Category Archives: Knitting

Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum: Canola

Posted on by

Next out in the series of designs photographed at the Vigeland Museum is the poncho I have designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. Named after Canola the Irish deity who ruled over music magic is this poncho with sideways cables at the bottom and on the high collar. The upper part is picked up and knitted from the lower cable panel and worked in stockinette stitch with shaping for the shoulders. The short sleeves in rib hold the poncho together. You can wear it with a belt or a shawl pin to gather it at the front or loose, just as you prefer. Model Emma Ross, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, wore the poncho beautifully, and photographer Eivind Røhne captured these brilliant pictures at the Vigeland Museum back in November.

I styled Canola with pencil pants and Benedetta high wedge boots from Monica Stålvang, to show off the oversized fit, and did also add a belt to the front. Canola comes in one size and has a 194 cm/76.5″ circumference and a 74.5 cm/29.25″ length, the sleeves which are worked separately are 32 cm/12.5″ long.

The sample is knitted in Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde pelt wool yarn made of 100% pelt wool with 260 meters/284 yards per 100 gram skein in the divine shade of Burgundy 2104, using 3.5 mm/US 4. The gauge used is 21 stitches and 30 rows in stockinette stitch. 

The body is knitted in four parts with cables on bottom part and stockinette stitch on the upper part. A long circular needle is used to accommodate the large number of stitches. The sleeves are knitted in the round in rib.The collar is knitted separately using a provisional cast-on so that the ends can be grafted together. If you prefer to have the collar loose, pick up and knit stitches around the neck and work an I-cord bind-off.

The Norwegian pattern and yarn kit will be launched at “Fagstrikk (Knits trade fair)” in Oslo in April, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group beginning on 15th of April before its release.

Share

Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum: Corra

Posted on by

Let me present Corra worn by model Emma Ross, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, brilliantly captured by photographer Eivind Røhne at the Vigeland Museum in November last year. Corra is made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and knitted in their divine Tinde pelt wool yarn in the blue turquoise colour 2129. The colour does look gorgeous on Em, I think. I choose to style it with black pencil pants and Benedetta high wedge boots from Monica Stålvang.

Named after the Prophecy Goddess is this elaborate cabled pullover with slightly fitted waist. Two large cable panels are divided by a small cable that ends in a Henley neck, framed with an I-cord. Unlike the body the sleeves only have two small cables surrounded by stockinette stitch, so all the focus is on the body. Corra is knitted in pieces and seamed.

Em is wearing size S, but I have graded the pattern in sizes XS to 2XL, with a bust circumference of 86 cm to 126 cm/33.75 to 49.5″. The pullover is knitted with a 21 stitches and 30 rows gauge in stockinette stitch using 3.5 mm/US 4 needles, measures 10 cm/4″ square. Corra is photographed in the Monolith Hall, with the plaster models made by Gustav Vigeland as casts in parts for the granite 17.3 meter tall/56 feet and 9.1″ Monolith (the center piece of the Vigeland Park in Oslo); a column consisting of 121 figures. The figurine part is 14.2 meter/46 feet and 7″ tall, excluding the plinth. Carved from one single granite block, hence the name (mono: one, litho: stone). Take a look at Em in front of the Monolith in this blogpost: Behind the Scenes Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum.

The Norwegian pattern and yarn kit will be launched at “Fagstrikk (Knits trade fair)” in Oslo in April, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group beginning on 18th of March before its release. It was like a dream to spend the whole day, surrounded by all these amazing sculptures, in the company of only the curators and my crew! Thank you!

Share

Patent Poncho in Familien 04/19

Posted on by

For the second time around, the Patent Poncho has been featured in the Norwegian bi-weekly magazine Familien, I am pleased to say. The first time was in the special issue Familien Strikkebok that came out in August in 2013, then with photos taken by their in-house photographer Esten Borgos. These new photos were taken at Ingierstrand Bad, just outside of Oslo in May in 2017 by Eivind Røhne. Alexandria Eissinger, with hair & makeup by Jens J. Wiker and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, looks stunning in it. Check out the selfie posture, in this blogpost: Behind the Scenes Photoshoot at Ingierstrand Bad.

Inspired by all the Fisherman’s rib patterns in fashion, I have designed a poncho in an oversized sweater style with longs splits in the side. The poncho is knitted in parts to create a contrast between the unstructured cable and the linear rib, called patent in Norwegian. The large splits on the sides make the poncho less voluminous. The sleeves are knitted long, to keep you warm on cold days. The poncho is knitted in a beautiful Camel Brown Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Ask, a pure wool with plenty of bounce, using a 3 mm/US 2.5 knitting needles.

