Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Cahal

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Linda Marveng

Next out is Cahal in my series of pictures from our photoshoot at Bøler Kirke/Church brilliantly taken by Eivind Røhne. The vest, knitted in Olive Green Tinde Pelsull from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, looked stunning on model Emma Ross with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design. The perfect boots are by Monica Stålvang. Cahal, and the other three designs in the Hillesvåg Collection, were all styled with black pencil pants and a black turtle neck pullover. Cahal is an Origami vest with reversible cables that folds into shape. Vents are made by leaving the seam open at the bottom. The horizontal seam draws a line across the shoulders ending in a curve at the armhole. You can wear the vest with both sides out by making a neat or flat seam. The name Cahal is Celtic for strong in battle.

Emma is wearing size S, with a finished bust measurement of 106.5 cm/42″ but the Cahal is also available in sizes M/L and XL/2XL with these measurements: 117 (127) cm/46 (50)”. The vest is knitted in two parts. The front is a square, while the back has 30.5 cm/12″ extra body length that folds to the front at each shoulder to form the upper front and the neck opening.

Cahal is knitted using 3.5 mm/US 4 circular needle and a gauge of 21 stitches and 30 rows in stocking stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square. I was fortunate to have Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, knitting this vest for me. The lovely yarn, Tinde Pelsull, is made of 100% pelt wool, with 260 meters/284 yards per 100 gram skein.

The back of Cahal with the courtyard next to the chapel at Bøler Church in the background. We could not have planned the colour scheme with all the natural materials any better. I love this straight back view. The intricate cables are from Norah Gaughan’s brilliant Knitted Cable Sourcebook.

Not only the cables are reversible on this vest, I think the whole garment is reversible. I considered working a flat neat seam, but opted for a visible seam creating an even more marked shoulder line instead. Seams with the sewing allowance visible is in fashion at the moment and I like the rougher look it gave to the vest. As usual I used a crochet hook and worked a slip stitch seam. This cropped photo was chosen as the cover for the retailers brochure by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

Sissel wanted to try out a new hair style on these reverse set of photos and added several extra hair bands on Emma’s wonderful hair. We were all in favour and waited patiently as she did it. Above you can see the result! I also love this stylish photo and I am so grateful for having such a wonderful team!

Last, is the view of the back with the wrong side out. The English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group before its release. The test knit will begin 9th of April. The Norwegian pattern will be released shortly. The yarn kits were launched last week at the Oslo Design Fair and will be available online at Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk’s website: www.ull.no and in selected yarn stores shortly.

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Oslo Design Fair – January 2018

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Linda Marveng

What happened to January? I had so many plans but did not get very far at all. Anyway, I did make it to the first day of the Oslo Design Fair at Lillestrøm on Wednesday 24th of January. I was looking forward to seeing my new designs in collaboration with Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk on display at their stand together with large posters of Emma Ross photographed by Eivind Røhne at Bøler Kirke/Church in Oslo last October. Michael came with me and took these photographs. Above you can see the Cahal knitted in Olive green Tinde Pelsull, Ardra knitted in Cognac Sølje Pelsull and Barra knitted in Brown Sølje Pelsull. On the floor are the yarn kits, and in the two boxes closest to Ardra are the Tinde Pelsull while the new lambswool yarn Sol is in the next two boxes.

Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk had printed a brochure for retailers and I saw it for the first time, fresh from the printers in the photo above. Here I am talking to Øyvind Myhr since both Berit and Anette were busy taking orders. On the wall to the right is Donia. The sample is on display at the front of the stand. I am wearing my design Kathe Cardigan knitted in SweetGeorgia Superwash Sport, made for Interweave Knits Fall 2016. Yarn kit with Norwegian patterns and printed patterns will soon go on sale in selected yarn stores in Norway and online at Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. Digital patterns will be available after test knitting in my Ravelry group in both Norwegian and English during the spring.

I met up with several designers during the day to my delight. Here is Creative Director at House of Yarn, Margaretha Finseth (yes, the editor of the Norwegian Knitting Designs book) telling Tove Fevang and me about the new yarns from Du Store Alpakka. As you can see from these photos there was plenty of space at this trade fair on the first day.

