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…

A quote taken from an Amazon review of the knitting book I treasure the most in my substantial collection: Norsk Strikkedesign: A collection of Norway’s Foremost Knitting Designers, I totally agree with. The breathtaking book captures the beauty of each garment designed through stunning photography. A coffee table knitting book, it has been called but there are a number of us Norwegian knitters that love a challenge and have proved it is so much more than just that…

The book is edited by Margaretha Finseth who has designed the striking cover kimono inspired jacket. I dared myself and chose my own favourite colours of the two types of yarns used: 3-tråders and Finull both by Rauma, see www.raumaull.no.

The charts in the book are large but in small print and I actually found it easier to copy and use the single pattern repeat instead of the whole printed graph paper. The pattern repeat is the most difficult I have ever knitted stretching over 42    stitches. It is an extremely demanding fair isle project that requires your full attention like a number of the patterns in the book which is not intended for beginners but mainly for advanced knitters. See the cover and read my post: Norsk Strikkedesign

The second colour option, I found hard to put back on the shelf the first time around, I later decided to knit a second  version of ‘The Season of Darkness and Winter Light’, as Margaretha Finseth has named it. I would not say that I knew the pattern by now, that would be a huge exaggeration, but I did find it easier the second time around and knitted it a lot quicker than the first version.

Each designer, all established and acknowledged in Norway, is well presented and there are 22 amazing patterns to knit. Norsk Strikkedesign influenced how I wanted my own first knitting book to look like.

It is an inspirational book that took both my knitting skills and ambitions to a much higher level and made me realise what I believe a knitting book should do: make you enjoy, drool, dream then plan and knit…

I have joined Strikkeblogger.no, an amazing gathering of Norwegian knitting blogs with an image of the latest post on each blog – currently more than 200 and increasing – a short presentation and obviously including links to each one. It was started by a blogger, LillaManilla, who wanted to create a website with an overview of where you could easily update and navigate the latest Norwegian knitting blogs with all the latest projects, tips and inspiration because we all enjoy reading blogs and knitting.

You will find us here: www.strikkeblogger.no. Most of the bloggers write in Norwegian but even though you might not read the language, I believe you will enjoy the pictures. A number of us have chose to write in English. Who is the most popular/mest populære today/idag, this month/denne måned and totally/totalt? It is easy to find out…

Finally it is here, spring. You will still spot a few puddles of snow around hidden in the shadow. In Marka, the forest that surrounds Oslo, the trees are getting greener by the day and buds are appearing. In the bright sunshine, you can hardly believe the intensity of the colour! The skiers have been replaced by numerous bikers, joggers and nordic walkers (using sticks and hence extra energy). Here are some photos from my walk from Mortensrud to Skullerud in Øst/East Marka.

A peaceful place, ideal for contemplation. Look at the clouds, how they approach…

Newly sprung buds stretching towards the sky…

Thursday evening I was back in the basement at Kaffistova, it is a quiet small room ideal for meetings and gatherings, where I used to meet a few fellow students for group discussions during my days at the University of Oslo but this time I was invited to give a presentation of my book by Oslo Fylkeshusflidslag/ Oslo County Handicraft association. There were approximately 40 women present when I arrived after a book signing event at Husfliden, see next 2 photos below, some had already been knitting for a couple of hours. I was way too busy to take any photos as you probably have realised…

This time, I had no beautiful young women to model my knitted garments on and used myself before I sent them around so everyone had the chance of touching the selected yarn and studying each detail. My seams where checked and several were stunned to find them made by hand, unusual in Norway where a sewing machine is often used for finishing. Here you will find my tips: Finishing Techniques. At least two of the women present had seen several of the garments before at my book launch at Cappelen Damm in February, but came to see a larger selection.

