Strikkefestivalen at Fefor 2019

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Linda Marveng

For the first time I attended the Strikkefestival/knitting festival at Fefor Høifjellshotell/High Mountain Hotel at Vinstra in the Gudbrandsdalen. Designer Kari Hestnes asked me last year if I wanted to attend and hold workshops as well as a talk there, from the 3rd to the 5th of May.

I was delighted to accept and Michael wanted to join me. My sister-in-law Marianne Spæren Marveng and her friend Tove Wahl took the challenge to become my models for the Saturday evening Catwalk. Neither of us stayed in the historic amazing suites dating back to 1902 pictured on their website but in the newer wing of the hotel. After a very warm April, we drove from Ørje to Vinstra and had snow on the way up, during the five hour long drive. The nearby Fefor Lake was still frozen, see the photos above.

We arrived just in time for lunch on Friday, then we had time to look around before the opening of the festival at 5.30 pm. Lunch was a small buffet with soup of the day and a large selection of cakes. There are several lounges and salons to sit and knit in. A total of nine stands were placed in some of these: Designers: Helle Siggerud; May Britt Bjella Zamori; Pinnedans (read: Needle dance – sisters; Heidi and Mette) and Kari Hestnes. Yarn dyers: Nina Petrina and Hege Dagestad. Yarn spinners: Amadeus Angora and Natur Gull. Yarn shop: Håndarbeidsstua. Kari showed us around the knit cafe areas, the dining hall and the large conference hall where I also would hold my workshops: Flettestrikk Masterclass/Cable Knitting Masterclass and Engelske Mønstre/English Patterns.

Before dinner at 7 pm, I used the opportunity to meet Nina Petrina in person and look at her hand dyed yarn – all dyed on Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk pelt wool and lambswool bases. She presented gorgeous colours and the book “Strikk med Gradienter”/Knitting with Gradients available in English on Ravelry.

Photographed by Nina but also with design by other designers. I also caught up with May Britt, Pinnedans and Helle. It was also fun to meet new knitters and friends from Ravelry there. Some Norwegian knitters seem to be on all or many of the knitting festivals I attend; Hello Marianne Skatten and Lill-Ann Borgen!

Breakfast began at 7.30 AM and we were ready for it by that time on Saturday. I had my first workshop at 9.30 AM to 1 PM, so Michael helped me set up the room. 13 participants had signed on for my first workshop: Cable Knitting Masterclass. Above you see us all in action, captured by Kari Hestnes. After my workshop, my sister-in-law Marianne and her friend Tove arrived in good time for their catwalk meeting with Kari. Marianne is size Extra Small and her friend Tove is size Small so they were both perfect for my sample garments as well as some of the other designers samples. I had an hour to spare and decided to try the swimming pool before my talk.

Kari chose the Digital Knitting talk, and everyone was welcome to join in, if they wanted. After my talk most of the knitters rested before dinner at 7 PM and the catwalk at 9 PM. I rested in the bar with my knitting and talked to Kari. This was her 6th and last as knitting festival general. New generals are May Britt Bjella Zamori and Hege Dagestad, they were presented at the closing do on Sunday afternoon. Above you see me presenting Tove wearing my Gyda jacket with Gyda Cowl knitted in Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Ask, photographed by Marianne Skatten. I am wearing my Yellow Gold Pullover knitted in Jamiesons Spindrift.

There were strong spotlights on the catwalk so all the photos became a bit washed out. All the models were told to relax and have fun. There was no need to take this too seriously. It worked, they all seamed to enjoy themselves, even though it was the first time for some of them. Above you see my sister-in-law Marianne wearing the Harding Cardigan knitted in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. In the background you also see the Pinnedans sisters.

Here is my Oydis Sweater with the Oydis Cowl worn by one of Kari’s models whom she also uses for her designs. Michael has taken many more photos of the catwalk and I will share more of those, but I will end this blog post with a photo of Pinnedans that shows some of the fun we had.

Of course it is an advantage to be two when present your designs, it is so much more fun… I had a wonderful weekend in the best company! More photos of the catwalk will come next.

Oydis Sweater Pattern in Japanese

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Linda Marveng

My popular Oydis Sweater pattern was published in English and Norwegian in 2016. Above you see it photographed by Eivind Røhne, worn by Alexandria Eissinger with makeup & hair by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, at the Ekeberg Restaurant in Oslo.