The poncho is one size with a 150 cm/59”  bust circumference. The side and back view are also shown next to the pattern on the following two pages. Both the English and the Norwegian pattern is available from both Ravelry and from Loveknitting.

Share

Irpa Knitted by Siret

Posted on by

I wanted to share this gorgeous version of Irpa knitted by Siret in Brooklyn Tweed Loft. Siret test knitted the jacket for me in size medium, and made it for her daughter, who wears the jacket in these photos. The Brooklyn Tweed Loft is finer than the original yarn Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Tinde, and Siret had a 23 stitch gauge instead of a 21 stitch gauge. The photographs are taken in the largest bog of Saaremaa (Estonian island in the Baltic Sea) – Koigi bog. “The bog is an important place of nesting and passing through for birds”, writes Siret on her project page.

“My daughter wanted a warm and big cardigan. It should be yellow! And Linda Marveng’s Irpa was the right one. Irpa is gorgeous cabled cardigan with v-neck. Linda designed Irpa to be oversized. She used an amazing Pine cable pattern which cover the center of the back. One pattern repeat is on the front panel and sleeves. Another wonderful knit from Linda Marveng!” You can find Siret as kollane on Ravelry and as siretsini on Instagram.

“Only 18 grams of yarn remained of the 8 skeins because my gauge was not the same as in pattern.” Siret had to adjust the needle size down to 2.75 mm/US 2 and 3 mm/US 2.5 to match the yarn thickness. I am so thrilled that she test knitted this for me, and took all these wonderful photos using her mobile phone. Thank you so much, Siret!

The pattern, in both English and Norwegian, is available on Ravelry and on Loveknitting.  My  introduction to it is: Irpa is Norse for dark brown and suited this long oversized cardigan with a v-neck and a slight shaping for waist. Pine cable cover the center back, while only one pattern repeat adorns the fronts and sleeve. A wide rib makes this casual jacket a perfect extra layer to the Sigyn dress.

Share

Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum: Aibell

Posted on by

The next set of photos I am going to show you is the Aibell, the dress I made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, knitted in the divine Tinde pelt wool yarn. This was actually the first garment we photographed at the Vigeland Museum at our photoshoot in November. So while Sissel Fylling was working on Emma Ross’ hair and makeup, Eivind Røhne and I looked at the different halls and what we wanted as the backdrop to the different designs. We were awestruck by the large plaster sculptures in the Monolitt Hall and decided to start there. I styled the dress with boots from Monica Stålvang and statement jewellery from Kaja Gjedebo Design. Em did look magnificent in the dress. First I wanted to show you how I prefer the dress, simply hanging down and with the cowl worn as a collar.

I did have a hard time choosing photos, especially for this dress since I also wanted to show off the different ways it can be worn. Here is my introduction to the dress: Named after the Celtic Goddess of Munster who had a magical harp in her possession is this ballon shaped dress where the shaping is done by the cables. The a-line created by the cables is mirrored on the body. The fronthas Right cables beginning at hip one at a time, while the back has Left cables. A cowl make a high cabled collar or a belt. Wear it loose hanging down, slightly pulled up or as a tunic with the rib turned.

Aibell is knitted in Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde pelt wool yarn made of 100% pelt wool with 260 meters/284 yards per 100 grams using 3.5 mm/US 4 and 3 mm/US 2.5 for the bottom rib. The gauge is 21 stitches and 30 rows in stockinette stitch measures 10 cm/4″ square.

The dress is knitted in pieces and seamed. The cables shape the dress, by adding one cable at a time. Add elastic to the bottom if you prefer to wear it higher up. Adjust the length in the stocking stitch area, depending on how you prefer to wear it. The cowl can easily be adjusted to your preferred height by adding cable repeats or purl stitches in between the cables.

Next view is the rib pulled up. Em is wearing size Small with a bust circumference of 92 cm/36.25 but the pattern has been graded from size XS to 2XL: 86 to 122 cm/33.75 to 48″.

Here is how it looks slightly pulled up from the back.

My last option was to pull the rib inside out and using it as interfacing for a tunic. Here you can see it without the cowl. The neck has an I-cord bind off.

 A close up photo with the cowl, showing the dress worn as a tunic from the back.

Just before Em went to put on trousers for the photos with the dress worn as a tunic, Sissel had an idea. It was a revelation really. She suggested using the cowl as a belt. So we had a go at helping Em putting on the cowl.

