Ekebergparken – The New Sculpture Park

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Linda Marveng

This autumn a new sculpture park has opened in Oslo, at Ekeberg. It is in walking distance from where I live, and a brilliant place to go for a walk. Even before it became a sculpture park it was a National Heritage Park with a diverse cultural history, going all the way back to the Stone Age, see The Guardian. A Sculpture Park, with femininity as the theme and starting point for the selection of sculptures, was the idea of property developer and art collector – Christian Ringnes – and a very controversial one, even before it opened that is, see Ekebergparken. All costs are covered by his ideal foundation which owns the sculptures on display. Currently there are 31 sculptures by acknowledged, mainly contemporary, artists such as Louise Bourgeois, see the amazing “The Couple” above (photographed by my husband); Hilde Mæhlum; Tony Cragg; Auguste Rodin and Marina Abramovic. Her “Site Specific Performance, 2013” allowed a selection of the public to recreate “The Scream” by Edvard Munch with a genuine scream filmed with a golden frame capturing their face – see ekebergparken. The facial expressions as well as Abramovic’s comments made it memorable to watch – especially the clip of Ringnes himself who after two tests still looked at peace with himself while screaming – he was asked whether that was all he could muster. Ringnes explained that he had no need to scream since he spends a lot of time in the mountains where he can, and often does scream, while others seemed to have a basic need to scream their heads off, and make grotesque faces of despair at the same time.

Above is the captivating “The Concave Face” (photographed by my husband); “Sculptor Hilde Mæhlum has worked with masks for many years. What we see and what we do not see has been her project, expressed in sculpture. She works in several techniques, from paper to metal and stone.

The concave or negative facial shape has long been an object of fascination for the artist. This shape explores how the viewer’s consciousness in a sense creates the art work, and how a shape might change its expression following the viewer’s standpoint and emotional situation.” See more photos of it at ekebergparken. It is a fascinating piece of art which you need to walk past a couple of times to see how the face follows you, and appears to have a desire to come out of the marble. It is no wonder that more than 1 million has visited the park since it opened in September, in stark contrast to the predicted 200 000 visitors during the first year. I can recommend it, but if you are not able to visit it for the time being, take a digital tour of their website, and marvel.

In Trend Knit Magazine in Time for Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Linda Marveng

This magazine arrived in my postbox in good time for Christmas, and it has become such a treasured subscription from Magazine Cafe in New York. Not to read but to look at, admire and be inspired by. I love studying the colors, textures and shapes chosen for all this amazing creations. It blows my mind and makes me want to create my own designs. I used to buy In Trend Knit in London if I was quick enough at WH Smith, the newsagent, at Selfridges Department Store, but have not seen it in Oslo yet, even though the largest news agent in Norway: Narvesen has a very good selection these days. So this is one of my plans for Christmas as well as knitting a new design for a magazine submission. Enjoy your holidays!

New Design: Autumn Symphony

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Linda Marveng

Leaves cover this A-lined jacket knitted in one piece with a false seam in a middle of a triangular shaped stocking stitch panel. The sleeves are knitted in the round with leaves up to the shaping, where the lace pattern is changed to reverse stocking stitch. A belt in autumn coloured tweed lengthens the jacket, and introduces the orange wrap, see photo above without the wrap and below with it, all taken by my husband. Or why not wear the wrap as a belt and opposite. The set is knitted in the gorgeous melange coloured Ask – Hifa 2 from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, see ask-melert, using 3.5 mm/US 4 needles. For details of each stitch pattern see my post, design-in-progress-autumn-symphony. I am delighted to tell you that the Norwegian pattern has been sold to magazine Familien but the English pattern will be ready for test knitting in late January in my group on Ravelry. First I need to finishing grading it from size S to 3XL, and send it off for tech editing. The idea is that you find your favorite look, or use the accessories as you like.

Below is the opposite look, wearing the belt as a wrap and the wrap as a belt. The belt is shaped and I will grade it to the different sizes, while the wrap is one size knitted in the round without any shaping, which makes it easy to add or remove a pattern repeat depending on how small or large you want to make it.

