Bech Pattern Released

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I released my Bech pattern in English last month on Ravelry, after a successful test knitting. Bech was one of the patterns in the Nordic Vintage series first published in Norwegian in Familien Trend published in February. The whole series was brilliantly photographed by Eivind Røhne, gorgeously modeled by Alex Eissinger/Sweden Models with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling, and dresses byJudith Bech. Here is my introduction to the pattern: A stunning halterneck silk dress with a high waist and bare back, handprinted by Judith Bech made me want to design a shawl, loose sleeves and a matching belt to accessorize it. By combining a beautiful pure combed wool called Huldra Kamgarn from Hifa with the luscious Dreamline Soul from Du Store Alpakka, I found my rich yarn shade and texture. Use the shawl with a shawl collar around your neck, shoulders, bust or upside down, just as you prefer. The belt made of tucks can also be worn around your neck as knitted jewelry, tied or pinned together with a brooch.

Sizes: S/M (L/XL, 2XL)

Finished Measurements: Shawl: Length: 110 (119, 126) cm/43.25 (46.75, 49.5)” Width excl collar: 22 (25.5, 29) cm/8.75 (10, 11.5)” Width incl widest collar: 36 (39.5, 43) cm/14.25 (15.5, 17)” Loose sleeves: Cuff width: 25 (28, 32) cm/9.75 (11, 12.5)” Width at bottom: 22 (25, 29) cm/8.75 (9.75, 11.5)” Width at top: 32 (35, 39) cm/12.5 (13.75, 15.25)” Sleeve length incl cuff: 50 cm/19.75″ Belt: Length: 72 (87, 102) cm/28.25 (34.25, 40.25)” Tie length: 50 cm/19.75″ Width: 10 cm/4″

Yarn: Hifa, Huldra Kamgarn 8,5/2 (100% combed wool, 200 g cone, 850 m/929 yds) Sample is knitted in Light redish grey http://www.ull.no/garn/maskinstrikkegarn/huldra-kamgarn-8-5-2-tykt. Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline, Soul (68% baby alpaca, 32% nylon, 25 g, 177 m/195 yds) Sample is knitted in Melange light grey DL203 http://www.dustorealpakka.com/garn-sortiment/?category=29 Shawl: 1 (1, 1) cone Huldra and 3 (4, 4) skeins of Soul; 460 (558, 656) m/503 (610, 714) yds of each yarn. Loose Sleeves: 1 (1, 1) cone Huldra and 3 (3, 3) skeins of Soul; 374 (414, 467) m/409 (453, 511) yds of each yarn. Belt: 1 (1, 1) cone Huldra and 2 (2, 3) skeins of Soul; 272 (314, 356) m/297 (343, 389) yds of each yarn. Note: Yarns are held together throughout.

Needles: 2 sets of 4 mm/US 6 circular needles (80 cm/32″) for shawl and loose sleeves. 2 sets of 4 mm/US 6 circular needles (120 cm/48″) for belt. Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: 1 m/1 yard thin elastic cord (1.5 mm/0.059″) for loose sleeves, 2 stitch markers, stitch holders and yarn needle.

Gauge: 20 sts x 28 rows in st st using 1 strand of each yarn measures 10 cm/4″ square. 20 sts x 28 rows in Bech Lace using 1 strand of each yarn measures 10 cm/4″ square. 1 Bech Lace pattern repeat using 1 strand of each yarn measures 7 cm/2.75″ across.

New Design: Elora

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Linda Marveng

The luxurious softness of the Mondial Gold yarn, a mixture of wool and cashmere, together with its crisp stitch definition made it a favorite for this bridal collection I have made to match Judith Bech’s stunning bridal gowns. So this time the yarn came first and the stitch pattern second. I opted for the beautiful reversible lace pattern called Obstacles, and want to emphasize that the meaning of its name does not reflect the knitting experience of it. Like my previous bolero Hennika I wanted a scarf collar but this time decided to add its width to the width fronts so that it can hang folded like you would wear a scarf. The bolero is named after the giving of the laurel; the crown of victory. Perfect, when you see model Alexandria Eissinger wearing it over Judith Bech’s “Secret” wedding gown in felted wool. The Norwegian pattern will be published in Familien Håndarbeid, a special issue, out in March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group late spring next year, then released.

