I wanted to share this popular Christmas event with you all, a successful attempt to build the world longest gingerbread train at Oslo Central Train station. It was 4 tracks wide with a total of 617 carriages and measured 206 meters, a new world record according to Guinness World Records. The decoration of ready made coaches has been mainly done by kindergarden children but also by other people, with a large number of commuters whom have lost several trains in their attempt to decorate the perfect carriage. Half of the train will be given to the charity Alternative Christmas, who organises Christmas dinners for the homeless in the Oslo area, while the remainder will be divided among the city’s hospitals.

It is a common event in Norway, especially if you have children, to make a gingerbread house. Each year the house needs to be even better, and as you can imagine the architecture students usually organise their own competition. The decorating sweets usually ‘disappear’ during Christmas and some inventive people, like my friend Mette, organises a demolition party after Christmas where the children get a plastic hammer each! Sounds fun to me!

If you do not have time to make the dough yourself, there is help at hand, you can buy it ready made and among the most popular ones is the one bought at Åpent Bakeri. Unique because their philosophy is to bake by hand, using less machines compared to the rest of the bakeries. See how their bakers work at night at www.apentbakeri.no Their ‘pepperkaker’ tastes delicious, and here is their recipe by popular demand:

• 250 g butter
• 150 g syrup
• 400 g sugar
• 130 g whipping cream
• 6 g cloves
• 7 g cinnamon
• 850 g plain flour
• 12 g bicarbonate soda
• 1/4 dl water
• 1 egg.

Method: Mix butter, syrup and sugar in a pot. Heat until sugar is completely melted. Let it cool slightly. Add cream and the egg. Mix bicarbonate soda in the water and add in.

Sift in spices and most of the flour. Stir until it forms a stiff dough. Leave in the fridge over night. Then need with rest of flour and roll out about 3mm thick. Use cookie cutters (or more traditionally, just a knife to make shapes). Place on baking sheet on oven tray and bake at 175 C until golden brown (about 10 mins). Cool cookies before decorating.

Tip: Dip cookie cutters in flour first so the cookie mixture doesn’t stick. If you want to hang your pepperkake on the Christmas tree make a good hole in the dough of each cookie before cooking – a pen cylinder does just the trick. Enjoy!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas! God Jul!

Here is a small selection of swatches I made in preparation for designing garments for my book. I love knitting cables and my favorite yarn for making any aran garment is Mostly Merino Lightweight Yarn, made of 77% merino/fine wool and 23% mohair (56 g/ 2 oz, 228 m/250 yds) because it creates sculptural cables with a lot of give to them. See www.mostlymerino.com

This swatch is knitted with a rich red called October, chosen among 29 hand-dyed colours available, on 3mm/US 2-3. These cables are used together with a woven cable and a large basket pattern in an Aran Bolero with a belt, the garment chosen to be on the cover. Soon to be released, I hope.

photograph: Guri Pfeifer

Tencel is another favourite yarn I have discovered, fairly recently, made of cellulose and is a newer version of rayon. It has a fabulous drape and shine in addition to feeling like wearing silk, but unlike silk it can be pulled into shape and hides all unevenness. This is WEBS’s own Valley Yarn Tencel 8/2, (453 g/1 lb cone, approx. 3072m/3360 yds) knitted double on a 3mm/US 2-3. See www.yarn.com

The swatch below shows it in Taupe and the pattern chosen is called Alternated Twists, which creates an intricate cross effect and look a lot more complicated than it is to knit. I have designed a cross over jacket in this pattern.

photograph: Guri Pfeifer

Huldra Kamgarn from Hifa, made of Norwegian wool, comes in a huge selection of beautiful clear colours (82 in total) which has a beautiful stitch definition. It is made of 100 % wool, knits on a 3mm/US 2-3, and comes on 200 g/0.4 lb cones (850 m/929 yds) See www.ull.no

I chose this dropped stitch pattern, created by Lynne Barr – see her stunning book Reversible Knitting – for a Japanese inspired Vest that has only 1 armhole, large enough to fit both arms, which can be used loose and long or pinned up with a shawl pin.

photograph: Guri Pfeifer

Another swatch knitted in Mostly Merino Lightweight yarn, in a rich Granite colour, in a pleat pattern that creates an added dimension in knitwear. The swatch looks like it has been felted, but it has only been lightly steamed and stretched. I have designed a cropped cardigan using this stitch pattern and a scarf collar knitted in a cabled rib cord pattern. I hope to show you pictures taken by book photographer Kim Müller soon…

Photograph: Guri Pfeifer

Photograph: Mathias Fossum

Professional make-up and hair styling was a priority for my book, since I wanted hairdressing and make-up for different occasions well fitted to the knitted garments. After exhausting all my contacts and asking all the make-up artists I had contacted for their further recommendations without success. I remembered how stunning my sister-in-law looked on her wedding day and asked about her make-up artist. Line Sekkingstad Sigberg works for NRK (Norwegian State Television) and teaches at the Tone Lise Academy, which educates Beauticians and Make-up Artists, and started her career as a hairdresser. Line agreed to participate in my project, albeit at a reduced rate, since it was an exciting project and the styling was well planned. Above you can see a photo from one of her earlier projects, see www.linesekkingstad.com

