion of the weight is lost when the wool is washed.
“It takes several weeks of work to select the wool we are going to use. From each fleece — the wool from an individual sheep, which weighs around one kilogram — we sort the wool, classify it and remove any debris. This is done fibre by fibre. It is all done by hand, and around half of the wool is discarded,” says James Bush of Wålstedts.
Once this initial sorting of the wool has been completed, the work of producing the yarn begins. First, the wool is washed and then dried for around 24 hours. It is then put through a teasing machine, which fluffs up the wool, before it is carded, spun, plied and wound. It is then washed again. Only after this is the yarn dyed in the five colours of the World Championship hat: Santa Claus red, indigo blue, ice light blue, ochre yellow and natural white.
“We would not have spent weeks sorting bag after bag of wool if we had not felt such pride and motivation at being part of producing the yarn for the World Championship hat,” says Roger Bush.
On Sunday, the 190 selected knitting heroes will meet at Dalarna Museum, which is leading the World Championship hat project, to receive an introduction to the voluntary work ahead. They will then be handed their knitting kits containing fine-wool yarn in the five different colours of the World Championship hat. After that, the first stitches will be cast on for the journey from wool to gold.
“We are both happy and proud of the World Championship hat, which will live on as a symbol of both the Championships and Dalarna. Together, we have created a memory that will keep the story of the World Championships alive long after the final medals have been awarded,” says Kajsa Sjösvärd, CEO of Falun 2027.
During the autumn, knitting kits will be made available for sale, allowing you to knit your own World Championship hat and get ready for Falun 2027, which begins on 24 February 2027.