Or if you want to wear the belt as a wrap too, then consider how far down you want it to hang and choose the closest size. Ideal for a cold climate like we have in Norway. And with this new design I want to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas!

Photo Shoot Pics – Part Three: Regal Purple Jacket

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Linda Marveng

Test knitting of the English pattern of Regal Purple Jacket & Cowl is nearly complete, and I will release the pattern on Ravelry at the end of the month. But first I would like to show you the stunning photos Kim Müller took of the amazing dancer Francesca Golfetto during our photo shoot in September. You have already seen it the setting with Kim, Francesca and my husband in action at Aker Brygge/Wharf in Oslo. Above is the jacket showing the v-neck shaping, garter stitch and rolling stocking stitch neckband, and the short sleeves. It is knitted in the beautiful mercerized 4-ply/fingering cotton yarn called Perle/Pearl from Hifa, see ull, using 3mm/US 2.5, and will be published in Norwegian by Familien in their separate magazine Vårens Strikkebok/Spring Knitting book with Kim’s photos together with 3 other of my designs; Tyrol Jacket, Nora Sweater and Lace Ridge Top. I am very pleased with this, as you can imagine!

Here is the long cowl, knitted in the round in stocking stitch with reverse stocking stitch stripes, where I turned instead of purling several rows at a time and to hide the hole where I turned I made a yarn over which I decreased with the last stitch on the round. The cowl is plain to emphasize the lace pattern on the jacket itself and fits two times around if you want it closer around your neck, see below. As for the lace pattern it does look more complicated than it is, since half the pattern repeat is garter stitch and half of the lace rows are repeated twice within the pattern repeat. I have chosen to end the lace pattern where the shaping begins on around the armholes, neck and on the sleeve cap since I find it hard to keep the stitch count in lace otherwise. But you are very welcome to adjust the pattern to your own preference. The English pattern comes with instructions with optional 3/4 and long sleeves while the Norwegian one in Strikkeboka only has the short sleeves since they are the only ones photographed. And it will not be long until you can see the test knitted versions linked to the pattern on Ravelry, but in the mean time I hope you are enjoying this før-jul/pre-Christmas time!

New Released Pattern: Eligia Top & Cowl

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Linda Marveng

One year ago, this pattern was featured in the digital magazine Clotheshorse (see archive) and now the rights have come back to me. It is now available in both English and Norwegian from my Ravelry Store, see ravelry.com/stores/linda-marveng.

ELIGIA TOP AND COWL

An elegant evening look, with Gothic aspirations was my aim for this top and cowl. The result was a fitted allover lace sweater with puffed sleeves and a straight boatneck, knitted in a yarn with sheen, and smooth to the touch in deep purple. Tencel is a fiber I love knitting with since it only needs to be stretched into shape, and feels like silk, hence selected for this set. Eligia means the chosen one, and so it was by Clotheshorse; first published in No. 3 Winter 2012-2013.

Size: S (M, L, XL, XXL)

Finished Measurements: Top: Bust: 92.5 (98, 101.5, 105.5, 109) cm/ 36.5 (38.5, 40, 41.5, 43)” Waist: 80 (85, 89, 92.5, 98) cm/ 31.5 (33.5, 35, 36.5, 38.5)” Length: 55 cm/21.5″, Sleeve length: 45.5 cm/18″. Cowl: Circumference 59.5 cm/23.5″, height 34.5 cm/13.5″

Yarn: Valley Yarns 8/2 Tencel in Eggplant (100% Lyocell, 1lb/454g, 3360yds/3675m): 1 (1, 1, 2, 2) Cones: 2833 (3238, 3640, 4045, 4450) m/ 3098 (3541, 3981, 4424, 4867) yds used for top and an extra 809 m/885 yds used for cowl yarn or handweavers.

Note: Yarn is held double throughout pattern.

Alternative yarns: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 held double (50% merino, 50% tussah silk, 454 g/1lb, 5040 yds/ 4609 m) jaggeryarn. Drops, Lace held double (70% alpaca, 30% silk, 800 m/ 874 yds, 100 g) garnstudio.