I had prepared an outline of what I wanted her to do. Each look had a series of photographs to go with it:

1. Natural look: where Anna is wearing oversized sweaters and shawls by Nøklevann, in Marka (a lake in the forest that surrounds Oslo).
2. Vintage look: where Anna and Francesca are wearing either a fitted party sweater, by Nøklevann, or jackets with puffed sleeves at the Ekeberg Restaurant, high on the hill overlooking Oslo.
3. Party look: where Francesca has her amazing waist long hair in a beautiful bun wearing knitted jackets and a tutu at the Ekeberg Restaurant. Plus where Kari-Anne has her Norwegian blond hair in a bun wearing a knitted skirt at Aker Brygge, with a background view of the Oslo Fjord.
4. Ballerina look: where Cristiane has her beautiful hair in a tight bun, wearing an old Swan Lake tutu and pointe shoes, at the Architectural Museum.
5. Smoky eyes: where both Francesca and Cristiane are wearing grey or black garments against the concrete wall surroundings at the Architectural Museum.

Line did a magnificent job, using her vast artistic hair and make-up skills, and I look forward to showing you the result shortly.

From the very beginning, I wanted professional dancers with their total body awareness as models for my hand knitting book. Their elegance, pose and superb posture has attracted me from my childhood days. The last few years we have seen the inspiration and athleticism they bring to fashion. After searching in both London and Oslo I received positive response from both Francesca Golfetto and Cristiane Sá, from the National Ballet in Oslo, they gave my book an extra dimension. See www.operaen.no

Francesca took us by storm, with her waist long dark hair and long lashes, and stopped all activity around us at Aker Brygge (a quay by the Oslo Fjord), on a sunny Friday afternoon in early September, while Kim Müller, photographed her.  Take another look at the photo above and you’ll understand what I mean.

After several years working as a PR consultant for architectural firms, I decided it was time to find a job related to my hobby, read obsession of, knitting. I found an ad in an Rowan Magazine where they advertised for Design Consultants. Luckily, I was called in for an interview and spent the next few days memorizing english knitting terms and abbreviations since I, at that time, only knew all the Norwegian ones. Well, I did get the job, first at Peter Jones department store in London, and no they did not ask me to list all the english knitting abbreviations!

During my time as Design Consultant, both at Peter Jones and John Lewis department stores, where I assisted customers, on yarn choice and pattern, and professional designers tutoring workshops, I developed my knitting technical expertise. With access to shade cards, free Rowan magazines and a direct line to the design department, I was close to ecstasy. The love I have for shade cards has only increased with time.

It is a great idea to order a shadecard first to see the real colour, always together with a magazine or some sample yarn to maximize the postage cost, before you order online. Most yarn producers have these for sale, especially in yarns with numerous colours like e.g. Spindrift (180 colours) made by Jamieson, www.jamiesonsofshetland.co.uk and they are beautiful just to look at.

Professional finishing, was a workshop tutored by Jane Crowfoot, see blogroll Janie Crow, and taught me a lot of new techniques and good tips I have later given to knitters attending my workshop, with the same name, at Loop. A few key tips are:

1. Knit both sleeves at the same time on a circular needle. Cast on for one with one ball and pull them onto the cord, with a new ball cast on for the second one. When you need to increase you do it on both of them on the same row.
2. Sew up as you go along: if you are making a sweater, join a shoulder when the back and the front is finished. You can pick up for the neck as well as work on the sleeves at the same time. It makes it a lot more exciting to finish your garment and minimizes the time spent of finishing at the end.
3. Sew up stitch by stitch. Think about how you knitted it and that is how you should sew it up. What stitch you use does not make a huge difference but the size of the stitch does. A mattress stitch can create an invisible seam, depending on the pattern. I prefer crochet slip stitch but do occasionally chose mattress stitch.
4. The best videos I have come across so far, this search never ends, are the ones on www.garnstudio.com Tips & Help, Tutorial videos, Knitting, (or Crocheting: slip stitch: go through both pieces instead of just the one.) choose language under column About our videos. There is no audio but they are clear without it. Try it!

How do you find the perfect model for a knitting book? I knew I wanted at least a couple of dancers if not four. I started by asking designer friends and then all my other friends.

Anna is a 17 year old dance student and one of four models chosen for my book. I found her details at my publishing house, Cappelen Damm. This fantastic picture is taken by her mum, Guri Pfeifer, who is a talented photographer (see under blogroll) Anna is wearing one of the sweaters I have designed and which is featured in my book due out late January. It is knitted in Jaggerspun Zephyr Lace, a lustrous blend of tussah silk and merino, held double. A sneak peak will appear soon! Anna is the youngest of the four models chosen.

