New Design: Vela

Last summer I received a Facebook message from the acknowledged designer Elsebeth Lavold (Viking Patterns author)  that she and her husband musician-turned-photographer Anders Rydell would drive past our house on their way to her relatives in Norway, from their home in Stockholm, Sweden. She wrote that she would love to meet me in real life (IRL) and asked if I was up or inviting them for a cup of coffee or tea. It takes about 5 hours from Stockholm to our house, close to the Swedish border so I was happy to offer them lunch and asked if Elsebeth could bring a couple of balls of her two most popular yarns, Silky Wool and Hempathy. She asked what colours I preferred and I gave a few. A month later in June, they appeared and Elsebeth was bringing me several bags of yarns. She wanted me to have enough yarn to make a whole project. I was so taken back but extremely grateful and flattered.

I choose Kingfisher Blue 61 of Hempathy, a divine bright blue shade, and was given 10 balls. Hempathy is made of 41% cotton, 34% hemp, 25% synthetic fibres and comes in 50 gram balls with 140 meters/153 yards. It drapes lovely and has a melange look with an uneven texture. When I finally came around to testing it, I decided to hold it double and use a larger needle size a 5 mm/US 8. So guess what happened? I ran out of yarn! As luck would have it, I heard that my friend and agent Thomas Kvist of House of Hobbies had just made a deal with Knitting Fever to distribute all their yarns, including the Elsebeth Lavold Yarns. All I had to do was ask him to send me another bag of 10 balls and he did.

If you, like me, you might think that Elsebeth is American with Swedish decedents, due to the fact that her first book ‘Viking Patterns’ was published in the US and in Sweden, you are wrong. The fact is that she is half Norwegian and half Danish. I was very surprised to hear this, even more so since she speaks Norwegian, Danish, Swedish (they are all similar but with very different pronunciation) and American as a native, so I could not figure it out and had to ask her.

My idea for Vela was a trendy oversized summer sweater, knitted sideways with a center join made by a 3-needle bind off, so that it would hang perfectly on the body. I decided to make the sleeves narrow to make up for the oversized body. Maybe add a rib at the bottom at the end, or not. I wanted an easy pattern a combination of garter stitch, stockinette stitch and an eyelet row. When I tested them out in the yarn they nearly disappeared, hence I held two strands together and got the result I wanted. I ended up without the rib at the bottom of the body, since I liked it without any ribbing. The neckline on the other hand was given a twisted rib and so was the bottom of the sleeves.

With extra yarn left over, I decided to make a large cowl. In Norway the summer temperature can vary a lot and you might need a cowl. I also feel that a long cowl makes the pullover dressier. Here is the result, photographed on me down by our power station and the Halden Canal. I am wearing size XS/S and have graded it in two more sizes: M/L and XL/2XL.

Finally, here is a detailed photo of the back. I will come back to the date for the test knit later, when I have finished all the new designs for the photoshoot on Monday 27th of May at the Oslofjord Museum.

A longer version of this post can be seen on Patreon, as one of the sneak peeks I offer my patrons that support me. You can find me here: www.patreon.com/lindamarveng.

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New Design: Githa

XT1B1335I am busy preparing for my next photoshoot on Wednesday, which I look forward to despite the fact that I am still knitting on three of the nine new designs to be photographed. Today you can see more proof of why I choose to hire a professional model. Here is one of the new designs that is ready. Githa: A central wavy lace panel adorns this a-lined tunic tank with garter stitch bands. The lace pattern creates fans with boxes of garter stitch in between creating texture to the uneven chainette yarn made of a mixture of cotton, linen and viscose, Rowan Panama. The yarn makes the tunic tank easy to wear during the summer or for a party. A generous shaped cowl covers your shoulders and dress up the tunic tank to make a perfect set called Githa, from Anglo-Saxon; to give or a gift. The Norwegian pattern will be published in Familien Strikk at the end of August.

XT1B1338The tunic started its life as a top, and was rejected as a design submission twice. Firstly, because the whole collection collapsed. Secondly, because it did not fit into the magazine. The proposal was given new life with a longer body, and a scoop neck with an additional shaped cowl. The tunic pattern has been graded from size XS to 2XL, while the cowl comes in XS/S (M/L, XL/2XL).