Needles: 3 mm/US 2.5 straight needles, 3 mm/US 2.5 circular knitting needle 80 cm/32″, 3 mm/US 2.5 circular knitting needle 60 cm/24″ for cowl or size needed to obtain gauge

Notions: 24 Stitch markers, 2 Stitch holders, cotton thread if not using Tencel to puff sleeves and yarn needle

Gauge: 29 sts and 38 rows in rev st st using 3 mm/US 2.5 needles and 2 strands of yarn held together equals 10 cm/4″ square. 17 sts in Lace Panel using 3 mm/US 2.5 needles and 2 strands of yarn held together equals 6.5 cm/2.5″. Or size needed to obtain gauge.

Notes: The sleeves are knitted first and worked flat to learn the stitch pattern, while the body and the cowl is knitted in the round. The pullover has puffed sleeves, made by increasing each side of the middle pattern repeat, and puffed by hand and then set in. If not using Tencel, use cotton thread so the yarn will be strong enough to pull the sts together. The body is shaped between each of Lace Panels. The rev st st between each Lace Panel varies in stitch count depending on size chosen.

Hot Nok/Hot Enough at Designerkollektivet

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Linda Marveng

Thea Glimsdal Temte, the tailor behind the brand HotNok/Hot Enough was one of the designers at the talk “A Tradition that Inspires” at Designerkollektivet, who I want to present in greater detail. She started the brand in 2006, after working with restoration of 200 year old clothes specializing in folk costumes in co-operation with Norsk Folkemuseum/Norwegian Folk Museum. Hot Nok makes clothes that allows you to move freely without any restrictions, just as the folk costumes did in their time, but with its own visual expression adjusted to modern life. A rock musician from Trondheim who modeled the clothes expressed; “It is just as if the jacket is embracing me!”. In other words clothes that takes care of you, made in mainly felted wool in bright colors with striking small details like a straight seam ending in a small heart. Above is the inspirational photo by Cathrine Dokken of the stunning dress “Hilde” worn by the gorgeous violinist Ragnhild Hemsing, it is also available in green and black, the tulle petticoat is separate and perfect for special occasions. The magnificent clothes are available at Designerkollektivet at Glasmagasinet in Oslo, online at miinto.no or contact Thea directly by e-mail: thea@hotnok.no. Check out how well they fit and be inspired.

Hobby Night at Cappelen Damm

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Linda Marveng

Last year’s Hobby Night at my publishers’ was such a success that it had to be repeated, this time with another set of knitting and crochet book authors presenting their new and upcoming books: Arne & Carlos, Tove Fevang, Cecilie Kaurin & Linn Bryhn Jacobsen and Eline Oftedal. 180 people had signed up for the free event, and looked forward to another fab evening, and an amazing goodie bag – yes, even bigger this year. The Christmas serving was rice porridge, the traditional spicy drink “gløgg”, gingerbread cookies and for those wanting a bit of wine; Arne & Carlos’ own brand for an extra fee. In addition to the generous goodie bag – with several kits and balls of yarns, I will reveal all – we also received two raffle tickets each. Arne & Carlos started the show, and told us about their recent world wide tour as well as their latest book “Strikk fra Setesdal/Knits from Setesdal”, not yet published in English but coming soon, see cappelendamm.

Arne is one of those speakers, he joked that you can just insert a penny and he will keep talking, proven by the fact that the technical support staff had to change the battery of his microphone. Carlos continued and said; “While Arne is having his battery changed, I will do the talking”. They are such a joy to listen to, and no wonder their books are available in 14 languages so far. One of the latest additional languages is Japanese. Not only are their previous clothes designs popular in Japan, but their books are too. You can see their 5 books on the screen behind Carlos in the photo below.

