Familien Photoshoot: Atika

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Magic, is the best description of seeing gorgeous Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk wearing Judith Bech’s divine felted wool dress with my design Atika on top. Alexandria’s hair and make up was by Sissel Fylling, while the stunning jewelry is by Kaja Gjedebo and the shoes not visible but equally perfect are by Monica Stålvang. The magic moment was captured by brilliant photographer Eivind Røhne at Hvalstrand Bad in Asker last October. The bar seemed the ideal backdrop for this party outfit, according to former editor Mary-Ann Astrup who suggested the glas of wine as an accompaniment. Atika, consisting of a cowl with loose sleeves, is knitted in the luscious Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul a lace weight alpaca mixture held together with the speckled Pickles, Merino Tweed, a thin fingering weight wool using a 4 mm/US 6. The pattern was released as part of my Nordic Vintage series in Familien Trend.

Here the cowl is twisted around the body, to make a halterneck top. You can also here easily see the loose sleeves which have elastic band inserted at the top so they will stay in place. The cowl is knitted sideways and in the round. You can adjust the length by removing or adding pattern repeats of 10 sts. If you want to wear it twice around your neck, add 2 pattern repeats. The loose sleeves are knitted in the round to the end.

Above is a photo that was not published in the Familien Trend magazine. It is one of the many extra photos I desperately wanted from Eivind Røhne. Here is my introduction to the pattern: Atika: A cowl to warm your shoulders or your neck. Or why not wear it as top with matching loose sleeves gracing a stunning dress like this designed by Judith Bech. Both the cowl and the loose sleeves are knitted in the round using a beautiful reversible stitch pattern called Hearts of Oak with both texture and a drapy edge.

This last photo was chosen because of its sensuality, and has not been published earlier either. I plan to organize a test knit of Atika before I release it in English. The test knit will take place in my Ravelry group some time after the Honeysuckle Shawl and Saga which are the next two patterns to be test knitted.

Familien Trend Photoshoot: Gyda

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Here are the fantastic photos taken by Eivind Røhne of gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, with beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling, stunning faux suede dress by Judith Bech, wearing my design Gyda, a fitted jacket. The divine Elena black shoes designed by Monica Stålvang are not seen in these photos but photographed separately, see those on Ravelry together with more details of the pattern: Gyda. The Norwegian pattern is part of the Nordic Vintage series recently published in Familien Trend.

Here is my introduction to the pattern: Cables that create diamond shapes adorn this fitted jacket on all its parts. A deep v-neck and a button band with three bespoke buttons by Siri Berrefjord make it suitable to wear on top of any treasured outfit. The fronts and back are knitted flat, while the sleeves are knitted in the round, all in the bouncy pure wool melange Ask – Hifa 2.

The English pattern in all sizes from XS to 2XL is currently being test knitted in my Ravelry group with 12 knitters making the jacket, in addition to a some just making the accompanying tweed belt or cowl. Gyda Cowl has details for the cowl plus the belt, while Gyda is only the jacket. You can follow the thread if you are a member of Ravelry. The pattern will be released after the test knit is finished. I chose to end the cables before last bind off or short rows on the shoulder and gather them to avoid flat cables then continue the last few rows in stockinette stitch. Take a look at the triangle created by the short row shaping on the shoulder. Some of my test knitters have instead chosen to continue the cables all the way to the last row.

We have also been talking about preferences in the different hem techniques; I recommend to sew it by hand at the end to make it stay flat while others decided to use a temporary cast-on. Occasionally I also use two circular needles, where one is used as a holder until it is closed with a row of knitting two together with one stitch from each needle. This tends to make a hem that is more rounded and which tends to turn upwards so that the lower part of the WS is visible.

Butterflies adorn this generous cowl, in the shape of a lace pattern divided by a rib. A rich melange brown color has been created by combining the pure wool of Huldra Kamgarn by Hifa with the tonal alpaca mixture of Dreamline Soul by Du Store Alpakka. A tweed belt made for the Gyda jacket introduces the brown shade together with farmblue Ask – Hifa 2. The belt, just like the jacket, has bespoke buttons by Siri Berrefjord. The statement ring in silver is designed by Kaja Gjedebo. If you have been following my blog closely you will have noticed that the last photo has not been shown previously, and is not included in the magazine. It was another of my favourite photos that I just had to have.