The fair also showcases jewellery, clothing, interiors and decorations in addition to yarn. Kaja Gjedebo had a stand again this time and I had to visit. Kaja is presenting the news to designer Bente Presterud Røvik who joined Tove and me. Thankfully, Kaja had made a new brochure so that we could easily make our wish-lists. In between visiting the stands, I had several coffee breaks and enjoyed catching up with designer Iselin Hafseld and handcraft editor at Familien Åse Myhrvold Egeland. I had a great day and received more design commissions so I will stay busy.

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Ena Buttons by Siri Berrefjord

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Linda Marveng

Now, a study of the details, the bespoke buttons hand-made by Siri Berrefjord especially for my new design Ena. I ordered 12 buttons in the size small with a diameter of 18 millimeters/0.7″ in an orange-brown colour, by e-mail. I sent Siri my swatch – while I was knitting the sample – so that she could match the colour and take some wonderful photos. Siri is a trained photographer, as well as a jewellery designer, clothes designer and now also an co-author, see her Norwegian book: Redesign. Ena, Celtic for fiery – perfect for both the colour and for the amount of cables – is knitted in the divine Acadia by The Fibre Co. in the shade Orange Storm. I made the swatch to check my gauge but also to find a spine for the back and checked whether I wanted a plain column of rib or a twisted stitch. Just seeing the knitted swatch is such a detail is like yarn porn. And, yes, there is such a thing. We knitters know all about this.

I specified that I wanted orange buttons with brown in them. Siri made the perfect match as you can see. Each button is like a piece of jewellery with immaculate texture to it. The design is based on the silver broches for the traditional folk costume, called “bunad” in Norwegian. They are moulded in plastic then painted with several layers.

As always I am impressed by the composition of the photos, making sure the background matches or contrasts the object in the photograph. It is such a fun and successful collaboration. Take a look at these previous designs: Helka, Gyda and Icelandic Jacket.

The cables I chose for Ena, are by Norah Gaughan and found in her brilliant Knitted Cable Sourcebook. The woven cables are ideal for the Acadia yarn, made of 60% merino wool, 20% alpaca, 20% silk with 133 meters/145 yards on each 50 gram skein and it is a luxury to both knit and to wear.You will find a selection of Siri’s buttons available in her shop on Epla here: Siris Skattkammer and more divine photos on her website: Fredenshavn. The finished sample of Ena was professionally photographed by Eivind Røhne at Bøler Church and you can see the photos in my blogpost: Photoshoot at Bøler Church; Ena. The English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group, beginning on March 12th, before it is released at the end of April.

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Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Ena

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Linda Marveng

The next set of photos from our shoot is of Ena, knitted in The Fibre Company’s Acadia, beautifully worn by Emma Ross leaning towards the rusty cor-ten wall panel with Bøler Kirke/Church carved into it. Photographer Eivind Røhne who captured these brilliant shoots made sure to position Em so that the two letters “Bø” as in “Boo!” was visible at all times. Yes, we do have a lot of fun! Hair & makeup stylist Sissel Fylling made sure that Em’s hair was not covering up the collar. On Em’s finger is one of Kaja Gjedebo Design’s statement rings in gold-plated silver.

Ena is Celtic for fiery. As you need to be passionate about cables to make this jacket. The woven cables lean towards the left and the right hence the spine has been accentuated with a twisted stitch at the center back and along front opening. Ribbing in the sides make the jacket appear casually fitted. The collar in rib can be worn open or closed and folded over. Ena is knitted in the rustic Acadia with silk noil from The Fibre Company.

The bespoke buttons are made by Siri Berrefjord in a brown orange colour she matched to my knitted swatch, ideal for this dressy jacket I styled with a pair of wide silk trousers in navy. The handmade buttons are moulded in plastic after old traditional national costume/bunad silver. You can look forward to seeing her stunning photos later. Siri is also a photographer so even the yarn and stitch definition can then be studied in detail!