‘You have been talking for such a long time!’ said the only little girl present, aged 6 + 1/2 today, afterwards and I felt the need to apologise. Even though I knew she had been smart enough to realise it would not entertain her and wore large headphones looking content during my presentation. I am pleased to report that several women used the opportunity to try on the Mohair Poncho, see photo below. Oslo Fylkeshusflidslag must have enjoyed my presentation because I have been invited back. Thank you, Hilde from Husfliden, Maibritt from Oslo Fylkeshusflidslag and to everyone present! For other events see www.dennorskehusfliden.no

Photograph: Kim Müller

The innumerable articles and extensive press coverage of the court case in Oslo of Anders Behring Breivik is hard to avoid these days, especially in Norway. Despite online newspapers, like Aftenposten offering a button to remove any pictures and articles, there are some of us who want to know why and if he can be considered sane, we keep watching and reading, despite the unbearable pain and grief. The front cover of Morgenbladet, this week, reads ‘Look at Me!’. Does Behring Breivik introduce a new chapter in the ideology of terrorism? Gudmud Skjeldal asks and according to Bruce Hoffman, author of ‘Inside Terrorism’, he does; by wanting global, not only local, influence unavoidable after such horrible and tragic actions.

The Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard wrote that despite all the images he had already seen of him, he still wanted to see him in motion to get an impression of the nature of his personality in the article “First the Nightmare, Then the News” in New York Times of 22.nd April. If you read only one newspaper article about the terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, I suggest you read Knausgaard’s, see www.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/opinion/first-the-nightmare-then-the-news.html?_r=2

“His testimony, his ideas, his conception of the world will turn to nothing. Possibly, he will be able to resist even that, but the trial is for us, not for him. We shall see him as he is, a human being like you and me, and we shall see what he has done. And we shall try to understand. The dangerous thing is the distance, the confusing of the picture of the world with the real world, the turning away from the other person. And it is this that the court case, with its emphasis on formalities and its equality of treatment, confronts. Our task is to witness it, to allow the weight of reality to break through the picture and correct it. And never, never the reverse.”

I have been invited to sign my book ‘To rett en vrang. Designstrikk’, answer questions and display garments at Husfliden, an handicraft association shop, in Oslo on Thursday 26th of April from 2pm to 6.30pm. It does feel like coming home to me, since I worked at Heimen, another handicraft store that has merged with Husfliden, for a couple of years before I moved back to London. Here is a photo of Kristin Støe Winge and me taken in 2000 wearing our uniforms. Kristin was responsible for textiles while I was responsible for knitwear under the guidance of the shop manager. Here I met my influential mentor, Iselin Hafseld, designer of Tinde, see www.knits.no

Husfliden used to be the yarn store you went to, and still is to many people, since it had the largest selection of Norwegian produced yarn in hundreds of colours. I visit just to enjoy watching all the neatly stacked shelves following the colours of the rainbow. Tussah Silk, on a 100 g small spool, is one of my recent yarn discoveries and a favourite, from the Swedish yarn company Borgs Vävgarner, distributed by Rauma, sold at Husfliden, see www.dennorskehusfliden.no. Below is the Shawl with Variations from my book, worn by Anna Pfeifer. The popular shawl, here buttoned up as a shrug, is knitted with 2 strands of the lace weight yarn, while the cowl is knitted with a single strand.

If you are nearby on Thursday please drop by and say hello. Maybe you want to come along to the knit café, organised by Oslo Fylkeshusflidslag, at Kaffistova (downstairs) see www.kaffistova.com, Rosenkrantz’ gate 8, opposite corner of Heimen, afterwards at 7pm where I will talk about my inspiration and show an even larger selection of garments from my book. Welcome!

Photograph: Kim Müller

I felt inspired when I saw this stunning jacket and scarf , hand knitted in suede cord, featuring in the window display at Zenit in Oslo. In my hands the suede felt utterly soft and wonderful to the skin. The only reason it did not accompany me home was the price tag of £ 500 for the generous scarf in a faboulous white colour with a grey tone. But since I can knit so there is no need for despair on my part and my next mission would be to find a suitable suede ribbon to knit with.

Yesterday, I visited MacCulloch & Wallis, London’s most acknowledged haberdashery store established 1902 as a supplier to the fashion trade. The store looks very much the same as it did then with a few modifications, and is well worth a visit. It is always busy, even more so with a film crew that entertained us while we were queuing at the till. The website is actually a lot easier to navigate, than the shop itself. See www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk

My mission was successful, even though it is yet not completed since there are numerous suede cords to be found online in different width, colour and price range. I also discovered that in my love for small knitting needles, I have only a limited number of larger ones and need to buy a chunky size to continue on my mission. The plan is to design a knitting pattern for a hugging scarf that you would not want to take off…