Last Sunday I had a photo shoot! The first one, I have organized since doing it for my book. I did not need to look for a photographer nor model since I knew exactly who I wanted: Professional Photographer Kim Müller and Dancer from the Norwegian National Ballet; Francesca Golfetto – see her bio and marvelous performance photos here: Operaen. Kim photographed my book with a magic touch, and Francesca captured my design dreams. Finding a date that suited both, and at the same time allowed me time to finish off two garments, was a lot harder. Sunday 29th of September it was, and my husband volunteered as a photo assistant with the hope of learning some tricks from Kim. We hoped the rain would stay away, and were ever so grateful to wake up to a cloudy but dry day. Seven garments were to be photographed and I had carefully planned what Francesca should wear with each one, including instructing her on make-up and hair. The photo location was Tjuvholmen at the end of Aker Brygge/Wharf in Oslo. We began next to the Astrup Fearnley Museum and ended up on the stairs outside of Bølgen & Moi where we had a well deserved delicious lunch halfway through the shoot. Above you see the stunning Francesca wearing the Regal Purple Jacket, currently being test knitted in my group on Ravelry. I had a brilliant day, thanks to Kim, Francesca and my husband! I cannot wait to see all of Kim’s photos and show you my latest designs!
Tag Archives: Kim Müller
Mulberry Silk Jacket by Nina Hove Myhre
My friend Nina has finished her 3. project from my book, and I am thrilled to show you the spectacular photos taken of her with gorgeous company at an alpaca farm, called Alpakka enghaugen here in Norway, close to Fredrikstad to be more precise. The jacket is knitted in the original fabulous silk yarn in a stunning indigo shade; Jaipur Silk Fino from BC Garn, 100% mulberry silk on 50 g spools with 300 m/328 yds, available from Loop in London (order online here: loop), Nøstet Mitt in Oslo (more details here: nostetmitt) and others, see their website: bcgarn. Nina bought an extra spool and modified it by making the size medium longer to fit her perfectly! The pattern is included in my knitting book and available only in Norwegian and Finnish for the time being.
I was lucky enough to see the finishing process, since I was teaching a weekend workshop on Professional Finishing and Fairisle organised by Larvik Husflidslag/Craft association – larvikhusflidslag – and Nina took part. At home her cat, Tussi was inspecting the ongoing work and assisting, see below. For more details and to keep updated on everything Nina is doing follow her blog on: fiberandart (read: I do and I am in awe of her neverending skills!) Thank you, Nina!
The stitch pattern chosen for the Mulberry Silk Jacket/Morbærsilkejakken is the Lucina Shell pattern with edges and shaping done in garter stitch – to avoid decreasing inside the lace pattern – finished off by a rolling stocking stitch edge around the front opening. The jacket is knitted using a 3 mm/US 2.5 while the front band is knitted using a 2.5 mm/US 1.5. I adored the olive shade which I chose for the sample in the book. See the beautiful dancer Francesca Golfetto wearing size small, photographed by Kim Müller for my book below. I will show you more of Nina’s projects and my latest lace project, shortly. I hope you will enjoy Nina’s photos as much as I do!
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!