Next on the evening’s agenda was interviews by presenter and former designer Kaja Marie Lereng Kvernbakken, see makaroniblogg, left in the photo above, of all the authors. First out was Tove Fevang, whose latest book published by Cappelen Damm was on crocheting for the kitchen, she is seated third from left. It is only a few days since Tove was last in the newspaper, as the front person of the Amanda Project, knitting & crocheting to aid the premature born babies founded by Amanda’s parents, see amandaprosjektet. Tove’s next crochet book is out next year. Seated next to her is Cecilie Kaurin & Linn Bryhn Jacobsen whose book “Hønsestrikk til folket”/”Chickenknit to the people” is due out in early January, see inside it here: issuu. The concept began in Denmark in the -70s with statements knitted into garments, usually without using any specific patterns, just making it up and the term “chicken” was used because it was the name of the first publisher to publish a book on the topic. It is back in fashion, and became a huge hit when Cecilie Kaurin designed a sweater capturing the Norwegian Rap band Karpe Diem’s latest CD title; “Kors på halsen, Ti Kniver i hjertet, Mor og far i døden”/”Cross your throat, Ten knives in the heart, Mother and father into death”, see a photo of rap duo with sweaters on here: strikk-karpe-diem-genseren. The design request came on twitter fittingly enough, after her daughter wore a sweater decorated with both the twitter and Apple logo on. Here is the free pattern of the Karpe Diem Genser in Norwegian: dalegarn.

Eline Oftedal published her first book in the UK; “Knit Nordic”, available at amazon, and she has translated it into Norwegian herself. The book has recently been published as “Marius, Setesdal, Fana, Voss. Norske strikkemønstre på nye måter/Norwegian knitting patterns in new ways”, see cappelendamm. Kaja asked how she works, and Eline responded that she submits designs to magazines such as the American “Designer Knitting” and British “The Knitter” without knowing whether a design will be accepted or not. The red shrug she is wearing is one design that was accepted by “Designer Knitting”. Here is her blog, with links to downloadable pdf patterns to buy: byeline. Eline’s iPhone cover was one of the kits included in the goodie bag with two balls of Sportsgarn from Viking Garn, the other was Arne & Carlos placemat with two balls of 3 Tråds Strikkegarn from Rauma Ullvarefabrikk, patterns and two balls of lovely alpaca plus the canvas bag from Du Store Alpakka, hardback Tilda diary, pocket book by Vetle Lid Larssen, 10 lovely Christmas cards, stamp with “Homemade” on, plus another handy shopping bag with Cappelen Damm logo on. I could tell by the response that the goodie bags were a hit, just like the filled to the brim raffle price bags were!

After the interview, each author had a selection of items/garments on display and answered questions, while Arne & Carlos seemed to have mainly photo requests to deal with. I had an excellent evening, I had brought my knitting but was busy eating porridge, drinking gløgg, and being captivated by all the authors. I for one, will be back next year…

Milanese Shawl by Gjertrud Louise Tretteteig

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Linda Marveng

I am delighted to show you the beautiful Milanese Shawl knitted by Gjertrud Louise Tretteteig in a divine blue called “Neptun Medium” in the original yarn Wollmeise Lace, see rohrspatzundwollmeise for more exceptional colors. She followed the pattern and blocked it lightly with the result that it became too long, and unraveled the last 10 pattern repeats to make it closer to the size intended. The pattern is close to 3 dimensional when knitting, and to keep the texture I do recommend only steaming and stretching not blocking since the measurements will differ. It is a lovely lace pattern blocked or not, but not one that is easy to memorize. I prefer shawls to be rectangular and with added buttons so that it can be buttoned into a shrug or a vest, if preferred as well as being worn like a large scarf. Below are the photos of the stunning Anna Pfeiffer taken by Kim Müller from my book (available in Norwegian and Finnish) and the single English pdf pattern available at Ravelry here: ravelry. Thank you, Gjertrud Louise!

Karen, blogger of the Sweaty Knitter has also just finished hers and you can read her review in this blog post: marvengs-milanese-shawl-pattern-a-review. She writes: “The Milanese Shawl beautifully showcases Marveng’s skills in designing knitwear. First, in choosing to use the Milanese lace stitch, Marveng selected an interesting truelace stitch (i.e., each row contains a lace pattern). The Milanese lace pattern is a stitch pattern that is both asymmetrical and undulating and results in material that is palpably three dimensional.” I am overwhelmed!

Linda Marveng

Knit wear designer and author

Monthly Archives: December 2013