Bakketunet

Hjørundfjordstrikk AS was established in Bakketunet in Bjørke in 2020. The starting point for the venture was to create a geographical knitting design for the Hjørundfjord. A local product, and of course knitted in 100% Norwegian wool.

Today we have an office and knitting shop in Bakketunet, which has the status of a national cultural monument.

BROCHURE 2025

Marita Bett Aakre is the operator of Bakketunet and Hjørundfjordstrikk. The fisherman with his multiple occupations is crucial then as now to keep the wheels turning. The operation of the old farm has taken on a new meaning: Animal husbandry has been replaced by art and cultural dissemination. Aakre has received a cultural award from Ørsta Municipality and a teaching grant from the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Foundation for the work she has done in the protected farmyard.

Visit the Backyard

When Bakketunet opens its 16th summer season, Roar Kjærnstad will be the main exhibitor. The garden opens on Sunday, June 29th and will remain open every Sunday until August 31st.

Hjørundfjordstrikk has an exhibition and knitting shop in the chamber and in the storehouse.

The Bakketunet will also be open during the Midsummer holidays at Bjørke on the weekend of June 14th - 15th.

Individual visitors

During the summer months, Bakketunet is open every Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm. Then we welcome individual visitors.

Outside of opening hours, it is important that you make an appointment to visit. The yard is privately owned, and when we are not open, we use our time well for other things.

If you would like to pick up a yarn package outside of opening hours, just get in touch.

Group visit

For craft groups or other groups and organizations that are interested in a rich cultural heritage, Bakketunet is definitely worth a visit! Be sure to book your visit early for the summer of 2025. We have our own lectures on art, knitting and building customs!

The easiest way to reach us is by calling (+47) 91 10 88 46 or writing an email to maritabett@hjorundfjordstrikk.no

Photo from Makeløs' catwalk at Bakketunet 2020.


Hjørundfjordstrikk has an office and warehouse in Bjørke. The online store combined with the operation of Bakketunet provides employment for several people. Sverre Fehn has designed the counter on which the yarn packages are packed, and from the village at the head of the Hjørundfjord they are sent out into the world. All designs from Hjørundfjordstrikk are inspired by nature or cultural heritage from the fjord.

About the Backyard

The Bakkegarden at Bjørke is located a short distance up from the lake at Åkre. Perhaps the name comes from the fact that the people of Åkersgardane in their time had their gardens down by the lake where Ner-Åkre is today. The soil at Åkre is good and the best plots were owned by the Åkers up here. The place is sunny and sheltered from the strong winds that otherwise do well in the village. This combination of rich and good soil and good climate provided opportunities for arable farming and good crops. Gradually, the houses on one of the farms at Ner-Åkre were moved here and that is how Bakkegarden was created several hundred years ago. The houses still stand like this and testify to generations of farmers' frugality and sense of aesthetics. At the same time, new houses have been built. In the barn where little greyhounds once lived, you can now see works by renowned artists on the walls and in the old smokehouse you will be treated to homemade cakes.

Bakketunet is an organic place. The operation is constantly evolving, while what happens there is rooted in the farm's soul and in interaction with the surrounding nature.

The old farm, in addition to the cowshed and smokehouse, consists of a gatehouse that is said to be the oldest in the country, a sheep barn, a storehouse, and a weapons shed.

It has been many years since there were livestock in the farm buildings in Bakkegarden. The old farm buildings are as they were in many places in Sunnmøre in the old days. The feed was stored in the old gate shed, while the different types of livestock were each in their own houses. This made the construction of the buildings easier, but made the working day more demanding for those who had daily responsibility for the house and animals. The shed has a gate construction, while the cowshed and sheepshed are built using the lath technique.

The current manager of Bakketunet, Marita Bett Aakre, grew up here in the yard and emphasizes that the operation should be based on Bakketunet's unique character. She has great respect and humility for the life's work of her ancestors, something that permeates the yard today. The fact that modern art meets traditional surroundings is not a given to be a success, but in Bakketunet this meeting is designed in such a way that the different eras highlight each other and create interesting contrasts that give visitors constantly new experiences, while also finding peace on a bench in the old rose garden under Bjørkehornet, with homemade cakes and coffee from the café.