It is not a look that will suit everyone but I did love seeing this trendy young look, so thank you Sissel for that idea! You can easily adjust the cowl or belt to your own preference.

Here is the final photo I will show you of Aibell and it is just in time for the test knit which begins on Monday in my Ravelry group. The English pattern will be released after the test knit is completed with the Norwegian pattern and yarn kits will be launched by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk at “Fagstrikk” in Oslo in April. I am so thrilled with all these photos! Thank you to my amazing team!

Share

Irpa Pattern Released

Posted on by

The test knit of the long oversized Irpa cardigan finished in January and the pattern in English, in addition to the Norwegian one, is now available from Ravelry and Loveknitting. My test knitters did a fantastic job making their own versions and you can see their results on the pattern page on Ravelry. Above is the gorgeous Emma Ross, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling, jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, wearing Irpa knitted in Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde, brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne at the end of May last year at Villa Malla.

Irpa is Norse for dark brown and suited this long oversized cardigan with a v-neck and a slight shaping for waist. Pine cable cover the center back, while only one pattern repeat adorns the fronts and sleeve. A wide rib makes this casual jacket a perfect extra layer to the Sigyn dress.

Sizes: S (M, L, XL, 2XL)

Finished measurements:
Bust: 110 (118, 130, 142, 154) cm/43.25 (46.5, 51.25, 56, 60.75)“
Bottom width: 116 (124, 136, 148, 160) cm/45.75 (48.75, 53.5, 58.25, 63)”
Length: 78 (79, 80, 81, 82) cm/30.75 (31, 31.5, 32, 32.25)“
Sleeve length: 46 (46, 47, 47) cm/18 (18, 18.5, 18.5)”

Yarn: Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde Pelsull (100% pelt wool, 260 m/284 yds, 100 g). The sample is knitted in Light Brown 2102; 7 (7, 8, 8, 9) skeins; 1638 (1820, 2002, 2184, 2366) m/1791 (1990, 2189, 2478) yds.
https://www.ull.no/produktkategori/garn/ullgarn/norsk-pel…

Alternative Yarns: Berroco, Ultra Alpaca Light (50% alpaca, 50% wool, 50 g, 133 m/144 yds). http://www.berroco.com/yarns/berroco-ultra-alpaca-light
Jamieson’s, Double Knitting (100% wool, 25 g, 75 m/82 yds).
http://www.jamiesonsofshetland.co.uk/spindrift-and-double…
Rowan, Tweed (100% wool, 50 g, 118 m/129 yds).
http://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/rowan-tweed
Malabrigo, Arroyo, (100% superwash merino, 100 g, 306 m/335 yds).
http://www.malabrigoyarn.com/subyarn.php?id=29
Or another DK/8 ply yarn.

Needles: 3 mm/US 2.5 circular needle for rib and buttonband (2 sets of 80 cm/32 or 100 cm/38”)
3.5 mm/US 4 straight needle.
Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge

Notions: 11 buttons 20 mm/0.78”. Stitch markers (removable), cable needle and yarn needle.

Gauge: 21 sts and 30 rows in st st using 3.5 mmm/US 4 needle measures 10 cm/4” square, after blocking.
28-sts Pine Cable measures 10 cm/4” across.

Notes: The cardigan is knitted in pieces and seamed. The second part of the v-neck decreases on the fronts moves to the opposite side of the cable in order for the cable to continue to the shoulder.

Share

Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum: Tweed Jacket and Dewdrop Cowl

Posted on by

I am delighted to show you the fantastic new photos of my old design Tweed Jacket and Dewdrop Cowl, both from my Norwegian knitting book that was published in 2012: “To rett, en vrang. Designstrikk” (only translated into Finnish). I do love the old photos of ballerina Cristiane Sá, but she is wearing a tutu so I thought some new ones would be good and I had room for one more garment in our photoshoot at the Vigeland Museum in November. Gorgeous model Emma Ross looks stunning in the jacket with the Dewdrop Cowl, worn together with Judith Bech’s stunning skirt. Em’s make up and hair is by Sissel Fylling and jewellery is by Kaja Gjedebo Design. Em is captured by Eivind Røhne in front of the impressive cast iron dragon, a sample for the Vigeland Park Gates.

Eivind and I agreed that the dragon added the drama we wanted to the photos. The Tweed Jacket is inspired by Christopher Kane’s elegant tweed version. Mine has sleeves in stranded colour work in stockinette stitch as a contrast to the tweed pattern, made with slipped stitches on the body and a fitted waist. The tweed jacket has been given a vintage look by using the fine lace weight Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Alv combed yarn held double.