The cable I chose is from Norah Gaughan’s brilliant Knitted Cable Sourcebook, so no surprise there, as I have found a lot of inspiration in it. The Acadia yarn, made of 60% merino wool, 20% alpaca, 20% silk with 133 meters/145 yards on each 50 gram skein and it is a luxury to both knit and to wear. I used a 4 mm/US 6 needle with a 21 stitches and 30 rows in Stocking stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square gauge. The jacket is made in pieces and seamed. The collar is picked up and knitted before the buttonband. The last buttonhole is on collar before fold over.

Em is wearing size S with a bust circumference of 92 cm/36.25″, worn with 6 cm/2.25″ positive ease. The cardigan is graded in sizes XS to 2XL with a bust circumference of 84 to 124 cm/33 to 48.75″. The English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group, beginning on March 12th, before it is released at the end of April.

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Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Donia

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Linda Marveng

I am so excited to show you the photos of the gorgeous Emma Ross, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling & jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, wearing Donia, captured by Eivind Røhne at Bøler Kirke/Church in Oslo last October. Yes, I did select the medium blue in Tinde Pelsull by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk to go with Emma’s hair and because it was a shade I wanted to use for some time. We started our photoshoot at Bøler Kirke/Church in the courtyard next to the chapel. The colour of all the natural materials worked so well together with the colours I has chosen for the collection for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, to be launched at Oslo Design Fair. I decided to style the poncho with high heeled boots from Norwegian designer Monica Stålvang, and black pencil pants.

Round knot cables adorn the bottom and the top of this poncho. A high collar gives it a noble look, hence the name Donia; Celtic for rules all. The upper part is picked up and knitted from the lower cable panel and worked in stockinette stitch with shaping for the shoulders. The short sleeves in rib hold the poncho together. You can wear it with a belt or a shawl pin to gather it at the front or loose, just as you prefer.This was Kaja’s favourite from the shoot, and she borrowed it when Emma had changed into the next garment. I have made the design in one size, but it can be adjusted to your preference in both width and length. The bust circumference is 194 cm/76.5″ and the length is 74.5 cm/29.25. The sleeve length is 32 cm/12.5″.

The body is knitted in four parts with cables on bottom part and stockinette stitch on the upper part. A long circular needle is used to accommodate the large number of stitches. The sleeves are knitted in the round in rib. The collar is knitted separately using a provisional cast-on so that the ends can be grafted together. If you prefer to have the collar loose, pick up and knit stitches around the neck and work an I-cord bind-off.

Donia is knitted using 3.5 mm/US 4 with a gauge of 21 stitches and 30 rows in stocking stitch measures 10 cm/4″ square. The Tinde Pelsull yarn is made of 100% pelt wool with 260 meters/284 yards on each 100 gram skein and it comes in 30 divine shades.

The last photo of Donia shows it worn with a belt. Sissel and I decided to use the wide belt on Emma. It is only the front piece that is gathered together with the belt, while the back piece is left to hang loose and hence seem longer. The yarn kit with a Norwegian pattern will be launched at Oslo Design Fair at the end of January, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group, beginning on March 5th, before it is released at the end of April.

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Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Brewster Cardigan

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Linda Marveng

The time has come to show you the marvellous photos we took at the photoshoot at Bøler Kirke/Church in Oslo last October. The first series of photos out are of the Brewster Cardigan. We started photographing outside in the courtyard next to the chapel due to the funeral in the main church hall, so we would be out of sight as agreed with the parish priest Dag Auli who unlocked all doors and gave us close to unlimited access to the church. The next backdrop we choose was the entrance to the church hall with its high ceilings, half concrete walls and large windows, by HBA Architects. Above is the gorgeous Emma Ross, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, wearing Brewster Cardigan captured by Eivind Røhne. It is one of my favourite shots from the photoshoot.

I chose to style the cardigan with black pencil trousers and those magnificent sculptural high heels by Danish designer Camilla Skovgaard. The Brewster Cardigan was initially made for Wool Studio 2016 an off-spring of the knit.wear magazine and published in December 2016. The pattern rights reverted to me in December 2017, hence I needed to take new photos for the release of the pattern in my Ravelry Store.