Familien Trend Photoshoot: Hillevi

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I am delighted to show you how elegantly my scarf Hillevi can be worn. Gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, with beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling, is wearing a divine pleated deep olive silk dress with a blue reflection by Judith Bech, with the scarf elegantly on top, brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne who suggested the bar at Hvalstrand Bad as the backdrop. The statement bracelet is Monies, and unfortunately you can not see the stunning shoes by Monica Stålvang in these photos. Hillevi is part of my Nordic Vintage series recently published in Norwegian in the new magazine Familien Trend.

My introduction to Hillevi: A reversible scarf with a large shawl collar in a self-made tweed mixture of Rowan Lima and Rowan Fine Tweed. Two staghorn cables form the stitch pattern combined with garter stitch edges and shawl collar. Wear it as a scarf with the collar tight around your neck, or as a shawl with the collar around your shoulders. You can even wear it upside down with the collar as a shaped curve, or as a top around your bust pinned together with a shawl pin. We had only time for these two different wearing options at the photoshoot, but you can see me wearing it with all the options in this blogpost: New Design: Hillevi. The English pattern will be released on Ravelry after it has been test knitted in my group.

Familien Trend Photoshoot: Freja

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Linda Marveng

My design Freja, worn by model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk looking like a goddess, with a stunning fringe skirt with a train by Judith Bech, beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling, and captured by Eivind Røhne. No wonder it was chosen as the introduction to our Nordic Vintage series in the recent Norwegian magazine Familien Trend. Freja, named after the goddess of love with the added meaning of like a lady, is knitted with a longer back shaped at the bottom. Three Lace panels adorn the sleeveless top with garter stitch bands and vents in the side. A fine tweed yarn is held together with an alpaca lace yarn, with a chain construction, to create a fabric with beautiful stitch definition and a slight halo.

I was enchanted with the result of combining Dreamline Soul, a fine lace weight alpaca mix in tonal colors from Du Store Alpakka with Merino Tweed, a fingering/4-ply yarn from Pickles in the same range of shades of light turquoise. Using a 4 mm/US 6, I got a gauge similar to a thick DK with 20 sts and 30 rows in stockinette stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square. The top is knitted flat in two pieces, while the armhole and neck band are worked in the round. The bottom of the back is shaped by short rows in garter stitch before the decreases are worked in between the lace panels. Both parts have edge stitches in garter stitch at the bottom for the vents.

I made a chocker to go with the top using one lace panel with garter stitch all around. 3 snap fasteners where sewed onto the chocker for closure. The chocker is one size but can easily be adjusted by adding or removing garter stitch rows as well as pattern repeats. The top is made in size XS to 2XL with a finished bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″.

Above is another gorgeous photo Eivind took, I could not resist! Why? Because, here you see the train on the skirt, and how the back of the top mimics it, at least it does in my imagination. I would like to have the English pattern test knitted before it is released in my Ravelry store. In the meantime I will show you some more of the fantastic photos Eivind took.

Familien Trend Photoshoot: Jacket in Cross

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Jacket in Cross is one of my favorite patterns from my Norwegian knitting book: “To rett en vrang. Designstrikk“, and I do wear it for special occasions during the summer such as the meeting with former editor Mary-Ann Astrup of Made by Me and the two designers I had selected to work with; dress designer Judith Bech and shoe designer Monica Stålvang, last July at Egmont Publishing. Hence the jacket became picked to be included in the Nordic Vintage series, published in February in the Norwegian magazine Familien Trend which took over from Made by Me. We choose a cream thai silk dress designed by Judith to be worn under it. Gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk was beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling and brilliantly captured by photographer Eivind Røhne who suggested the yellow column as the background.

The statement necklace dates back to my first photoshoot for my book, and has been worn regularly ever since. Yes, I could not bare to deliver it back after loaning it for the photoshoot and had to buy it. The design is by the Danish company Monies who specializes in statement jewelry made by natural materials. The cream color suits the taupe colored Tencel 8/2, a new form of viscose, yarn from the American company Valley Yarns and owners of WEBS, one of the largest online stores in the USA. I discovered the tencel yarn at Handweavers Studio in London and love the silky feel as well as its sheen. The jacket is knitted using 3 mm/US 2.5 and 2.5 mm/US 1.5 with the yarn held double. The sleeves are knitted in the round, while the body is worked in parts and sewn together at the end. I have revised the pattern and added sizes XS (Alexandria is wearing size S with the long sleeves, which can be adjusted if preferred) and XL, to fit bust from 82 to 114 cm/32.25″ to 45″. The English pattern will be released soon with a detailed schematic on Ravelry. Watch this space.