XT1B1346The lovely slubby yarn has unfortunately been discontinued, but is still available to buy. It had already been knitted by the speedy sample knitter Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, before I found out. A number of alternative yarns has been listed in the pattern. Rowan Panama is listed as a fingering/4-ply yarn with a gauge of 27 stitches and 36 rows using a 3.25 mm/US 3. Neither Grete nor I managed to knit it at that gauge. I tried with a 3 mm/US 2.5 and ended up with 25 sts and 36 rows. It did however look too tight for the yarn, and I opted for the suggested needle size 3.25 mm/US 3 and a gauge of 24 sts and 32 rows instead. The yarn has been generously sponsored by Rowan Yarns’ Scandinavian Agent, Permin.

XT1B1343I am wearing size S and was trying to keep warm in the cold wind and drizzle. My husband was given the order of being quick to photograph me so I could put on more clothes. My favorite of these photos are definitely the back view. If the stitch pattern seem familiar to you, I can reveal that it is the same one I used for the Adoe jacket. I cannot wait to see how this will look on my stunning model Alexandria Eissinger. You wait and see.

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Oili Pattern Released

Oili COVER

The test knit of the English pattern to Oili is completed and I am happy to release the pattern on Ravelry. Oili was first published in Norwegian in Familien Strikk last August. Above you see it worn by the stunning model Anne Dorthe/Team Models, with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling, jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design all brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter last May. Here is my introduction to the pattern: Playful cables are the focus of this classic straight top, knitted in the round with each side marked by garter stitches. Narrow bands of garter stitch band frame the armholes, neckline and bottom edge. The top has a matching cowl, with cables all around. The set is knitted in a soft cotton tape yarn by Permin, called Bonnie, to make you feel like a divine woman – the meaning of the name Oili.

Sizes: Top: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). Cowl: One size

Finished measurements:  Top: Bust: 84.5 (92.5, 98, 106, 116, 126.5) cm/33.25 (36.25, 38.5, 41.75, 45.75, 49.75)” Length: 55 (57, 58.5, 59.5, 62, 64) cm/21.75 (22.5, 23, 23.5, 24.5, 25.25)”. Cowl: Circumference 40 cm/15.75″. Length: 128 cm/50.50″

Yarn: Permin, Bonnie (100% cotton, 50 g, 220 m/240 yds). Sample is knitted in Pale Blue 881017. http://www.permin.dk/uk/knitting-yarn/permin-knitting-yarn/bonnie.html Top: 4 (4, 5, 5, 5, 6) skeins; 739 (814, 888, 990, 1091, 1192) m/808 (890, 971, 1083, 1196, 1304) yds.  Cowl: 5 skeins; 977 m/1068 yds

 Yarn alternatives: See pattern page or choose another Sport/5 ply yarn.

Needles: 4 mm/US 6 circular needle (80 cm/32″) for top. 4 mm/US 6 circular needle (40 cm/16″) for cowl. 3.5 mm/US 4 circular needle (40 cm/16″) for bands. Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: 3 stitch markers, cable needle, waste yarn, 4 mm/F-5 crochet hook (for provisional cast-on) and yarn needle.

Gauge: 24 sts and 32 rows in st st using 4 mm/US 6 measures 10 cm/4″ square. 1 cable using 4 mm/US 6 measures 6 cm/2.25″ wide and 16 cm/6.25″ long.

Notes: The top is worked in the round to the armholes, then separated. The cowl is worked in the round as a long tube, and then the ends are joined together.

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Nuala Pattern Released

Nuala COVERWe seem to have skipped Spring in Oslo and went straight into Summer. A perfect time to release the English pattern of Nuala a straight summer shawl that can be buttoned into a shrug with a matching cowl. The pattern has been test knitted in my Ravelry group. The Norwegian pattern was published in Familien Julens Småstrikk last November. Above you see the set worn by model Anne Dorthe/Team Models with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling, jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design, all brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne. Here is my introduction to the pattern: An intricate woven lacy stitch pattern by Lynne Barr is highlighted with the cable structured Softknit Cotton by Rowan in this reversible rectangular shawl that can be buttoned into a shrug. Wear it with a cowl as a collar.

