Familien Julens Småstrikk 2016

julens-smastrikk-2Chrismas is coming, and you can see it in the magazines in Norway. The special issue published by Familien called Familien Julens Småstrikk features accessories and small projects for Christmas including two of my designs: Keya Scarf and Maith. I am delighted to have my designs included in this packed issue with a total of 107 patterns. The photos are of the gorgeous Alexandria Eissinger, with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design is brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne.

16_no_fao_7_flettestrikk_98521_page_2My spreads of pages is introduced with the heading “Fin med fletter”/Nice with cables. Keya Scarf: Voluminus hidden sand cables in a tweed mixture made of Rowan Lima and Rowan Fine Tweed held together, creates a divine texture for this reversible scarf, called Keya after the bloom of a flower.

16_no_fao_7_flettestrikk_98521_page_3Maith: Divine silk and gracious cables give this shrug a feeling of goodness just as the old Irish word ”maith”. The shrug is worked from one sleeve cuff, across the back to the opposite sleeve cuff. Knit a cowl and use it as a collar on the shrug. Rowan Truesilk gives you a luxurious feeling and makes it perfect even for evening wear.

16_no_fao_7_flettestrikk_98521_page_4The magazine is available in selected supermarkets and at newsagents in Norway,  if you live abroad you can order the magazine by e-mailing Kari.Bachke@egmont.com. I am fascinated to see that the number of Christmas issues with knitting patterns are increasing here in Norway. One reason might be the recent research paper by SIFO  that found an astonishing 43% of women in Norway knit.

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Photoshoot at Ekeberg Restaurant: Maith

20151028 LM Ekeberg 1072I am delighted to show you the professional photos of Maith taken by brilliant photographer Eivind Røhne of the gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling as well as jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design. I was hoping that the color would be a shade of gold and not green, but I have grown fond of the pale green color named Hush. Instead of showing it off over a wedding gown, I opted for a silk top in cream and taupe silk trouser. Eivind suggested a neutral but stark background as the staircase on the side of the restaurant could offer. The Norwegian pattern of Maith will be released on Ravelry very soon, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group before it is published. Here is my introduction to the pattern: Divine silk and gracious cables give this shrug a feeling of goodness just as the old Irish word ”maith”. The shrug is worked from one sleeve cuff, across the back to the opposite sleeve cuff. Knit a cowl and use it as a collar on the shrug. Rowan Truesilk gives you a luxcurious feeling and makes it perfect even for evening wear.

20151028 LM Ekeberg 1033Rowan Truesilk is made of 100% mulberry silk and is a chainette yarn – in other words the strand looks like it is knitted already, just like a narrow I-cord – with 150 meters/164 yards on each 50 g ball. Unlike other pure silks due to its construction it does not grow with blocking. The shrug and cowl is knitted using a 4 mm/US 6 with a gauge of 23 stitches and 30 rounds in stockinette stitch. The yarn was generously sponsored by Permin, Rowan’s Scandinavian agent. While I was busy knitting up designs for upcoming Interweave Knits, Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry assisted and knitted up this sample for me. As usual in a speed I can only dream about, especially with all the cables with give the set a lovely texture.

20151028 LM Ekeberg 1109The shrug is worked from cuff to cuff in one piece. The cuff and sleeve are worked in the round, then worked flat across the back to the opposite sleeve where it is worked in the round to the final bind off at the cuff. The increases on the sleeve is first worked into the purl stitches between the cables in reverse stocking stitch, then in garter stitch at each end of round. Only the width varies between the different sizes, not the length. Adjust the length by removing or adding pattern repeats to each sleeve if desired. The cowl, with the same width as the back, is knitted lengthwise as a scarf with a provisional cast-on so that the ends can be grafted together. As you might have noticed, I like wearing shrugs like these over dresses in the summer but also over tops with decorative backs like the one in the photo above. Next up is Saqqara worn over a gobsmacking wedding gown by Judith Bech. So be prepared…

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New Design: Maith

XT1A5322The new silk yarn from Rowan, called Rowan Truesilk, captivated me in an instant. In addition to making a jacket in the cream color called Adoe, I decided to make a shrug with a cowl for collar. The pure mulberry silk has a generous 150 meters on each 50 gram ball, and for the shrug I choose the shade Hush 333 which I believed to be like a gold shade. It was more green than I anticipated but still divine. The shrug is worked from one sleeve cuff, across the back to the opposite sleeve cuff, with gracious cables all along it. The set was beautifully knitted by my sample knitter Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry. The yarn was kindly sponsored by Permin, Rowan’s Scandinavian agent. I will self publish the Norwegian pattern in my Ravelry Store in February, but have the English pattern test knitted in my Ravelry group before its release in the late autumn.

XT1A5319The shrug and cowl are both available in 3 sizes: XS/S (M/L, XL/2XL) and both are knitted using a 4 mm/US 6 needle with a gauge of 23 stitches and 30 rounds in stockinette stitch to 10 cm/4″ square. Only the width varies between the different sizes, not the length. You can easily adjust the length by removing or adding pattern repeats to each sleeve if desired. The shrug is worked from cuff to cuff in one piece. The cuff and sleeve is worked in the round, then worked flat across the back to the opposite sleeve where it is worked in the round to the final bind off at the cuff. The increases on the sleeve is first worked into the purl stitches between the cables in reverse stocking stitch, then in garter stitch at each end of round.

XT1A5314All the photos above are taken by my husband on our terrace a few days before the photo shoot. I planned to show the shrug and cowl over one of Judith Bech’s divine wedding gowns but due to time constraints it was professionally photographed by Eivind Røhne on Alexandria Eissinger in the same top but different silk trouser than I am wearing above. I cannot wait to show you those photos but first I will reveal the last design in this bridal series I have made.

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