Familien Trend February 2015

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Linda Marveng

The new Norwegian magazine; Familien Trend that takes over from Made by Me came out on Monday. My series called Nordic Vintage which includes 10 designs is part of it, and Saga has made it on the cover, worn over a stunning dress by Judith Bech with outstanding shoes by Monica Stålvang, by gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling, captured by brilliant photographer Eivind Røhne at Hvalstrand Bad. In addition to jewelry by Kaja Gjedebo and bespoke buttons by Siri Berrefjord. I am so thrilled with the result as well as the feedback I have received for this series, and hope to work with this fantastic team again! Thank you!

The series was commissioned by the skilled former editor Mary-Ann Astrup of Made by Me, now in charge of Egmont Publishing’s handicraft blog Tusenideer.no, and presented by her: “The stitch patterns in these unique garments have clear lines going back to Norse tradition and the intricate patterns we see in the Dragon Style. Paired with gorgeous dresses in Norwegian design, the goddess look becomes complete.”

Freja Top and Chocker: A stunning skirt with a train by Judith Bech, deserves a top with a train. Freja, named after the goddess of love with the added meaning of like a lady, is knitted with a longer back shaped at the bottom. Three Lace panels adorn the sleeveless top with garter stitch bands and vents in the side. A fine tweed yarn is held together with an alpaca lace yarn, with a chain construction, to create a fabric with beautiful stitch definition and a slight halo.

Yarn: Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul held together with Pickles Merino Tweed. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). Model is wearing size S. Difficulty level: 4.

Eira Cowl and Belt: A sporty looking cowl with a matching belt knitted in a reverisble rice pattern closed with snap fasteners was the idea for Eira; A Norse name meaning merciful. A thin drapey mercerized cotton called Hifa, Perle, held doubled, seemed ideal for these accessories.

Yarn: Hifa, Perle held double. Size: One Size. Difficulty level: 2.

The bangle is privately owned. Shoes by Monica Stålvang.

Honeysuckle Shawl, Cowl and Belt: Inspired by the climbing of the Honeysuckle is this lace pattern which adorns a soft summer shawl that can be buttoned into a shrug. Like Honeysuckle it is equally beautiful on both sides. Wear it with a cowl as a collar and a stylish belt in stockinette stitch. The belt is worked as a hem and can either be tied or pinned together with a stunning brooch. Knit all parts in the cozy Rowan Softknit Cotton.

Yarn: Rowan Softknit Cotton. Size: One Size. Difficulty level: 4.

Atika Cowl and Loose Sleeves: A cowl to warm your shoulders or your neck. Or why not wear it as top with matching loose sleeves gracing a stunning dress like this designed by Judith Bech. Both the cowl and the loose sleeves are knitted in the round using a beautiful reversible stitch pattern called Hearts of Oak with both texture and a drapy edge. Make your own perfect yarn by combining a lace weight yarn like the luscious Dreamline Soul from Du Store Alpakka with a fingering yarn like Merino Tweed from Pickles.

Yarn: Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul held together with Pickles Merino Tweed. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL) Model is wearing size S. Difficulty level: 4.

The divine jewelry:
Kaja Gjedebo
The earrings and ring you see worn by the model above is designed by Kaja Gjedebo under the brand KGD. Kaja says she is not lead by trends, but by personal interests. The result is elegant and timeless jewelry that combines natural shapes with delicate constructions. See more on www.kgd.no.

Hillevi Scarf : A reversible scarf with a large shawl collar in a self-made tweed mixture of Rowan Lima and Rowan Fine Tweed. Two staghorn cables form the stitch pattern combined with garter stitch edges and shawl collar. Wear it as a scarf with the collar tight around your neck, or as a shawl with the collar around your shoulders. You can even wear it upside down with the collar as a shaped curve, or as a top around your bust pinned together with a shawl pin.

Yarn: Rowan Lima held together with Rowan Fine Tweed. Size: One Size. Difficulty level: 3.

Gyda Jacket: Cables that create diamond shapes adorn this fitted jacket on all its parts. A deep v-neck and a button band with three bespoke buttons by Siri Berrefjord make it suitable to wear on top of any treasured outfit. The fronts and back are knitted flat, while the sleeves are knitted in the round, all in the bouncy pure wool melange Ask – Hifa 2.

