New Design: Gyda

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Linda Marveng

A turquoise fitted cable jacket had to be part of the Nordic Vintage series, I realized as soon as I saw the aqua colors Monica Stålvang had chosen for her Spring/Summer collection. My chosen yarn was the pure wool Ask in Light Green Turquoise 6584 (read: why had I not used this color of Ask before?) knitted on a 3.5 mm/US 4. Very fitted just like the Tyrol Jacket, but with a deeper v-neck and a cable panel that would fit even on the shoulders, was my plan. Instead of 10 or 11 small buttons, I opted for only 3, to be attached just before the v-neck, and I knew instantly that I wanted them bespoke by Siri Berrefjord. Not only are they like small pieces of jewelry, but since I wanted to make this jacket worn with one of Judith Bech’s stunning dresses, I needed them to be outstanding. Above is a photograph of me wearing size S but without the buttons.

I decided to knit the fronts and the back flat, while the sleeves are knitted in the round. On the front and the sleeve I could fit in one cable panel as opposed to three on the back. I made sure that all the shaping could be done in stockinette stitch in the sides and at the neck. The button band is a double hem just as the one at the bottom of each part. I prefer to knit it flat, then fold and sew it neatly on the wrong side by hand to keep it flat, but you could easily use two circular needles and use one as a stitch holder and then knit the two together or use a different method if you prefer.

Framing the cables on the back, like a textured painting make the back as beautiful as the front in my opinion. Before I end the cable panel, I gather the cables together to capture their texture instead of leaving them to a flat end. You can also easily see the flattering shape of the jacket. I have later added a size XS so that the pattern is available in sizes XS to 2XL, with a finished bust measurement of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″. Of course I could not resist the temptation of combining this beautiful turquoise color with a melange Light Farm Blue 6537 in Ask and a tonal brown made by Huldra Kamgarn held together with Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul. A Tweed Belt to lengthen the jacket, yes with Siri Berrefjord’s buttons – this time with a brown base – as well as a large Butterfly Cowl. The belt is shaped and come in the same sizes as the jacket, while the cowl is one size both can easily be adjusted in width and length. I love being able to wear the cowl as a belt too, see bottom photo.

I had fabulous help knitting the Butterfly Cowl and the Tweed Belt from Airin Hansen. The accessories were knitted after the jacket hence the two different photo shoots you can see above, all the photos are taken by my husband.

Last here is a photo showing the cowl worn as a belt, where you can see the lace panels, divided by reverse stockinette stitch that make up the Butterfly Cowl. The Norwegian pattern will be published in Familien Trend on 23. February, while I will begin the test knit of the English pattern in my Ravelry group in March before publishing it.

New Design: Eira

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Linda Marveng

A sporty looking cowl with a matching belt knitted in a reverisble rice pattern closed with snap fasteners was the idea for Eira; A Norse name meaning merciful. A thin drapey mercerized cotton called Hifa, Perle held doubled, seemed ideal for these accessories. Gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, brilliantly styled by Sissel Fylling, is wearing a beautiful linen silver printed dress by Judith Bech and perfect flats called Elisabetta black by Monica Stålvang, all magically captured by photographer Eivind Røhne at Hvalstrand Bad. The Norwegian pattern will be published in the Nordic Vintage series in the new magazine Familien Trend which takes over after Made by Me, out on the 23. February.

The Eira sample was knitted by my neighbor Karin Placht during her summer holiday to my utter satisfaction. I was so delighted to have help knitting the smaller pieces for this Nordic Vintage series so that I could concentrate on the larger projects. Perle from Hifa gives a very crisp stitch definition even more highlighted when the yarn is held double using a 4 mm/US 6 needle. The cowl, or loop if you prefer, can be worn draped over the shoulders as above, twice around the neck as below or hanging loose at the front.

Both Cowl and Belt are knitted flat. The Cowl is cast on with a provisional cast-on using waste yarn which is removed at the end so that it can be grafted or bound off with 3 needles to join into a loop. The Belt only comes in one size but can easily be adjusted to your preferred waist length by adding or removing pattern repeats. It is closed with snap fasteners and has a folded hem. The English pattern will be released on Ravelry shortly after Familien Trend is published.