Now, the pattern is also available in Japanese, translated by Tomoko Nishimura, I am delighted to say. Here is the introduction in Japanese, followed by the English version:

Shadow Diamond Cable （シャドウ・ダイアモンド・ケーブル＝ダイヤモンド型の交差模様）と裾のカーブが特長的なAラインのセーターです。裾はアイコードで縁取り、脇と襟ぐりにはガーター編みを施しています。カウルと合わせて着用してもしなくても、幸運の女神 Oydis にぴったりの装いです。前後身頃は往復に編むのに対し、袖とカウルは輪に編みます。繊細なツィード糸とチェーン撚りのアルパカ糸を引き揃えて編むことで、編み目が美しく浮き出て艶やかな編み地に仕上がります。

A shadow diamond cable dominates this a-line sweater with a curved flattering hem. I-cord bands frame the bottom of the sweater, while garter stitches mark the sides and the round neckband. The sweater, with or without the cowl to dress it up, make the outfit ideal for the Goddess of good luck; Oydis. The body of the sweater is knitted flat, while the sleeves and the cowl, are knitted in the round. A fine tweed yarn is held together with an alpaca lace yarn, with a chain construction, to create a fabric with a beautiful stitch definition and a slight halo.

The pullover is available in sizes XS to 2XL, knitted in a DK weight yarn (or two lighter weight yarns – e.g. lace and fingering weight – held together) using a 4 mm/US 6 needles with a 20 stitches and 30 rows in pattern gauge. For more versions take a look at the Ravelry pattern page.

You can read more about my creative life, by becoming a patron with rewards such as a monthly free pattern, sneak peeks and a monthly video on Patreon.com.

Oydis Pattern in Russian

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Linda Marveng

I was encouraged to have my patterns translated into Russian by one of my Ravelry group moderators Katja, who had received several questions for Russian translations. Katja, aka ekatja, knew dashuta on Ravelry, so she came highly recommended. The first pattern I sent her for translation was my Oydis Sweater, which is also available in English, German and Norwegian. The Japanese version is also coming shortly. But first below is the introduction to my Oydis Sweater in Russian and then in English. Above you see the gorgeous Alexandria Eissinger, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling, wearing the Oydis Sweater, captured by Eivind Røhne at the Ekeberg Restaurant in Oslo:

Выразительный узор из ромбов доминирует в этом свитере А-силуэта с закругленной линией низа, которая выгодно подчеркивает фигуру. Низ свитера обрамлен полым шнуром, боковые швы и горловина подчеркнуты полосами платочной вязки. В комплекте с воротом или без, этот свитер станет достойным гардероба. Ойдис, древнескандинавской богини удачи. Перед и спинка вяжутся отдельно, а рукава и ворот – по кругу. В представленном образце нить классического твида соединена с нитью тончайшего шнурочка альпаки, и вместе они создают нежное полотно с восхитительной рельефностью узора.

Thank you, Katja and dashuta!

Deep South Fibers

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Linda Marveng

I follow the Designers group on Ravelry for submission calls and also for general business advice. A few months back Larissa Brown asked who deals with your print distribution? The answer from several other designers were Deep South Fibers. So I went there, spotted all the famous designers and filled in their Designer Application, after reading that I should… “Allow Deep South Fibers to introduce and promote your work to qualifying retailers internationally so you can focus on what you do best, create! Time is valuable so let us distribute and manage your portfolio exclusively as we use our market presence and base of relationships to get you noticed. In the meantime, you are free to continue to reinvent yourself as you push your craft forward.” By the way, so did Larissa Brown and I am grateful that she asked. The owner Patrick Higgins came back to me after reviewing my line, with all the essential information including their new ‘Download Too‘ program, and wrote that they would love to work with me. I signed the agreement letter and had Michael helping me with the pattern graphics and the technical side of this.Above you see the ad they made to introduce me as a new designer on their webpage, featuring my most popular pattern Oydis Sweater, see top photo. All the photos are taken by Eivind Røhne with model Alexandria Eissinger except for the center photo below which is Emma Ross. Before the TNNA (The National Needle Arts Association) Summer Show (read: The trade show) in Cleveland, Ohio Deep South Fibers made a pdf download with the news and on the cover – above – is my Yellow Gold Pullover.

While I was selecting patterns and Michael remaking them into a concise version more suitable for printing than my digital patterns, several technical questions appeared. Patrick and his team guided us through the process and the second batch of patterns we uploaded have made it to their webpage. I love the ads they made with my photos and look forward to working with Deep South Fibers. Thank you, Patrick! So if you are a yarn store owner or manager and wonder if I sell printed patterns with a download code too, I do – just take a look here and contact Deep South Fibers.

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Oydis Knitted by Suzanne Chartrand

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Linda Marveng

I was so delighted to see Suzanne Chartrand, aka rejean on Ravelry, test knit version of the Oydis Sweater. This striking photo showing how the claret coloured pullover matches her hair, blew me away. Suzanne knitted size XL in Patons Classic Wool DK Superwash, and used a smaller needle size, 3.5 mm/US 2.5, after the a-line decreases to make the top part smaller and a better fit for her. It was the first of many test knit Suzanne has done for me. She is a retired teacher, which makes her ideal as a test knitter in addition to 50 years of knitting experience, living in Val-des-Monts, Quebec, Canada.

