Courses

Rosemaling is a decorative painting style which originated in Norway where it traditionally decorated churches, homes and farmhouse interiors. The Valdres style of rosemaling originated in the Valdres valley and is known for its strong floral motif. This course emphasizes the basic techniques of painting these traditional floral bouquets. Students…

Rug hooking is a textile craft, born out of necessity and the desire to bring beauty and warmth into the home. In this class, we will use the natural surroundings of the North Shore landscape to design a rug that is uniquely your own. We will go for walks to…

In the northwestern portion of Lake Superior is a unique and remote island archipelago. Isle Royale National Park preserves 132,018 acres of federally designated wilderness. The Park consists of one large island surrounded by over 450 smaller islands, located in the largest freshwater lake in the world. Set sail for…

What type of knitting is associated with the Sámi? The majority of traditional Sámi clothing is made of reindeer skin or wool felt. Very little is knit, except for mittens. This session will explore the knitting motifs of the Skolt Sámi, whose traditional homeland lies at the junction of Norway,…

November can be a drab and windy month. While it is the stormiest month on Lake Superior, explosive waves don’t happen every day. When the waves are low and the sky is gray, it’s hard to get motivated to get outside and take pictures. Change that perspective with long exposure…

Soap—so simple, yet so misunderstood. Have you ever pondered the ingredients contained in a typical bar of soap? Petroleum distillates, sulfates, and many other unpronounceable additives. Using the same ingredients Grandma used, animal fat and lye, learn how to make gentle, natural soaps, and explore the history and science of…

It should come as no surprise that Swedes are experts at comfort foods: after all, there seems to be a direct connection between shortening days and dropping temperatures and the body’s desire for warm, creamy, dairy-laden foods. Join Chef Scott Graden for a delicious and filling weekend cooking up many…

The timeless beat of the drum stems back to a time when we made our own music, literally from the ground up. Before drum shops and before Putumayo, materials were hand-harvested from the forest to create wonderful sounds, and were used to find rhythm in the world. In this course…

Tired of unimaginative, small outbuilding kits available from your local lumberyard? Explore all the basic elements of timber frame construction and take home a hand-crafted building. More than 100 timber frame buildings have been built and raised throughout the country by North House students since 1997.  During the first days…

Dive into the special Swedish knitting technique of tvåändstickning, also called twined knitting or two-ended knitting. With this technique, the knitter works with two strands of yarn at the same time, traditionally from both ends of the same ball of yarn, twisting them between every stitch. While this type of…

Twined knitting, also known as the Swedish specialty knitting technique tvåändstickning, produces a lovely, dense, flexible cloth.We’ll begin with a brief overview of twined knit, twined purl, chain path, and other color work tips. Then, this class will focus on experimenting with two of twined knitting’s specialty stitches–crook stitch and…

We’re no stranger to taking materials back to the source: woodworking courses regularly head out to harvest birch; basket makers can be spotted in local ditches cutting willow, sweetgrass and cattail; and we even have the occasional sheep on campus for the fiber folk. But taking metalwork straight to the…

Textiles are integral in our lives, yet so often overlooked! Creating one’s own cloth empowers expression through color, texture, and design. In this course, we will explore these elements through weaving on a four-harness floor loom. Students will learn the principles of handweaving, including designing a project, preparing a warp,…

Join featured instructor Greg Johnson of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin in this three day course to make traditional Anishinaabe folded birch bark baskets. This style of basket is used for maple sugar storage, but is a beautiful and useful addition to any home. When birch bark is harvested at a…

The Winter Winds Hat is a clever little sampler that allows an individual to experiment with what could be an intimidating technique in an unintimidating format: tvåändstickning, also called twined knitting or two-ended knitting. With this Swedish technique the knitter works with two strands of yarn at the same time,…