New Design: Freja

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I was spellbound by Judith Bech’s black fringed skirt with a train the moment I saw it, and knew I wanted to make a sleeveless top with a similar shape. To contrast the marvelous texture of the skirt, a delicate lace panel swatch knitted in Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul held together with Pickles Merino Tweed using a 4 mm/US 6 needle was chosen. Freja, named after the goddess of love with the added meaning of like a lady, is knitted with a longer back shaped at the bottom. Three lace panels are centered on both the back and front with garter stitch bands and vents in the side, hence having the possibility of adding a belt to the front part. My initial plan with a longer back with a train, but I soon realized that I could not add too much extra fabric on the back to keep the lines sleek. The result was less shaping, first by short rows in garter stitch then by decreasing a few times in between the lace panels. It did not take me long to design an accessory for it; a chocker. The pattern is part of the Nordic Vintage series to be published in Norwegian in Familien Trend, out on 23. of February.

Above, you can clearly see the shaping at the bottom of the back. I did not want the shaping to continue too high up to avoid making the bottom part shaped like a fan. The front I decided to keep straight, to create a clean line and so that it would hang well on the body. I knitted back and front separately, but chose to knit the neckband and armhole band in the round. Below you can see the chocker made of one lace panel with garter stitch edges on all sides. For a closure I attached 3 small snap fasteners.

The art deco interior at Hvalstrand Bad was ideal for this particular shade of turquoise, with a similar shade painted on the wall. There is no doubt in my mind that Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk wears Freja like a goddess! I will share all the brilliant photos Eivind Røhne took soon, do not worry.

New Design: Hillevi

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Linda Marveng

One of my infatuations is reversible scarfs, and the different ways they can be worn. You can follow the development of these, as if it was a design series that started with the Cable On Scarf, recently published in Norwegian, followed by; Scarftex and now the latest; Hillevi. I had reached the conclusion that I wanted to add a shawl collar along the scarf’s length to make it more wearable: Wear it as a scarf with the collar tight around your neck, or as a shawl with the collar around your shoulders. You can even wear it upside down with the collar as a shaped curve, or as a top around your bust pinned together with a shawl pin. Hillevi was designed for the Nordic Vintage series I made in collaboration with dress designer Judith Bech and shoe designer Monica Stålvang to be published in Norwegian in Familien Trend out on 23. of February. Again, just as I did for Scarftex, I choose to hold Rowan Lima and Rowan Fine Tweed together but in two shades of blue this time. Grete Jenssen knitted the sample for me, to my relief and utter satisfaction.

This is how Hillevi looks worn as a scarf, with the collar lying flat around the neck. The lighter shade of the Rowan Fine Tweed, called Skipton, creates an extra depth of color to the deeper blue Rowan Lima, called Amazon. Even with both the two yarns together, it was knitted with a 5.5 mm/US 9 to make the cables pop. The reversible staghorn cables I found in Lily Chin’s book on Power Cables. I choose to use garter stitch on all the edges and the collar. All these great photos are taken by my husband in our garden in the warm mid-September last year.

Above the scarf is worn as a shawl upside down with the collar hanging loose. As you can see one center stitch makes up a spine in the collar with increases on each side to give the shawl collar extra fullness. In addition I choose to shape it by working a large number of short rows.

This is how the scarf looks worn as a top around the bust, pinned together with a shawl pin. I just left the excess scarf to flare at the front. I love the result with the full shape of the shawl collar visible and its sculptural look. The pick up row along the length of the scarf is visible but it only adds texture to it, in my opinion.

From behind, the middle stitch on the collar makes a decorative spine. The first small swatch I made looked stunning on Judith’s folded dress in olive green silk with a blue shine to it. So both the dress and the swatch was chosen for the collection. As you can imagine model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk looked gorgeous wearing them both and brilliant photographer Eivind Røhne captured it all. To be continued.

Exit Made by Me, Enter Familien Trend

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Linda Marveng

No more Made by Me magazines will be made, but as one magazine exits another one enters. Welcome, Familien Trend! Hence my series due to be published in Made by Me out on the 2nd. of February will instead be published in Familien Trend out on the 23rd. of February. Despite this change all my 10 designs will be published in Familien Trend, I am relieved to tell you even though it means a longer wait. So today I will share a few more sneak peaks from the unbelievable photo shoot we had at Hvalstrand Bad before I begin to present each design separately. One of the sights that totally blew me away was seeing the gorgeous Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk; beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling; wearing Judith Bech’s wonderful felted wool dress in aqua with my matching Atika design; Kaja Gjedebo’s stunning Paper & Scissors silver earrings and Monica Stålvang’s amazing Elena shoes in blue; all brilliantly captured by photographer Eivind Røhne. The shoes did not fit in the picture and were photographed separately, see below. Atika consists of a loop with matching loose sleeves, all knitted in the round with Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul, a lace weight alpaca mix, held together with Pickles Merino Tweed, a fingering/4 ply using a 4 mm/US 6.