High on the list of places to visit while in Iceland is the Blue Lagoon, hot springs, located approximately 40 minutes outside of Reykjavik. A body massage which takes place in the water, was a must according to a good friend of mine. Take any appointment you can have, was the advice. And yes, I did follow it. www.bluelagoon.com

From quite a distance to the Blue Lagoon you can spot the steam, among all the volcanic stones covered in moss. It has a scenic beauty that takes your breath away. With only a few degrees above 0, you do not feel the cold due to the warm geothermal seawater holding a constant 37-39°C / 98-102°F. The composition of minerals in the water is very distinctive and has a high level of silica, which is available in wooden boxes around the Lagoon. It cleanses and exfoliates your skin and you are recommended to leave it on your skin for 10 to 15 minutes. People with scary white faces, covered in Silica mud, appears out of the steam constantly while you move around in the Lagoon.

A small part of the Lagoon is reserved for treatments and massages. A tag gave me the access to it. While I was waiting for my masseur, an Asian woman I thought in my ignorance, a blond bodybuilder of an Icelandic man appeared. He was indeed my masseur and had very strong hands. Floating in the mineral-rich water, on a yoga mat, surrounded by the natural elements and pure Icelandic air, was a unique experience for body and mind. While my body was swirling slowly around in the lagoon, I was watching the blue sky and the steam surrounding me, I could feel my tensions float away, just as my mind did.  My advice is take any appointment for a massage you can have. You will not regret it…

I prepared for my trip to Iceland as all knitters do by searching for yarn shops on the internet. To my delight I found Knitting Iceland, a miniature knitting kingdom filled with excursions, workshops, an online shop and a knit cafe: Iceland a place for knitters… Well worth checking out, so I contacted Ragga the founder by e-mail and set up a meeting. While I was waiting for her, I had to familiarize myself with the place. I found the notification that she had indeed adopted a sheep, a large selection of Icelandic yarn Lopi in different thicknesses and colours, tons of knitting magazines (like we all do have) and her DVD. Ragga kindly offered me a copy of her ‘Knit your own Lopapeysa’, which shows you her adopted sheep, how it is sheared, how the yarn is dyed at Istex and made ready to knit with, and of course how to knit a typical Icelandic sweater along with Ragga’s modern technical twists.

The DVD is such a delight. It gives you an insight into her knitting life and the opportunity to learn some great new techniques. I love seeing all the Icelanders she has captured wearing their sweaters at the supermarket as well as how Ragga treats her friends to waffles, that look just like the Norwegian ones do. It can be bought from her web store www.knittingiceland.is

One of next year tours, organized by Knitting Iceland, is Knit to the Music with guest tutor Cookie A, a very talented sock designer with vast knitting knowledge. So far I have only done one of her workshops, at Knit Nation, called Knitting off the Grid and it was brilliant! Check out her website: www.cookiea.com

One of Knitting Iceland’s partners is the Handknitting Association of Iceland, they have several shops which offer stacks of handknitted Icelandic sweaters, made by their members, as well as a collection of Lopi yarn in different thicknesses. www.handknit.is I was surprised to find a couple of Norwegian brands among the Icelandic ones, both Rauma and Sandnes Garn supplemented with Norwegian patterns were available. Inevitably I had to invest in Icelandic yarn and chose the lace weight Lodband. What I will design with it, remains a mystery, but I will keep you posted…

Arriving in downtown Reykjavik in mid October at 2.30 AM in a traffic jam was a totally new experience to me. It felt like we were part of the cult film 101 Reykjavik, directed by Baltasar Kormákur, filming one of the many party scenes in the film. But then reality kicked in: there was a music festival on, and the whole of Reykjavik seem to be most alive during the evening and throughout the whole night. This picture is taken from the church tower of Hallgrimskirkja, well worth a visit since it displays this lovely view of Reykjavik from above.

Reykjavik feels like the smallest capital ever, so it is ideal to stroll around as long as you are prepared for the fire some wind that wants to lift you off your feet all the time. The numerous trendy designer shops and avantgarde art galleries as well as the stunning nature all over Iceland makes it a trip of a life time. Iceland, vi sees! I recognized a lot of words from Norwegian and we found a lot of young Icelanders keen to speak the Danish they have been taught at school. Long time ago the three languages were one…

In the evening we tested out some of the restaurants and their seafood was delicious. At Fishmarket, www.fiskmarkadurinn.is, I ate giant King Crab Claws, gratinated with chilli mayo, expertly laser-cut so that I could dig in easily. I can only recommend you test it, when you go…My husband and I stayed at the stunning Hotel Borg, surrounded by luxury in Art Deco that opened in 1930, located in the heart of Reykjavik in a square next to the Parliament and the old cathedral. I loved the custom-made plush leather chairs, ideal for resting tired legs. You can find it here http://en.hotelborg.is