Yarn: Hifa Ask. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). Difficulty level: 4.

Gyda Cowl and Belt: A belt in tweed pattern lengthens the jacket and introduces the brown cowl. You can also wear the cowl as a belt and the belt as a large collar.

Yarn: Hifa Ask. Huldra Kamgarn held together with Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). Difficulty level: 4.

The nice buttons:
Siri Berrefjord
The buttons on this set are designed by Siri Berrefjord. They are casts of antique national costume silver. The jewelry is available for sale at Designerkollektivet, Norway Designs in Oslo and Trondheim, Sugarshop Bislett and Briskly, Maihaugen at Lillehammer and Galleri Osebro in Porsgrunn. See more at www.fredenshavn.no.

Saga Jacket with Extra collar/Belt: Inspired by the ancient sagas, I have designed a warm jacket with cross chain link cables that prepares you for the battle of the winter or for a cold Northern summer day. The jacket is straight and closed with three large bespoke buttons at the top, with cross chain link cables continuing across the saddle shoulders. The standing collar is a cable knitted separately and attached at the end. I knitted a second loose collar you can use as a belt if you prefer. The vivid melange color and lovely texture is created by holding Rowan Lima and Hifa Pelsull together.

Yarn: Hifa Norsk Pelsull/Pelt wool held together with Rowan Lima. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL) Model is wearing size S. Difficulty level: 4.

The standing collar is knitted in cables separately, and attached afterwards. The extra collar is loose, and it can be worn as a belt if you prefer.

Hennika Bolero: A lace pattern with Gotic shapes adorn this bolero, which has a scarf collar where the pointed arches reigns. Hennika is a name with Gothic origin and means master of the house. The bolero is tapered and worked in pieces, while the sleeves are worked in the round. Wear the collar lying flat or folded in half lengthwise to add volume and close it with a shawl pin or a beautiful brooch.

Yarn: Hifa Ask. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). Model is wearing size S. Difficulty level: 4.

The lovely dresses
Judith Bech Designs
Judith designs fairytale bridal gowns and ballgowns with cool details and beautiful silhouettes. She likes to combine new and old style, and the fabrics are either made by her or antique Victorian fabrics from England. Do you want to see more of what she makes? Check out her Facebook page: Judith Bech Design.

The belt made of tucks can also be worn around your neck as knitted jewelry, pinned together with a delicate brooch.

Bech Shawl, Loose Sleeves and Belt: A stunning halterneck silk dress with a high waist and bare back, handprinted by Judith Bech inspired Linda to design a shawl, loose sleeves and a matching belt to accessorize it. By combining a beautiful pure combed wool called Huldra from Hifa with the luscious Dreamline Soul from Du Store Alpakka, she found a rich yarn shade and texture. Use the shawl with a shawl collar around your neck, shoulders, bust or upside down, just as you prefer.

Yarn: Hifa, Huldra Kamgarn held together with Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul. Sizes: S/M (L/XL, 2XL) Difficulty level: 3.

The knitted garments
Linda Marveng
Intricate and beautiful cable patterns characterizes Linda’s knit designs. See more on her blog: www.marveng-puckett.com/wordpress/ and www.ravelry.com/groups/linda-marveng.

The divine shoes
Monica Stålvang Lange
The shoes in this series are by Monica Stålvang Shoes. They are clear-cut and urban in their style. The collections are designed in Norway, but produced in Italy in the best leather quality and often in uncommon combinations. www.monica-stalvang.com.

Jacket in Cross: A jacket that can be tied in the back or front. I chose a neutral but fashionable color, namely Taupe in a thin Tencel yarn, a newer form of viscose, knit double with a divine gloss. The pattern creates an intricate cross effect and looks a lot more complicated than it is to knit. Extra long sleeves adorn the hands.

Yarn: Valley Yarns, Tencel 8/2 held double. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL). Difficulty level: 3.

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The magazine, Familien Trend, is available in selected supermarkets and newsagents all over Norway. If you live abroad and read Norwegian, or simply are desperate to get your hands on it, you can order a copy and receive an invoice for the magazine plus postage from Customer Services by e-mailing: kari.bachke@egmont.com. Do also check this link to see if it has become available as an iPad app: www.klikk.no/produkthjemmesider/familien/.

