Finishing is such an elementary part of knitting that I believe you have to learn to perfection to enjoy. Many knitters tend to avoid projects where time consuming finishing is required just because they do not take any pleasure in sewing, especially compared to knitting the different parts. I, on the other hand, believe that a bit of finishing can sometimes make the difference between looking handmade and looking professional. I have learned to enjoy and take pleasure in my finishing with the aim of making each garments nearly as beautiful on the wrong side as the right side. So do I need yet another book on the topic? Yes, I believe I do! There is so much I – and you – can learn from, the acknowledged designer, Deborah Newton. So off I go to Finishing School!

“Good finishing is just as important as good fit – without it, my sweaters would look homely rather than stylish. There is nothing worse than a bumpy, uneven seam or sloppy or too-tight edgings – these off-kilter details draw the eye away from the beauty of even the most lovely knitted fabric.” Newton claims in the introduction and I could not agree more. I believe – as she does that – it is merely a question of gaining a few skills and thinking ahead. My basic tips are to sew up as you finish knitting the different parts and do it the same way you would knit, stitch by stitch. I become like the knitting process myself and it is the ultimate achievement.

It is a question of respect, to each piece you have knitted – the craft and the material involved – and justifying the hours spent knitting it. So do spend a bit of time doing the finishing and do not rush through it. Newton offers workshops with a number of photos and drawings to guide you on edgings, seaming, lining, custom couture and steeking. The cover photo is the materials used to make a custom couture knit and is 1 of the 14 excellent patterns offered in this comprehensive and resourceful book.

Her final note on finishing is my goal, always: “Through careful attention to detail and an eye toward perfect construction, you can make your sweaters look fabulous. You can learn new techniques and valuable skills. You can repair and rejuvenate. And you can take the old and make it new again. Finishing School is never out of session.” Thank you, Deborah Newton!

I am pleased to announce that Hifa will sponsor more of my designs. They are pleased with the 3 designs in my book knitted using Hifa yarn which I selected after drooling over their large colour selection offering clear hues with great saturation. Even their factory shop outside of Bergen is currently knitting the Japanese Vest for display to promote my book to my amazement! It is knitted in Hifa Huldra Kamgarn in shade 8021 sea green, worn by Kari Anne Næssø and photographed by Kim Müller.

Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, producer of Hifa yarn, was established in 1898 and has always focused on creating colour dyes that captivate nature’s colours. Take one look at photo of the Hifa Kamgarn below and you understand what I mean – yes, they do ship abroad, even though their website is in Norwegian. See ull.no. The colours have name that gives you a good idea of its tone unlike shade names given by indy dyers such as DyeForYarn which leaves you guessing but does make you laugh, take a look at Etsy: etsy.com/shop/DyeForYarn

• Bat in a dark mood – dark tones of purple with black.
• Bat biting the dust – dark and light tones of purple.
• Tarzan’s Very Bad Day – bottle green with some lighter tones of green.
• Too Much Mint Cocktail – shades of clashing mint green.
• Poisonous Marshmallow – pale rose pink.

I am nearly ready to open my Ravelry pattern shop – today – and add another page to my blog with 5 patterns knitted in a selection of Thomas Kvist Yarns with alternatives offered to begin with. Here is the logo my husband has designed for me – which I love -he is faboulus! My latest challenge – yes, I know there are many – is to start offering all patterns in the following sizes XS to 3XL.

My latest design, an A-line top with ruffled bell border, three layers to twirl around in, and a continued bell-rope stitch pattern. Wear it with belt if you like. Comfortable for the summer with loose sleeves. Why not pin one sleeve into a scarf collar? Both are knitted in Aneta, from Thomas Kvist Yarns, a lovely soft, denim cotton tweed, with a great stitch definition. See thomaskvist.