Size: One Size

Finished Measurement: Shawl: Width: 42.5 cm/16.75″. Length: 143 cm/56.25″ Cowl: Width: 70 cm/27.5″. Height: 28 cm/11″

Yarn: Rowan, Softknit Cotton (92% cotton, 8% polyamide, 50 g, 105 m/115 yds). Sample is knitted in Marina 580. https://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/softknit-cotton               Shawl: 6 skeins; 588 m/643 yds. Cowl: 2 skeins; 202 m/221 yds.

Needles: 4.5 mm/US 7 circular needle (60 cm/24″) for shawl and cowl. Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: 8 buttons (21 mm/0.82″), 4 stitch markers and yarn needle. 

Gauge: 17 sts and 25 rows in Dropped sts using 4.5 mm/US 7 measures 10 cm/4″ square. 20 sts and 28 rows in st st measures 10 cm/4″ square.

 Notes: The shawl and cowl are both knitted flat. You can easily adjust the width of the shawl and the circumference of the cowl by removing or adding pattern repeats of 9-sts. The first 4 buttonholes are worked on the RS, while the last 4 buttonholes are worked on the WS. Both are made using the same one-row method. The cowl is sewn together, but add buttonholes rows instead if you prefer and work selvedge st as on shawl.

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Open Triangles Wristwarmers & Cowl Pattern Released

The pattern rights have reverted to me from the magazine Familien and I am thrilled to release this pattern in both Norwegian and English in a downloadable pdf format available from my Ravelry store. The diagonal triangles with an opening on top makes you think of Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting the pyramids with the sun above. A delightful image for a cowl to warm your neck, or accessorise your dress. Fasten it if you wish, or wear it across one shoulder. Or why not use it double? The cowl and the matching wristwarmers are knitted in a lovely soft and warm mixture of merino and cotton called Lerke from Dale Yarn with a stunning stitch definition.

Size: Cowl: One women’s size. Wristwarmers: S/M (L/XL)

Finished measurements: Cowl: width: 25 cm/ 10’’, length: 124 cm/49’’. Wristwarmers: width at bottom: 24 (27) cm/9.5 (10.5’’), length: 30 cm/11.75”.

Yarn: Dale Yarn, Lerke (52% merino, 48% Egyptian cotton, 50 g, 115 m/125 yds): 6 (7) balls in sh 5845. See dalegarnCowl: approx 450 m/492 yds. Wristwarmers: approx 165 m/181 yds.

Yarn alternatives: Rowan Yarns, Wool Cotton (50% cotton, 50% merino wool, 50 g, 113 m/123 yds). See knitrowan. Or Hifa, Norsk Pelsull (100% Norwegian furwool, 100 g, 260 m/284 yds). See ull. Or a similar DK/8 ply yarn.

Needles: Straight or 60cm/24’’ circular needle 4mm/US 6 or size needed to match tension. Spare needle for 3 needle cast off if preferred.

Notions: Stitch markers, waste yarn for cowl cast on, and darning ndl.

Tension: 18 sts and 28 rows in Open Triangle Pattern equals 10 cm/4’’ square. 22 sts and 32 rows in st st equals 10cm/4” square.

Notes: Cowl and wristwarmers are knitted flat. Cowl is cast on using a temporary method, and then either grafted together or cast off with 3 needles. If you prefer to sew it together, use main yarn and cast on using your preferred method. Pattern contains video links to backward loop cast on, grafting and 3 needle cast off. In addition to chart & schematic.

Ravelry Store: Here is the link: ravelry.com/stores/linda-marveng. If you like my designs, please join my group, where another test knit will start on Friday; Regal Purple Jacket.

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New Design: Regal Purple Jacket

I am thrilled to present my latest design, complete: Regal Purple Jacket. The vibrant, rich purple catch my attention and demanded to be chosen out of the 62 marvelous colours on offer in Perle, meaning pearl in Norwegian, a divine mercerized 4-ply/fingering cotton with a crisp stitch definition from Hifa, see ull. I chose a pattern, I have named Flower Wave, which is half lace and half garter stitch hence easy to memorize. With garter stitch inside the pattern it also became the obvious choice for the edging. Regal Purple Jacket has an A-line shape with added garter stitches in the side for decreasing, with short sleeves and a V-neck with a garter stitch then stocking stitch band. It is knitted flat and sewn together to give stability to the garment. The pattern has been sold to the Norwegian magazine Familien where it will be printed next spring/summer.