The photographer Eivind Røhne has also written a blogpost about the photo shoot with additional new photos available here: erohne.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/nordic-vintage/

All the patterns will be released in English. I will publish Jacket in Cross and Eira shortly, but want to organize test knits for the remaining patterns, beginning with Gyda in the beginning of March.

New Design: Saga

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Cross Chain Link Cables became like an obsession for me after I discovered them in one of Barbara Walker’s magnificent stitch dictionaries. They require 2 cable needles and full concentration for a short period of time before addiction sets in, at least that is what happened to me. How could I show off their playfulness in the best possible light? What yarn? You know me, it did take two different yarns to find the texture and vibrant color I wanted. But then I captured the essence of a deep ocean blue, by combining the alpaca soft Rowan Lima in the shade Amazon and the bouncy Hifa Norsk Pelsull/Pelt wool in the shade Jeansblue. The chunky knit using 5.5 mm/US 9 lets the cables pop, next to stockinette stitch and double seed stitch. Saga, inspired by the ancient sagas, was born in the shape of a jacket, knitted straight and closed with three large bespoke buttons at the top by Siri Berrefjord.

To do the cross chain link cables justice I had to let them continue across a saddle shoulder from the bottom of the sleeve. The round neckline demanded a stand-up mandarin like collar, and I knitted it double to make sure it would be standing firmly. It is knitted separately and attached at the end. An extra loose collar, you can wear as a neck tie or attach snap fasteners and wear it as a belt. The collar has one band of cables, while the extra loose collar has two.

To make sure the cables would keep their texture to the end, I gathered them just before final bind off by knitting them together. The back has four cables, while each front has two cables each just as the sleeves. The jacket comes in size XS to 2XL with a finished bust measurement of 86 to 126 cm/33.75 to 49.5″. I knitted a size S, so both Alexandria and I are wearing it, she with a lot more positive ease than on me.

I decided to knit the sleeves in the round while I knitted the back and the fronts flat. The Norwegian pattern is part of the Nordic Vintage series published in Familien Trend on 23. February, while the English pattern will be test knitted before it is released. Below is one of my photos from the fashion shoot showing talented stylist Sissel Fylling and gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk in action.

If you are on Ravelry you can now see all my designs in Familien Trend, with all their essential pattern information. Very soon I will show you all the 12 pages in Familien Trend.

New Design: Eira

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Linda Marveng

A sporty looking cowl with a matching belt knitted in a reverisble rice pattern closed with snap fasteners was the idea for Eira; A Norse name meaning merciful. A thin drapey mercerized cotton called Hifa, Perle held doubled, seemed ideal for these accessories. Gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, brilliantly styled by Sissel Fylling, is wearing a beautiful linen silver printed dress by Judith Bech and perfect flats called Elisabetta black by Monica Stålvang, all magically captured by photographer Eivind Røhne at Hvalstrand Bad. The Norwegian pattern will be published in the Nordic Vintage series in the new magazine Familien Trend which takes over after Made by Me, out on the 23. February.

The Eira sample was knitted by my neighbor Karin Placht during her summer holiday to my utter satisfaction. I was so delighted to have help knitting the smaller pieces for this Nordic Vintage series so that I could concentrate on the larger projects. Perle from Hifa gives a very crisp stitch definition even more highlighted when the yarn is held double using a 4 mm/US 6 needle. The cowl, or loop if you prefer, can be worn draped over the shoulders as above, twice around the neck as below or hanging loose at the front.

Both Cowl and Belt are knitted flat. The Cowl is cast on with a provisional cast-on using waste yarn which is removed at the end so that it can be grafted or bound off with 3 needles to join into a loop. The Belt only comes in one size but can easily be adjusted to your preferred waist length by adding or removing pattern repeats. It is closed with snap fasteners and has a folded hem. The English pattern will be released on Ravelry shortly after Familien Trend is published.