Aneta is a sport weight yarn made of 100% cotton denim tweed and comes in 100 gram hanks,  330m/361yards. I chose a delicate medium blue shade. Knits to a 24 sts tension/guage to 10cm/4″ using a 3mm/US 2-3. It could easily be replaced by Drops Safran by Garnstudio or Ultra Pima by Cascade Yarns.

The ruffled borders and the bands around neck and arms are knitted in the round, while the top and the sleeves are knitted flat.

The pattern will be available in both Norwegian and English as a downloadable pdf to buy from this website and Ravelry. My husband is currently working on the schematic and assisting on all technical issues, I have.

I have called this a top but realised it could also be called a sleeveless pullover, sweater or even jumper. To be enlightened read Karen Berthine’s brilliant post: A Kangaroo and a Sweater, here is the link: sweatyknitter.

Here is a close up of the stitch pattern, which shows off its beautiful texture.

This is not a description of what I do – only what I aim to create in knitting – but a series of 3 cult pattern-cutting books from Japan by Tomoko Nakamichi, published by Laurence King that I discovered at the V&A bookshop. The books show you how to create stunning, sculptural and Japanese inspired clothes step-by-step through clear diagrams – not unlike knitting schematics – and detailed photographs. Each of them is a gem, revealing the secrets of each garment like pieces in a puzzle.

Who is the genius behind them? The answer is Tomoko Nakamichi, a professor in Pattern Making at Bunka Fashion College – yes, that sounded familiar because it is the college where both designers Kenzo and Yamamoto among others studied. See bunka-fc.ac.jp/en/history. The books bring together the results of the research on garment patterns she has carried out to help instruct her students.

“Making a pattern. Clothes are a way of expressing oneself, and with this in mind I’m often inspired by fashions of the past. To discover how they were made, I try drafting the patterns myself, and sometimes come up with designs that are entirely my own” she writes in Pattern Magic available at Amazon, here: amazon.co.uk.

My own sewing skills are very limited and need to be improved immensely but that is not the only reason why these books appealed to me. Learning more about pattern making, I believe will make me a better knitwear designer. Take one look at Mathew Gnagy’s designs and you will understand me, see my post on knitting-off-the-axis. Merely studying each photograph is like admiring a beautiful sculpture, each garment a piece of art! A true inspiration and an outstanding source of pattern knowledge – indeed, they are magic!

Knit speak for Knit Along. I am taking part in my first KAL and knitting my first top down project. Why Mystery? Just as all knit projects are a bit of mystery at times before what feels like revelation kicks in, this is no different except that this time none of us taking part have seen a photo or drawing of what we are knitting. Designer Vera Sanon of SunFunLiving is holding all the clues, and drip feed us – we her fans, an ever increasing group of women – through her group on Ravelry. We knew it was a summer top, we knew the tension/guage of 17 sts to 10cm/4″ and that it incorporated lace knitting but the rest remained a mystery at first. Here is a link to her other designs: ravelry.

Not only do we have the thrill of seeing what we are making as we knit, we are also supporting Fanm pou Fanm (Women 4 Women) – a micro-business project that serves the poorest women in Port-au-Prince, Haiti founded by Vera (an expatriate) and her friend Mary Ann. Vera designed the pattern for free but wanted to raise money for the project so the groups’ advice was to set a price for the downloadable pattern clues and let the money go to the project. The ‘fanm pom fanm’ women learn to crochet and make market bags sold to women in the U.S. and Germany. You can read more about the project on Vera’s blog: sunfunlivingknits. The market and fancy bags are available to buy through Etsy:  HaitiCrochetProject

I discovered Vera’s designs on Ravelry and befriended her. Several messages later – I was tapping into her design expertise by asking questions about sizing and top down knitting – I was challenged to take part in her Summer Top Mystery KAL. How could I resist? The advantage of top down knitting, as I am learning, is that you can try it on as you knit to check the sizing and adjust if you prefer the pattern to your own specifications. I have not come that far yet, but here is a photo of my mystery KAL – looking at the sleeve part of the yoke. The yarn I chose is Rowan All Seasons Cotton, in Strawberry, one of the alternatives suggested, which I know from my days as a Rowan Design Consultant and felt obliged to chose. My stash dive did not give any results – I do have a bit of a selection but nearly all of it is 4-ply/fingering or lace yarn – so an online shop had to be found. Not exactly a difficult task these days when all it takes is a few clicks and buying more yarn is dead easy for a yarn addict.