The Dewdrop Cowl is made of left over yarn from the jacket and I also choose to make a larger Cowl, which can be worn on top of each other and with wrist warmers, in the fingering Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Huldra in a beautiful dark rose red colour. I wanted to add some colour to the outfit and thought this was a magnificent solution. I love the way Sissel knotted Em’s hair in some of these photos!

Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Alv is a laceweight yarn made in 100% combed wool on a 200 gram cone with 1400 meters/1532 yards, which I held double for a machine knitted effect.  The gauge is 30 stitches and 31 rounds/rows in the sleeve pattern in stranded colourwork in stockinette stitch and 27 stitches and 60 rows in Tweed pattern, both with 2 strands held together using 3 mm/US 2.5 needles. The tweed pattern takes 3 colours: 2 greys and 1 black, while the stranded colour work is done in the darkest grey and black.

The body of the jacket is worked in parts and sewed together, while the sleeves are knitted in in the round up to the armholes. The double hems are worked in 2.5 mm/US 1.5 needle, while the other parts are made in 3 mm/US 2.5 needles.

Em is wearing size small with a bust and hip circumference of 90 cm/35.5″, but I have revised the English pattern, made the sleeves wider at the top and added an XL size with these measurements: 106 cm/43″. I also sent the revised pattern to my technical editor Barbara Khouri. It will be added to Ravelry and Loveknitting shortly, together with the Dewdrop Cowl pattern.

The Norwegian pattern will be printed in the magazine Familien at a later date. I am ever so thrilled with these new photos, so thank you to my amazing team!

Share

Nordic Living Fair at Lillestrøm January 2019

Posted on by

Oslo Design Fair is now only once a year in August, while the fair in January is re-named “Nordic Living” with more focus on Interiors, but both are taking place at Norway Trade Fairs at Lillestrøm (outside of Oslo). Hence Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk did not have a stand at this trade fair. Michael and I went on Wednesday, the opening and press day. As you can see in these photos there were less people than usual visiting the fair.

This is the main exhibition in Hall C, presenting the topic of this fair: Embracing Change. One of the quotes on the wall read: “Embracing change in all aspects of life, gives room to humanly development.” The fair’s website reveals that: “Nordic Living is directed towards lifestyle and retail. First and foremost it is a buyers’ fair with exhibitors in focus, but it will also offer a program and inspiration”.

I was intrigued by the new Swedish designer who is taking over after Solveig Hisdal, who is retiring, at Oleana (and do notice where they photographed their Autumn/Winter 2018 collection). She has a very different style to Hisdal but the knitwear and the fabrics are still all made in Norway. The black dress in the background is woven in a Wool and Linen mixture, resulting in a jeans like fabric.

Now, in Hall B there were still a number of yarn producers: Rauma, House of Yarn, Sandnes, Permin (Danish), Cewec (Danish) and Viking Garn among others. I spoke to some of the exhibitors and find it useful to hear their take on the latest trends and their best sellers. Mohair yarn and especially thick mohair yarn knitted up into straight sweater with a bit of lace or cable and wide sleeves seemed to be The trend. To me this is a return to the 80’s and best suited for teenagers or skinny women (or in the past…).

Above are some of the new designs made for House of Yarn. As usual I met up with designer and author Tove Fevang, handicraft editor for the magazine “Familien” Åse Myhrvold Egeland and designer Bente Presterud Røvik. For the first time I also met Trine Lise Høyseth, another freelance designer working a lot for House of Yarn. We all had lunch and talked about designing and the social media pressure.

Even the product exhibition in the street with the entrance to all the halls was smaller than usual and only in one part and on one side of it. Michael and I also had a second coffee with Åse later in the afternoon before we headed off to the train station to meet friends visiting from London. I must admit that I enjoyed the fair and the opportunity to meet people I work with.

Share

Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum: White Mountain Ruana

Posted on by

Next out is the White Mountain Ruana, worn by the gorgeous model Emma Ross, with Hair & Make up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne at the Vigeland Museum. The Ruana was an accepted design submission to Interweave Knits Winter 2018, knitted in the divine Shibui Knits Maai; a chainette yarn made of 70% superbaby alpaca, 30% fine merino, with 160 meters/175 yards on each 50 gram skein. I chose to style it with black pencil trousers, a black top and black sculptural shoes by Amanda Skovgaard so the lovely brick colour would stand out.