Exit Made by Me, Enter Familien Trend

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Linda Marveng

No more Made by Me magazines will be made, but as one magazine exits another one enters. Welcome, Familien Trend! Hence my series due to be published in Made by Me out on the 2nd. of February will instead be published in Familien Trend out on the 23rd. of February. Despite this change all my 10 designs will be published in Familien Trend, I am relieved to tell you even though it means a longer wait. So today I will share a few more sneak peaks from the unbelievable photo shoot we had at Hvalstrand Bad before I begin to present each design separately. One of the sights that totally blew me away was seeing the gorgeous Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk; beautiful hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling; wearing Judith Bech’s wonderful felted wool dress in aqua with my matching Atika design; Kaja Gjedebo’s stunning Paper & Scissors silver earrings and Monica Stålvang’s amazing Elena shoes in blue; all brilliantly captured by photographer Eivind Røhne. The shoes did not fit in the picture and were photographed separately, see below. Atika consists of a loop with matching loose sleeves, all knitted in the round with Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline Soul, a lace weight alpaca mix, held together with Pickles Merino Tweed, a fingering/4 ply using a 4 mm/US 6.

Here is the continuation of the photo and a close up of the Elena Blue shoes by Monica Stålvang. The aqua colors were initially hard to match without choosing baby yarns hence I begin to choose deeper colors, due to the natural distance between garment and shoes. By mixing a melange alpaca color and a tweed yarn in a similar shade, the tone turned towards grey and the yarn created had a marvelous stitch definition.

Hennika, a delicate cropped lace jacket with a scarf collar, knitted in Ask by Hifa, a sport weight/5 ply, worn over Judith Bech’s stunning light blue halterneck dress with a high waist with layers of tulle on top of silk (see Facebook) together with Elisabetta blue flat shoes. To create more volume around the neck, I folded the scarf collar in half before I pinned it together with a shawl pin. It is knitted separately and sewn on afterwards. The sleeves are knitted in the round, while the fronts and back is knitted flat, all using a 3.5 mm/US 4 needle. The solid but worn parquet flooring tiles created a stunning contrast to the blue tulle of the dress, we all agreed before testing with a chair for Alexandria to sit on. The chair worked well for showing the sleeve and the back. More photos will come, project by project while we are waiting for the new Familien Trend magazine to hit the shelves.

Sneak Peak of Made by Me Designs

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I am thrilled to share some of the wonderful photos Eivind Røhne took of gorgeous model Alexandria Eissinger at Pholk, brilliant hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling for the Spring/Summer issue of Made by Me. The colors chosen for the series are based on Monica Stålvang’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection in blue, turquoise, grey, taupe and black. The divine handprinted grey long halterneck silk dress was made especially by dress designer Judith Bech for this series (see Facebook). I just had to name my design Bech after it and created a shawl with a collar that can be worn with it down as above, or up around the shoulders or around the neck, together with loose sleeves – held up by elastic encased in a hem and a belt made of tucks. Yes, more photos will come. Bech is knitted in Huldra Kamgarn by Hifa, a pure light fingering/3 ply wool held together with Dreamline Soul by Du Store Alpakka, an lace weight alpaca mixture, using 4 mm/US 6.

Above are some of Monica’s marvelous shoes, in front: Emanuela print made of printed pony skin; actually calf skin (a misnomer that comes from 1960’s fashion trends). Yes, Monica did used to live in Milan and produces her shoes there. You will find her shoes in selected stores in Norway, see Stockists and in her onlineshop here but you need to wait a bit longer for the Spring/Summer collection to be available but there are so many other shoes and boots to add to your wish list: shop.monica-stalvang.com.

This fitted cable jacket is named Gyda from Norse mythology, meaning God is Gorgeous, and is knitted in Ask by Hifa, a sport weight/5-ply pure wool using 3.5 mm/US 4. It has a deep v-neck with 3 bespoke buttons (size small) made by jewelry designer Siri Berrefjord in layers of color matching the melange yarn color. The beautiful ring Alexandria is wearing is made of silver and designed by Kaja Gjedebo. The faux suede dress was chosen after Judith wore it to our planning meeting in July with editor Mary-Ann Astrup at Made by Me, just as my Jakke i kryss/Jacket in Cross was. I brought a large selection of swatches made based on Monica’s color charts, and from seeing photos of Judith’s dresses (and the few I remembered from the time she was a member of the Designerkollektivet), Judith brought a huge bag filled with dresses, and Monica came with her drawings. 10 dresses were selected together with 11 swatches and the four of us discussed garment options (read: Not only jackets, Linda) and photo shoot locations (read: Preferably Mediterranean, and why do we not join Monica for her one of her meetings in Milan?). In other words a lot of laughter, and a fabulous day! To be continued.

Linda Marveng

Knitwear Designer and Author

Tag Archives: Sissel Fylling