Now – Vera – if you are reading this, I am ready for the second clue. In fact I am very ready.

My mission at the exhibition was to make a short list of the favourite ballgowns – yes, it did include both Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen. I was thrilled to be able to walk around a selection of contemporary designs, studying them from every angle. The vintage collection, on the other hand, is unfortunately behind glass but you will find an excellent selection of film clips from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition is the closest I have been to ballgowns since I designed a collection for my paper doll, as a young girl.

The exquisite fabrics in all the colours of the rainbow, beaded or embroidered or printed, were a feast for the eye. As was the projection of a selection of the garments exhibited photographed by David Hughes, in the gallery alcoves. You lifted your eyes to gaze in amazement at each gowns and at the sculpture replacing the head of the mannequin for then to see it vanish replaced momentarily by shooting stars on the alcove heaven. I could have stayed there all day. Here is link to two of the photos, see www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/ballgowns.

Afterwards I had the obligatory wander around in the bookshop and discovered, to my delight, that the knitting section has increased since my last visit. You will find talented designers with a focus on vintage knitting such as Susan Crawford and Claire Montgomerie on the shelf. My discovery was a new Pattern Magic book, the third in the series, called Stretch Fabrics by Tomoko Nakamichi, post will follow do not worry, and bought only that one – a new record! I can also report that not a single person was knitting in the courtyard in the sunshine and me – I was too busy munching my scone!

If you are not able to visit I recommend you to find your magnifying glass and study the main photo on V&A’s Facebook page and the articles on their website. In addition, you will also find a fascinating collection of free knitting patterns from the 1940’s, see www.vam.ac.uk.

Fitting title to designer, emerging according to Interweave but I would have chosen acclaimed instead, Mathew Gnagy’s first innovative and exciting knitting book. The collection consists of 15 sweaters mainly for women but there are a few, 3 actually, for men, all designed sideways or in an unusual knitting direction. His pattern making skills are unsurpassed and my jaw dropped when he illustrates this in the digital video Sideways Knits which you can buy separately and download at http://www.interweavestore.com

How do you adapt a woman’s sweater to a man’s if you are Mathew Gnagy? You make a paper pattern, as you would for sewing, and with an incredible precision you draw all essential lines and add measurements. So that when you have measured your swatch you can calculate and re-write your pattern. Yes, at least in theory that is easy but it would take a bit more practice in reality. Then when you start knitting you can use the paper pattern as you would a sewing pattern and make sure that it is correct. Note to me: this is an excellent challenge; a new design method I will need to learn more closely.

The favourite pattern of mine is the front cover, Becca, due to its elegance and delicate design details visible in the collar and the large bell sleeves.  A designer whose contemporary work I will follow closely as his adventure will continue. Listen to him being interview by Kathy Elkins, owner of WEBS, always worth listening to, podcast: http://blog.yarn.com/ready-set-knit-244/ 

A perfect Sunday outing in London is a visit to a fabulous exhibition, and it was not difficult to convince my husband to come to the Design Museum. Christian Louboutin is an iconic French shoe designer who has pushed the boundaries of high fashion shoe design, creating artistic and theatre pieces not all of them made for walking…

Yes, there is a Fetish room you can visit, so no problem bringing your partner or husband! I was intrigued by what looked like a ballet shoe from the front but actually had a sky high heel, way past the walking margin and close to 15 cm/6″. Just let your partner or husband read this note from the Design Museum, and add that the hologram performance is with Dita von Teese, and you are ready to go:

“Please note: Inside the exhibition the Hologram and the Fetish room contain images of partial nudity which may be unsuitable for some visitors. The Hologram appears every fifteen minutes, and is three minutes in duration. Visitors can bypass the Fetish room by taking a corridor which leads directly into The Atelier.” For more details see designmuseum.org.