Mondial Gold is 80% wool, 20% cashmere with 175 meters/191 yards on a 50 g skein with a 26 stitch and 34 rows gauge in stocking stitch using a 3 mm/US 2.5 needle. The yarn was kindly sponsored, and it is Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, who knitted this bolero in just a week, in time for the photo shoot. The body of the bolero is worked in pieces, while the sleeves are worked in the round, all from the bottom and up. I wanted seams to make it more tailored, and for it to hold its shape. The sample is knitted using Annie Modesitt’s Lovely Left Decrease method, see videolink on this page: anniemodesitt.com/videos/.

The bolero is slightly tapered. The collar width is in additon to the front and bust circumference so that it can be folded and pinned as desired. It is knitted in two parts that are joined and then attached around the neck, with extra length to hang loose. For sizes L, XL and 2XL, I suggest adding a pattern repeat to the width of the scarf collar to make the proportions work better. The bolero could easily be adjusted in length if you would prefer a longer version. Above you can see me wearing size S over a black tube dress – photographed by my husband – but it does look gorgeous on Alexandria worn over Judith Bech’s wedding gown. You wait and see!

Christmas is Here

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Just as last year, Christmas came upon me way too quickly. So here I am rushing around doing all the preparations in the last minute. Michael and I will spend Christmas Eve with my brother and his family, Boxing Day with my mum (as well as my brother and his family) and 3. Day of Christmas (as we call it) with some good friends. The photo above is taken from our terrace by my husband, last Sunday. We do not have any snow, but we do have dramatic skies. Today is Little Christmas Eve and I will be cleaning, tidying and wrapping presents. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Happy Holidays and may you have a lot of knitting time! I plan to…

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.

Strik Bornholm 2016

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I was delighted to be invited to teach at the next Strik Bornholm for a second time around. The festival is from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th of September 2016, at the idyllic Danish holiday island. The program with more than 50 workshops has been revealed, and it is already possible to book workshops and a full Festival package with a hotel stay included. Last time in September 2014, Norah Gaughan was teaching and speaking at the event while this time it is the prince of knitting Vithard Villumsen who is the big name, hence all workshops will be in one of the Scandinavian languages: Danish, Swedish or Norwegian. I have only seen Vithard on television as one of the judges in “Den Store Strikkedyst”/The Big Knitting Joust, you can find it here on Tv Syd, so I am looking forward to seeing him live! Above is a photo of me teaching Japanese Patterns on the beach part of Allinge Røgeri in the amazing warm weather in September 2014. This time I am teaching a shorter version of the same course as well as Design. The colorful Danish Designer Charlotte Kaae, in a yellow top above, is also back together with a number of other returning designers. Here is a link to the workshops information and catalogue: teambornholm.dk/strik/workshops. I cannot wait to go back, and hope to see some of you there…

Hennika Pattern Released

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I released the Hennika pattern in English several weeks ago, so it is about time I let you know. The Norwegian pattern was published in Familien Trend in February this year, with the gorgeous Alexandria Eissinger with hair and make-up by Sissel Fylling, dress by Judith Bech, shoes by Monica Stålvang all brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne. The bolero is knitted in the bouncy Hifa Ask, and can easily be made longer as several of the test knitters choose to do. Here is my introduction to it: A lace pattern with Gothic shapes adorn this bolero, which has a scarf collar where the pointed arches reign. 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.

Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)

Finished Measurements: Bust: 83 (90, 97, 105, 115, 125) cm/32.75 (35.5, 38.25, 41.25, 45.25, 49.25)” Length: 37 (38, 39, 40, 41, 42) cm/14.5 (15, 15.25, 15.75, 16.25, 16.5)” Sleeve length: 49 (50, 50, 51, 51, 52) cm/ 19.25 (19.75, 19.75, 20, 20, 20.50)” Scarf collar width: 12.5 cm/5″ Loose extra scarf length: approx 28 cm/11″

Yarn: Hifa, Ask – Hifa 2 in melange farmblue (100% wool, 100 g, 315 m/345 yds). http://www.ull.no/garn/ullgarn/ask-melert 3 (3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5) skeins: 882 (1008, 1134, 1292, 1481, 1670) m/965 (1102, 1240, 1413, 1620, 1826) yds.

Yarn alternatives: Cascade 220 Sport (100% wool, 50 g, 150 m/164 yds). http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-220Sport.asp Madeline Tosh, Pashmina (75% superwash merino, 15% silk, 10% cashmere, 100 g, 329 m/360 yds). http://madelinetosh.com/store/index.php/yarns/pashmina.html Rowan, Wool Cotton (50% merino, 50% cotton, 50 g, 112 m/123 yds) http://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/wool-cotton Shalimar Yarns, Breathless DK (75% merino, 15% cashmere, 10% silk, 100 g, 247 m/270 yds) https://www.theloopyewe.com/shop/g/knit-crochet/yarn/shalimar-yarns/breathless-dk/ Or another sport weight/5 ply or thin DK yarn.

Needles: 3.5 mm/US 4 circular needle. 3 mm/US 2.5 circular needle (80 cm/32″) for hem. Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: Waste yarn, stitch markers, stitch holders and yarn needle.

Gauge: 20 sts and 28 rows in st st using 3.5 mm/US 4 measures 10 cm/4″ square. 18 sts and 28 rows in Hennika Lace using 3.5 mm/US 4 measures 10 cm/4″ square.

Notes: The body of the bolero is worked in pieces from the bottom up, and is sewn together, while the sleeves are worked in the round. The collar is knitted in two parts that are joined and then attached around the neck, with extra length to hang loose. Throughout the pattern, when shaping in lace, only work an inc (yo) if you can work the corresponding dec.

Førjulskveld/Pre-Christmas Evening at Cappelen Damm

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Linda Marveng

Yes, another year has passed since last Christmas and I spotted the invitation to this year’s “Førjulskveld”/Pre-Christmas evening at my publisher Cappelen Damm. I did not miss it, and was lucky enough to receive a well filled goodie bag with books, knitting needles, darning needles, Arne & Carlos Adventskalender, embroidery kit, knitting tools and a ball of yarn. The evening was brilliantly hosted by editor Kaja Marie Lereng Kvernbakken, former manager of Du Store Alpakka yarn store in Oslo & designer. Several newly launched Norwegian books and authors were presented: Alf Knutsen and his book: Salmesang/Psalm songs. Andreas Viestad and his book: Den Store Kjøttkokeboka/The Large Meat Cook Book. Lise Nymark and her book: Lett Og Lekkert Tilbehør/Easy and Gorgeous Accessories. Miriam Morken and Tone Stenkløv and their book: Førjulstid/Pre-Christmas Time.

Kaja Marie started by introducing us to books with sounds panels – new to some of us – and their success with the book “Fuglesang“/Birdsong. Now, they were launching “Salmesang”/Psalm songs. It was useful to hear the sound from the book presented but it was not until Kristin Kjemphol Lohne began singing that it felt like the roof was coming off. It was ideal to put us all into the spirit of Christmas.

Andreas Viestad did not need an introduction since he is so well know for his cook books, food writing and from television, but he still got one. His 10th book is about meat and how to use the full animal including a cow’s tail. He emphasized that the all the recipes were chosen because they were very good, including the tail one, and not out of curiosity. Next on the agenda was Lise Nymark’s book on knitted and crocheted accessories. Above is the cover of her latest book.

Lise was wearing one the shawl from her book, see above. Her book is not only intended for women but also for younger girls, and her variation of accessories were impressive. It even included key ring decorations for handbags. Luxurious yarns and leather straps were chosen in addition the metal labels sewn on, see below.