Here is the continuation of the photo and a close up of the Elena Blue shoes by Monica Stålvang. The aqua colors were initially hard to match without choosing baby yarns hence I begin to choose deeper colors, due to the natural distance between garment and shoes. By mixing a melange alpaca color and a tweed yarn in a similar shade, the tone turned towards grey and the yarn created had a marvelous stitch definition.

Hennika, a delicate cropped lace jacket with a scarf collar, knitted in Ask by Hifa, a sport weight/5 ply, worn over Judith Bech’s stunning light blue halterneck dress with a high waist with layers of tulle on top of silk (see Facebook) together with Elisabetta blue flat shoes. To create more volume around the neck, I folded the scarf collar in half before I pinned it together with a shawl pin. It is knitted separately and sewn on afterwards. The sleeves are knitted in the round, while the fronts and back is knitted flat, all using a 3.5 mm/US 4 needle. The solid but worn parquet flooring tiles created a stunning contrast to the blue tulle of the dress, we all agreed before testing with a chair for Alexandria to sit on. The chair worked well for showing the sleeve and the back. More photos will come, project by project while we are waiting for the new Familien Trend magazine to hit the shelves.

Sneak Peak of Made by Me Designs

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I am thrilled to share some of the wonderful photos Eivind Røhne took of gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, brilliant hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling for the Spring/Summer issue of Made by Me. The colors chosen for the series are based on Monica Stålvang’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection in blue, turquoise, grey, taupe and black. The divine handprinted grey long halterneck silk dress was made especially by dress designer Judith Bech for this series (see Facebook). I just had to name my design Bech after it and created a shawl with a collar that can be worn with it down as above, or up around the shoulders or around the neck, together with loose sleeves – held up by elastic encased in a hem and a belt made of tucks. Yes, more photos will come. Bech is knitted in Huldra Kamgarn by Hifa, a pure light fingering/3 ply wool held together with Dreamline Soul by Du Store Alpakka, an lace weight alpaca mixture, using 4 mm/US 6.

Above are some of Monica’s marvelous shoes, in front: Emanuela print made of printed pony skin; actually calf skin (a misnomer that comes from 1960’s fashion trends). Yes, Monica did used to live in Milan and produces her shoes there. You will find her shoes in selected stores in Norway, see Stockists and in her onlineshop here but you need to wait a bit longer for the Spring/Summer collection to be available but there are so many other shoes and boots to add to your wish list: shop.monica-stalvang.com.

This fitted cable jacket is named Gyda from Norse mythology, meaning God is Gorgeous, and is knitted in Ask by Hifa, a sport weight/5-ply pure wool using 3.5 mm/US 4. It has a deep v-neck with 3 bespoke buttons (size small) made by jewelry designer Siri Berrefjord in layers of color matching the melange yarn color. The beautiful ring Alexandria is wearing is made of silver and designed by Kaja Gjedebo. The faux suede dress was chosen after Judith wore it to our planning meeting in July with editor Mary-Ann Astrup at Made by Me, just as my Jakke i kryss/Jacket in Cross was. I brought a large selection of swatches made based on Monica’s color charts, and from seeing photos of Judith’s dresses (and the few I remembered from the time she was a member of the Designerkollektivet), Judith brought a huge bag filled with dresses, and Monica came with her drawings. 10 dresses were selected together with 11 swatches and the four of us discussed garment options (read: Not only jackets, Linda) and photo shoot locations (read: Preferably Mediterranean, and why do we not join Monica for her one of her meetings in Milan?). In other words a lot of laughter, and a fabulous day! To be continued.