Another part of the exhibition that I found exhilirating was Louboutin’s play with materials, freeing his imagination and making boots out of Palm tree. What would I create if I let my imagination run free…

Photograph: Now Fashion

Do not miss the exhibition Designs of the Year 2012 on the top floor, when you go. If you were there last Sunday, it was me that was sucked into the screen watching a film of Gareth Pugh’s S/S 2012 collection directed by Ruth Hogben! I started questioning myself if I actually knew the concept of fashion film? I certainly do now, and I believe I have seen the future of film! Gareth Pugh, does not only work but, conquers all materials he touches, and can make any fashion victim into an invincible fashion warrior queen.

Alex Fury writes: “The Gareth greatest hits came in the theatrical show-stoppers – more of the warrior armouring, gargantuan skirts and coats filled with air like zephyr balloons, and a violent, violet finale of purple flames and models with heads clad in outlandish, face-concealing fibreglass Philip Treacy helmets.” Do see showstudio.com/collection/gareth_pugh_paris_womenswear_s_s_2012

This exhibition is also running to the beginning of July. If you are not able to visit, or merely too impatient, you will find several equally gobsmacking fashion films, directed by Ruth Hogben, on Showstudio. Try this one: showstudio.com/project/gareth_pugh_ss_2011#fashion_film

Yet another web addiction of mine!

My first interview has been published in the Norwegian magazine Lev Landlig/ Country Life. It is a beautiful magazine that covers topics such as lifestyle, interiors, gardening, food, travel and culture heritage. I met journalist Toril Haugen in Cappelen Damm’s, my publishers, own book store, a popular and especially fitting meeting place, where we talked for more than an hour in the morning of my book launch.

The heading on the news page reads “Makes sculptural knitted garments. Maybe not so unusual considering the fact that Linda Marveng has a Master degree in Architectural History in addition to having worked at Heimen Husflid.” What inspires you, Toril asked and I replied that international well acknowledged designers do, and that I aim to create trendy, flattering and elegant garments not merely for leisure but also for more formal occasions. When I received the interview by e-mail for quote checking, I felt a bit like a celebrity…

I knew I had to wear a garment from my book so that she would recognise me easily, instead of looking for Francesca; my cover model, and opted for one of my favourites, yes I do have several, and chose the Pleated Cropped Cardigan knitted in Mostly Merino Lightweight Sportweight, which looks felted but isn’t. I wanted the pleats to face the same direction so the cardigan is knitted in one piece and has a slightly longer scarf collar in an open cabled lace pattern, stunningly worn by dancer Cristiane Sá. So if you are Norwegian, or read the language, I can recommend Lev Landlig, the magazine is available to buy digitally at www.levlandlig.no

Photograph: Kim Müller

Clotheshorse Magazine is a digital fashion magazine providing knitting and crochet patterns, launched in February, by Heather Dixon, creative designer of  Army of Knitters together with Mindy Brown, devoted knitter and law student with a Ph.D. in Microbiology. The first issue, Spring/Summer, features 26 gorgeous patterns from 12 designers and they are available to buy online as downloadable pdfs, see www.clotheshorsemag.com.

“For each season we scour the runways for the upcoming trends to create mood boards that are on-trend with the fashion industry. Not only are these mood boards inspiring but they have also given way to some truly fashionable designs”. So, yes of course, I am hooked and addicted to Clotheshorse Magazine! The best way, I decided, was to join the group on Ravelry where I studied the mood boards for Winter 2012/2012 and loved the glamorous lacy look of Gothic, see above. After receiving essential encouragement from other designers on Ravelry, I submitted a design which was accepted to my utter delight! I will post about my design when it is available, in the autumn, and I am currently knitting away, in excitment…