Here is another photo of the front of the pullover with the curved hem more clearly. You can find Suzanne’s notes on her project page where she writes: “When I saw the picture of the pattern it was love at first sight. Test knit for Linda. Great pattern. Easy to follow.
Linda includes many links to videos on techniques used in the pattern”. Thank you so much, Suzanne!

Finally, here is a photo of the back. You will find the Oydis Sweater pattern in Norwegian, German and in English for sale on Ravelry (as an individual pattern but also in an Norwegian & English e-book: Norse Goddess Collection), Loveknitting and Woolspire. It is available in sizes XS to 2XL and I have many more gorgeous versions of it to show you, later.

Oydis in Familien

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Linda Marveng

My design Oydis Sweater together with the Cowl is published in the Norwegian magazine Familien issue number 20 which has 40 pages of knit. The design is not featured on the cover but on the introduction to the Handicraft section together with a photo of the handicraft editor: Åse Myhrvold Egeland. She writes: “Those who predicted that the knitting wave that hit the country a few years back would dribble out after awhile, were wrong, very wrong. The yarn producers increase their turnover every year, and magazines and books with pattern are torn off the shelves. Many begin to knit when they are expecting a baby, there are so much wonderful baby wear. In this issue you will find 40 pages of knitting patterns, so there should be something for every taste, whether you knit for yourself, your spouse, child or grandchild.”

Here is my introduction to the Oydis Sweater: A shadow diamond cable dominates this a-line sweater with a curved flattering hem. I-cord bands frame the bottom of the sweater, while garter stitches mark the sides and the round neckband. The sweater, with or without the cowl to dress it up, make the outfit ideal for the Goddess of good luck; Oydis. The body of the sweater is knitted flat, while the sleeves and the cowl, are knitted in the round. A fine tweed yarn is held together with an alpaca lace yarn, with a chain construction, to create a fabric with a beautiful stitch definition and a slight halo.

The Oydis Sweater and Cowl is knitted in Du Store Alpakka Dreamline Soul held together with Pickles Merino Tweed using a 4 mm/US 6 needle with a gauge of 20 stitches and 30 rows in Stocking stitch measures 10 cm/4″ square. The sweater is available in sizes XS to 2XL with a bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″. The cowl can be worn both hanging loose or twice around the neck.

It was gorgeously modeled by Alexandria Eissinger with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling and jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo Design, all brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne. The English pattern for both sweater and loop has been test knitted and is available as part of the Norse Goddess Collection e-book with 7 patterns or as individual patterns on Ravelry and on Loveknitting.

New Design: Oydis Sweater & Cowl

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Linda Marveng

The Shadow Diamond Cable, was love at first sight and one centered on all parts would be more than sufficient I thought. I have long wanted to test making a curved hem so I gave the sweater an A-line shape so that the bottom part would hang perfectly. I decided to begin with a provisional cast-on so that I could add an I-cord bind off all along the bottom at the end. The round neck has a thin garter stitch band, and there is a garter stitch edge in each side of the body. Of course it needed a cowl with the cable knitted on one side. The body of the sweater is knitted flat, while the sleeves and the cowl are knitted in the round. A fine tweed yarn, Pickles Merino Tweed, is held together with an alpaca lace yarn, Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul to create a fabric with a beautiful stitch definition and a slight halo. I plan to publish the pattern in Norwegian on Ravelry in February, and the English pattern after test knitting in my group late next spring.

The inside of the sleeves have the same garter stitch panel as the sides of the body. You can glimpse it in the top photo. The unevenness of the yarn mixture does make the I-cord slightly uneven as you can see in the photo above. Parts of the yarn was generously sponsored by Du Store Alpakka. Oydis is a Norse name and means the Goddess of Good Luck, which I felt was very fitting especially when the sweater is worn with the cowl.

The set is knitted using a 4 mm/US 6 with a gauge of 20 stitches and 30 rows in stocking stitches measuring 10 cm/4″. It will be available in sizes XS to 2XL with a finished bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″, and length of 74 to 79 cm/29.25 to 31″. The cowl is knitted in the rounds and the ends are joined using mattress stitches, but you could easily choose a provisional cast-on and graft if you prefer.

The inside of the cowl is knitted in a rib but with garter stitches for folding so that it stays flat. It can be worn hanging loose or twice around the neck with the rib visible. All these photos are taken of me by my husband on our terrace in October just before the professional photo shoot.

I had no stylist available to tell me to pull the sweater down nor fold the cowl more neatly in the photo above, so I apologize. The stylist is usually me, magnifiscently assisted by hair & make up artist Sissel Fylling and whenever possible editor Mary-Ann Astrup. As you can imagine I had a very difficult time choosing among the professional photos taken by Eivind Røhne of Alexandria Eissinger on the other hand, and ended up with 7 fantastic photos, I am looking forward to showing you after I have presented all the new designs.

Linda Marveng

Knit wear designer and author

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