Kolrose a Primstav

This class runs Friday, May 2, from 6–9 pm, and Saturday-Sunday, May 3–4, 2025, 10 am–5 pm, both days. 

For centuries, Scandinavians created perpetual calendars on flat wooden sticks, used to track important holidays, community events, and anniversaries. In this two and a half day workshop, students will practice their kolrosing skills by starting their own primstav, highlighting special days in their own lives each year. By marking the year’s 52 weeks and designing special symbols with personalized meanings, the primstav becomes a terrific project for learning kolrosing or building on previous kolrosing skills. This class is suitable for new kolrosers to practice a relaxed style of kolrosing, but also welcomes back previous kolrosing students to build on skills from other foundational multi-session classes with Liesl Chatman. Students should expect to make good progress but not necessarily finish their primstavs, depending on the level of detail they choose to add.

Prerequisites:

• Physical ability: This project requires the ability to sit and do close handwork for long periods of time. If you use magnification (e.g., readers) for close-up work, please bring it.
• Skill level: This project is open for all skill levels.
• Ages: Suitable for ages 16+.

Tools and Materials:

A $30 materials fee is payable to the instructor in class for the primstav materials. Students are encouraged to bring their own kolrosing tool kits, but the instructor also has tools for classroom use, or kits can be purchased to take home ($60 and up).