The decorations on the stage, were all from the book by Miriam Morken and Tone Stenkløv. In their new book you will find numerous kinds of crafts represented. Below you can see a blanket made of both knitted squares and crocheted squares.

While all the presentations were going on, I sat next to designer Stella Charming – both of us knitting obviously – eating ginger bread and drinking the traditional drink gløgg. Neither of us won one of the many yarn kit prizes but thoroughly enjoyed the evening and met up with designer Denise Samson and the Cappelen Damm staff! Christmas is certainly coming soon.

New Design: Shinju

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Linda Marveng

I wanted to make a whole series of designs to go with the stunning wedding dresses by designer Judith Bech. Initially it was Judith’s idea, and it was too brilliant not to accept. The series was first accepted by the Norwegian magazine Made by Me, but since it ceased production shortly afterwards, I am delighted to reveal that 4 of the designs will be published in the special issue Familien Håndarbeid/Handcraft due out in March. Shinju is one of these designs, and if you went to the Wollness Weekend or the Knit Café in Vienna (or spot me in Isabella’s car for that matter) you did see me knitting it, desperate to finish it in time for the photo shoot on the 28. October. I did!

Love, affection and beautiful are all parts of the Japanese word for pearl and was perfect for this lacy shawl knitted in a luxurious fiber mix with both mohair and silk with beads attached on an Italian yarn from Mondial called Perle (meaning pearl in both Italian and in Norwegian). Ruffled bell borders grace each end of the shawl. I wanted to show that it does not necessarily have to be made for a wedding dress, nor in cream since the yarn comes in six other equally beautiful colors. The photos above are as usual taken by my husband. The shawl is made in one size but can easily be adjusted by adding or removing stitch pattern repeats. It is made from one short end to the other with no sewing required, except for the sewing in of ends, and knitted using a 4.5 mm/US 7 circular needle. The yarn Mondial Perle is made of 55% polyester, 30% kid mohair, 15% silk and with beads attached on a separate thread next to the yarn on a 25 g ball with 85 m/93 yds. It has been kindly sponsored for this project. In Oslo you can find it at the yarn shop Tjorven, but also in other yarn shops around the country. All the ones that have seen the yarn so far has been bewitched, and felt an urge to touch it but also get their hands on it. You can look forward to seeing the divine photos taken of model You can look forward to seeing the divine photos taken of model Alexandra Eissinger – wearing one of Judith Bech’s wedding dresses – by Eivind Røhne.

Book Presentation by Kristin Holte

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Linda Marveng

In the middle of November I went to “Kunst, Håndverk og Design“/Art, Handcrafts and Design fair organized by Fager-Design at the sports hall at the university in Oslo. Designer Kristin Holte held an interesting talk about her two Norwegian knitting books; “Kofter” and “Strikkede Skatter“/Knitted Treasures. She has researched old Scandinavian ornaments used in textiles and how the knitting trend reached Europe in the 13-Century. In both her books she tells the history behind the pattern and symbols, as well as how it has inspired her to make her updated version of it. Kristin herself has a background in arts, crafts and design. She is currently taking a Master’s degree in traditional art at Høgskolen in Telemark.

This is how she describes her work: “When I start to knit professionally, I mixed a lot of different yarn qualities in my work, or combined the knitting with other textile techniques, always challenge the material to get my own expressions in the work. The last years I have been focused on hand knitting and Norwegian and Nordic knitting traditions. The result of this work has been 3 hand knitting books with models and patterns for sweaters, cardigans and mittens. Now I am back to where I started, and try to combine the drawing of new ornaments based on the traditional folk art and the play with colors and different materials in my work.”

I enjoyed hearing Kristin talk about her projects, and admire her feminine style as well as modern take on traditional stitch patterns. See the fancy fur yarn band on the sweater at the top and all the crocheted roses along the bands in the photo above. Do check out more of her patterns on her website: kristinholte.no/kofter. Thank you, Kristin!

Linda Marveng

Knit wear designer and author

Monthly Archives: December 2015