Voluptuous, luxurious, and enveloping, the White Mountain Ruana is a chic layer perfect for winter wanderings. The overlapping fronts can be worn loose or closed with snap fasteners and an I-cord tie. An easy-to-knit allover ripple rib pattern gives this ruana an elegant texture; garter stitch on the collar offers contrast to the body. I love the contrast in texture and colour to the plaster sculptures in the Monolith Hall. You can see Em in front of the finished granite Monolith sculpture in the Vigeland Park in this blogpost: Behind the Scenes: Photoshoot at Vigeland Museum.

The Ruana is worked back and forth in pieces and seamed. A provisional cast on is replaced by an I-cord bind off, at the end. Stitches are cast-on for the width of the sleeve parts. The sleeve parts are identical for all sizes but the larger sizes end in a shorter rib that are picked up and knitted at the end. Two I-cords are made for a tie; one part is attached to the collar and the other to the inside seam. Three snap fasteners are sewed on along seam under arm on Right Front with the corresponding parts on the inside of the collar.

I chose this second side photo since it shows the ruana closed and the first one since you can see the snap fasteners. The White Mountain Ruana is knitted with a 25 stitch and 32 rows in Ripple Rib gauge measuring 10 cm/4” square using a 4 mm/US 6 needle. It was the first time I tried a Shibui Knits yarn and definitely not the last, since they have an impressive selection of luxurious yarns.

Em is wearing size Extra Small/Small, but the pattern is also available in sizes M/L and XL/2XL with a bust measurement (including sleeveparts) of 217 (234, 250) cm/85.5 (92.25, 98.5)” and a lower circumference: 151 (167.5, 184) cm/59.5 (66, 72.5)”. The English pattern is available on Ravelry and on Loveknitting. The Norwegian pattern will be printed in the magazine Familien at a later date. These photos convey the casual stylish look I was aiming for! So thank you to my fabulous team!

Share

Book Launch at Cappelen Damm: Inspirerende norske strikkemønstre

Posted on by

Last week I went to a book launch at Cappelen Damm together with designer Eline Oftedal. The new book is by Wenche Roald, while her inspiration and the first Norwegian stitch pattern book, included inside, is by Annichen Sibbern Bøhn. The turnout was astonishing, I cannot remember last time there were so many people there. The number of designers present was equally impressive and I had the chance to meet some designers who I have worked with or know on Facebook, but not met in real life: Kristin Holte, Tori Seierstad and Lene Tøsti. In addition Annemor Sundbø together with stylist Kristin Elise Halkjelsvik came. And Annichen Sibbern Bøhn was presented by researcher and author, Ingun Grimstad Klepp and co-author and journalist Tone Skårdal Tobiasson, see below. An evening highlight for me was to meet Marianne Skatten again, after first meeting her at the knitting festival in Fredrikstad, this time she was wearing her Prescott dress version, modified from my  Prescott Pullover. Everywhere I turned, there were familiar faces, of knitters I have met previously. It was definitely the place to be for knitters on Thursday evening in Oslo.

All Norwegian knitters with an interest in our knitting history know the name Annichen Sibbern Bøhn, since she made the first stitch pattern book in Norwegian, published in 1929. The book has been reprinted several times, the last one in 1947 and yet it has been out of print for several decades. Wenche discovered a tired looking issue at her local library and has used it as a starting point for her book. In addition Font Forlag – an imprint of Cappelen Damm – decided to make another reprint of Sibbern Bøhn’s book in its original edition which is a booklet size and included in Wenche’s book. Now, I am sure you understand the huge turnout. Eline and I was sitting on the back row as you can see part of in the photo below. Wenche used yarn from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and they had a stand selling yarn kits, that was very popular. Here is link to my favourite design from Wenche’s book: Favorittgenseren for dame.

Wenche has re-worked some of Sibbern Bøhn’s patterns but also designed new garments with the stitch patterns in the book and talked us through her process. There are a total of 34 patterns in Wenche’s book, garments, accessories for women, men and children. Just as Sibbern Bøhn did, Wenche wants to inspire us to use her patterns or play with the stitch patterns. After the presentations, there was a prize draw for yarn kits, then Wenche took her chair in the book shop and started signing books. I congratulated her on my way out, after this inspirational evening! The Norwegian book can be ordered from Cappelen Damm, you can see inside it here at issuu.com. Follow Wenche for update on an English translation and other news on her blog: knitnetty, Ravelry and on Instagram.

Share