As a contrast and an add on, I decided it needed an accessory so I made a cowl, made all in stocking stitch with stripes in reverse stocking stitch, knitted as a tube I turned so I could continue to knit instead of purling to make the stripes, and grafted it together at the end. I still have a bit of work left on the pattern (read: grading) but I am pleased with the result!

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Accessories – the small touches of joy!

I have been reading Hadley Freeman, fashion journalist in The Guardian, and had to laugh when she asks “how many accessories is too many accessories? When you rattle? When you have no spare hands and you haven´t left the house yet?” I do have amazing jewelry from Monies (if you didn’t know, see here: monies-jewellry) that rattle hence I do not wear it often enough, but looking at fashion icon Iris Apfel I know I should! Due to the relative cool spring we are having here in Oslo, I am still wearing cowls and will continue to design those until I tire of wearing them. The key, says Hadley Freeman of the guardian, is to have fun and enjoy the small touches of joy, accessories truly are and to wear them in a way that is comfortable for you.

The American businesswoman and Interior Decorator, Iris Apfel’s bold choice of jewelry, magnetic bright colors in her fashionable clothing and distinctive glasses makes her one of a kind. Well into her eighties she is an icon, going where others would not dare to go. I have been drooling over the magnificent photos of equally stunning clothing and jewelry in the book, based on the exhibition of Iris Apfel’s fashion collection, by Eric Boman: Rare Bird of Fashion, The Irreverent Iris Apfel, published by Thames & Hudson. Harold Koda, Curator of The Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York describe her so well in his introduction: “Even in the flock of New York style setters, she stands apart as a rare bird. Mrs. Apfel, who has the gift of an “eye” that can ferret out treasures from a morass of flea-market junk and mark-down racks, is endowed with the yet rarer ability to collage objects of autonomously assertive beauty into compositions of a larger, unified whole. Her joy of the hunt has resulted in a collection of astonishing beauty, but it is in the incorporation of her treasures into her daily life that they take on a fuller conceptual richness.” The book is available at amazon and in Norway at tanum.

I find the photos a true inspiration, the colour and jewelry combinations pure bliss. When creating my own book I had a vision that I wanted a similar bold, lavish and generous layout in my book. I did tell my editor about my visions, and she gently brought me down to earth. At least I believe I managed to capture inspiration and I have been told that I have made people who don’ knit take up their knitting needles. And that makes me proud as well as humble! I will continue to design garments with accessories, because I believe those small (read: at times rather large accessory projects like the cowl above photographed by Kim Müller) makes a difference to the look of the garment itself, adding another layer of joy!

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Professionally photographed: Cablewing Sweater & Cowls

I am pleased to show you my Flettevinger/Cablewing Sweater with cowls plus the Tweed Cowl stunningly photographed by Esten Borgos on behalf of the Norwegian Magazine Familien/The Family. Unfortunately, I do not have a publication date yet, but will keep you posted. Above the large cowl, is worn as a hood but equally elegant worn around the shoulder like a shrug, see the photo below. The yarn is firm pure wool with a beautiful stitch definition, called Embla – Hifa 3 from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and comes in a large selection of magnificent colours. It knits on a 4 mm/US 6. Here is the link: ull.

If you prefer knitting accessories, I designed matching wrist warmers and a smaller version of the cowl. I was smitten by this purple pink with all its flower connotations which seemed so perfect for the lace and cable pattern. It is an additive pattern – the number of projects tells its tale of how I addicted I became – and not as complicated as it looks with its symmetry of yarn overs and cable crossings. The cowls are created in two sizes so that they can be worn in layers, essential in cold climates like here in Norway.

A second pink, named red purple, was chosen to make a third cowl in tweed, more like a high neck and to bind the offwhite sweater together with the pink accessories. See the Tweed Cowl photographed below. So if you have a high neck – like me – and need to wrap up in the winter, wear all three cowl at the same time. Photographed by my husband on me, here: new-design-cablewing-sweater-and-cowls.

These patterns will be published in Norwegian together with the Patent Poncho, knitted in the thinner Ask – Hifa 2 by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, which I am excited to show you very soon in another post.

PS: When the pattern rights are released after one year, I will publish the patterns for sale in both Norwegian and English from my Ravelry pattern store, see ravelry.com/designers/linda-marveng.

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