Behind the Scenes: Made by Me Photoshoot

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Linda Marveng

The time has finally come to begin to reveal more of the fantastic photoshoot we had at Hvalstrand Bad last October, since the Norwegian Made by Me magazine is out on Monday the 2nd of February. The idea of collaborating further with shoe designer Monica Stålvang, whose shoes are like eye candy to me, and dress designer Judith Bech, whose beautiful dresses I love, came to me last June. Monica needed no persuasion, and Judith (whom I had only meet once) said a resounding yes to my utter delight, just as editor Mary-Ann Astrup did. Judith insisted we pick hair and make-up stylist Sissel Fylling, just as Mary-Ann suggested photographer Eivind Røhne, and we eagerly obliged. We needed a model with a European shoe size 37/UK 4/US 6, so that the sample collection would fit, and I was thrilled to find Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, never mind that she was in Copenhagen, and not Oslo! Two days beforehand, Monica and I had a quick review of knitted garments, shoes and dresses in her shop but gave up choosing shoes until we saw it on Alexandria. Monica, on the mobile in the photo above, also suggested borrowing silver jewelry from Kaja Gjedebo as an option to the pieces we had from Siri Berrefjord, whom as usual has made brilliant bespoke buttons.

Here is the table with the magnificent shoes, jewelry as well as essential tools like iron, broom and sponge, all kept handy. In the back ground the rail with dresses and knitted garments. Monica thankfully brought the whole collection and assisted in choosing both shoes and jewelry for each of the 10 outfits. Sissel and Mary-Ann were also asked for opinions on the selection. Only 1 of the dresses was rejected since the color clashed with the color of the knitted jacket, and the black dress was used twice. We believed even Judith would have agreed, but unfortunately she could not be there since the birth of her first grandchild was imminent.

While Eivind, Mary-Ann and my husband – the photo assistant – looked at possible photo angles, Sissel prepared Alexandria’s hair styling and make up, Monica taped shoe soles and I ironed dresses. Above, Sissel in a well know posture, checking the make up and hair. I actually have Sissel popping in and out of nearly all my photos, taken in between when I was not assisting Alexandria in picking dresses, or standing behind Eivind checking his view or straightening out folds. It was me that insisted on covering all angles: front, back and side as well as different ways of wearing the garments until our time starting running out on the last garment since we had to leave no later than 4 pm in order for the manager to close up. So as much as I would like to have more photos of each garment, reality kicked in, and I knew there was a limit. The photo shoot was exhausting, but also so much fun and utter brilliant!

Familien issue 2 – 2015: 2 Designs

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Linda Marveng

The latest issue, number 2, of the Norwegian magazine Familien has 40 pages of delightful small knits, and 2 of the designs are mine, both photographed by in-house photographer Petter Berg: Flett på skjerf/Cable On Scarf and Bølget ribb løs hals/Wavy Rib Cowl and Wrist warmers. The scarf is reversible, knitted in the lush Norsk Pelsull from Hifa, in the natural grey shade 1115, in ribbed stag horn cables with double seed stitch for all edges. I love the idea of using the scarf as a shawl collar and if you read my blog (see new-design-cable-on-scarf) and is a member of Ravelry, you will have noticed that the scarf was knitted at the end of 2012 – so a predecessor to Scarftex – and the cowl set at the beginning of 2013, see design-in-progress. The Norwegian magazine is available in selected newsagents and supermarkets, and can also be ordered from familienslillebutikk.no or if you are abroad by e-mail to kari.bachke@egmont.com.

Here is the Cable On Scarf styled and photographed for Familien. It is knitted using a 3.5 mm/US 4 needles and available in one size only. Norsk Pelsull from Hifa has a lovely faded stitch definition and a halo. To start off with, it feels firm but softens a lot with washing it for the first time.

Wavy Rib Cowl and Wrist warmers are both knitted in Luxor, a mercerized cotton, from Hifa with a crisp stitch definition and a lovely shine to it. First I intended it as accessories to the wine red sweater Sommerblader/Summer Leaves (only published in English on Ravelry) and chose the navy blue shade 331, hence in photos Michael took I am wearing the sweater. Then I discovered that the lace pattern on the sleeves and the wavy rib fight each other for focus and gave up on that idea. I like the summery styling above, and so does Handicraft Editor Åse Myhrvold Egeland who selected it for a brief presentation of the magazine on the magazine publisher’s blog called a thousand ideas, see tusenideer.no. Both patterns will be published in English on Ravelry soon. Watch this space!

To raske pinner by Kristin Wiola Ødegård

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Wednesday evening, I went together with talented designers: Nina Granlund Sæther (see blog hjertebank.no), Denise Samson (see andreboller.no), May Britt Bjella Zamori (see one of her hats here: tusenideer.no) and Vanja Blix Langerud (see one of her “kofter” here: klikk.no) as well as Makeløs/Remarkable re-design stylist Kristin Elise Halkjelsvik (see pictures from one of her exhibitions here: bakketunet.com), to the launch of Kristin Wiola Ødegård’s second book: To raske pinner/Two Speedy Needles at Gyldendal. An amazing feat to finish her second book in a year, and it is as stylish as her first: Strikk med raske pinner. We were joined by designer Sidsel Janne Høivik, Ellen Andresen (see sisodesigns.blogspot.no) and jewelry designer: Siri Berrefjord (see Siris Skattkammer) whose beautiful brooches Kristin has used on her garments. Even Editor-in-Chief Jan Swensson was suitably dressed in a cool garment from the 40 in the book, see above. Below you can see the end of the fashion show, that finished way too quickly since we all craved more, with Kristin at the back. Earthly tones, yoked jackets, chunky sweaters, funky accessories and all styled in Kristin’s vintage style with a trendy undertone.

You can see inside the book here: To raske pinner. Just as her last book, it is photographed by her daughter Sofie Ødegård while her other daughter is on the cover. The sweater worn by the man is based on the successful “Retro Kofta” (read: kofta = traditional jacket in colorwork) she designed for women in her previous book. You can find the book in selected book stores and online at e.g. Haugen Bok in Norway. Follow the updates to see if the book rights have been sold abroad on the Gyldendal Agency here: eng.gyldendal.no/Illustrated-Non-Fiction.

Even Jan Swensson could not resist making the joke that her next book will be published next year, and given the title; “Tre raske pinner/Three Speedy Needles”. It would not surprise me if Kristin did manage to deliver her third book within the year, but I am convinced that she would insist on a different title than the one suggested.

Newly Released Norwegian Patterns

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I have just released 4 of my patterns in Norwegian: Nora Sweater/Nora Genser, Tyrol Jacket/Tyrol Jakke, Regal Purple Jacket/Kongelig Lilla Jakke and Lace Ridge Top/Hullkant Topp on Ravelry and on Loveknitting (shortly). All were first published in Norwegian in Familien Håndarbeid, a special edition in March 2014. Beautifully modeled on dancer Francesca Golfetto and brilliantly photographed by Kim Müller. The patterns have been tech edited and test knitted prior to their release on Ravelry, and they all include detailed schematics, video links and charts. The Nora Sweater, available in sizes S to XL, is knitted in BC Garn, Semilla Fino an ecological 4-ply/fingering yarn using 3 mm/US 2.5, can be knitted with puffed sleeves or with set-in sleeves. It is knitted in the round to the armhole, then flat to the end.

A mélange taupe in a delicate fingering weight yarn was chosen for this slightly fitted stylish cable sweater with a shawl collar. I chose a Missoni shaped puffed sleeve for a modern twist but you can chose a set in sleeve option if you prefer. A voluptuous small cable encased by side cables, reverse stocking stitch and double seed stitch was the beginning of this design.

The Tyrol Jacket, available in sizes S to XXL, is knitted flat in two different dyelots of the stunning hand dyed Tosh DK – a pure merino – using a 4 mm/US 6 needles: Inspired by the mélange soft pink color – not unlike the evening sky – and adorable Tyrol cables with their flower-bud shapes, I have designed an elegantly fitted jacket with a V-neck. The saddle sleeves allow the cables to flow all along the shoulder. A loose scarf with cables sewn into a tube works as a second shawl collar and adds textured volume.

The Regal Purple Jacket, available in sizes S to 3XL, is knitted flat in the lovely Hifa Perle using a 3 mm/US 2.5 needles: This vibrant rich purple is regal to me. I choose a lace pattern called Flower Wave, which is half lace and half garter stitch, hence easy to memorize. The Regal Purple Jacket has an A-line shape with added garter stitches in the side for decreasing, short sleeves and a V-neck with a garter stitch then stocking stitch band. It is knitted flat, in a divine 4 ply/fingering cotton called Perle from Hifa, and then sewn together to give stability to the garment. Optional 3/4 length or long sleeves patterns are included in addition to a stripy stocking stitch cowl, knitted in the round and grafted together, to accentuate the lace pattern.

The Lace Ridge Top, available in sizes S to XXL, is knitted in the same Hifa Perle held double using a 4 mm/US 6: A casual, stretchy long sleeveless top in an open lace ridge pattern, with a boat neck and a high twisted rib over the hips. The top is easy to knit in the round. It is worked in a divine mercerized cotton from Hifa, called Perle which is held double to emphasize the structure of the lace pattern. The cable cowl accentuates the design and gives the top a more dressy look.

Linda Marveng

Knit wear designer and author

Author Archives: Linda Marveng