Reversible sand cables, adorn the generous loop cowl as well as the center of the back and the sleeves of this straight cardigan. The draped loop cowl creates the unusual captivating silhouette. A fake garter stitch seam adds a bit of structure to this cardigan. The loop cowl can be worn loose, folded once behind the neck or twice in front or three times around the neck in a ballerina style.

The cardigan is knitted in Valley Yarns Northfield (70% Merino, 20% Baby Alpaca, 10% Silk, 50 gram, 113 meters/124 yards). Sample is knitted in Haze 14. Cardigan shown measures 96.5 cm/40″; modeled with 15.5 cm/6″ of positive ease. It is available in sizes XS to 2XL with a bust circumference of 89 to 136 cm/35 to 53.5″.

Brewster Cardigan is knitted by me using 4 mm/US 6 needles with a gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows in stocking stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square.

Above you see the cowl worn three times around the neck, pulling the cardigan together into a ballerina wrap style. The body is worked back and forth in one piece to the armholes and then the fronts and back are worked separately. The sleeves are worked in the round, with the sleeve cap worked flat. The loop cowl is worked in two parts, with 3 pattern repeats, and is joined with a 3-needle bind off at one end and a mattress stitch seam at the other after it has been attached around the opening with extra length hanging loose.

Emma’s wonderful hair adds a splash of colour to these grey tone photos. The English pattern is available on Ravelry and on Loveknitting while the Norwegian pattern will be published in the special issue Familien Strikk magazine out in March. Thank you to my team including Sissel’s assistant Nora and my husband – always working in the background – for making these wonderful photos!

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New Design: Barra

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Linda Marveng

Here is the last of the four new designs made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk; Barra. Elaborate spear cables run like a spine on the back of this long jacket before they are moved towards the shoulder at the top. At the front one cable follow the line along the v-neck. The sleeve has a spear cable running around it at the bottom, before the upper part is knitted in the round in stockinette stitch. The a-line cardigan is named Barra – Celtic for spear. It is beautifully knitted in Sølje – made of 100% pelt wool with 350 meters/383 yards on each 100 gram skein and using 3 mm/US 2.5 needles – by new sample knitter Anne Langfjæran.

The body is worked flat in pieces, unlike the long sleeves which are worked in the round after the sideways cable panel to the armhole. Stitches are picked up along right side of cable panel for the top sleeve. The cables are the same as on Melva and from the cables are from Norah Gaughan’s brilliant Knitted Cable Sourcebook.

My husband photographed me at the outdoor stage next to Ørje Brug, today a museum called Haldenvassdragets Kanalmuseum on a very windy day in October. I am wearing size S but the pattern will be available in sizes XS to 2XL with bust circumferences from 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″. All with the same length, due to the cable length: 79.5 cm/31.25″. The Norwegian yarn kit will be launched at Oslo Design Fair in late January. The English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group beginning in mid-May, before it is released about 6 weeks later. But before that I will show you how it looked on the gorgeous model Emma Ross with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling and captured by photographer Eivind Røhne.

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Aki Knitted By Kirsten

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Linda Marveng

I wanted to show you this stunning version and photos of my design Aki knitted by Kirsten in Germany. Yes, these photos are taken with a rustic house as backdrop, near to where she lives with her family by the edge of the forest in Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen. Kirsten, aka Lavendelfreundin on Ravelry called her project “Yes, I Can :-)”. And she explains why on her project page: “I immediately fell in love with this pattern, but was skeptical that I would be able to knit so much cable pattern. So far, I only knitted a few cable knit projects. I like them so much. Just don’t like knitting … With a bit of encouragement from Valeria I dared to do it. And after I had memorized the cable pattern and no longer had constantly look at the instructions, knitting was funny. Many thanks to Valeria for the gifted pattern and the spirit and motivation she has given to me”.

Kirsten choose to work both the body and the sleeves flat and longer than in the pattern. She also made the collar a little higher 11 cm/4.25″ (2 times 40 rounds). “Yes, I can :-)” is knitted in Blacker Yarns Tamar 4-ply – a pure British wool (that is breed specific) with 347 meters/380 yards on each 100 gram skein – in the shade Shalesbrook – using 3.5 mm/US needles in size L. More info on the yarn can be found here: www.blackeryarns.co.uk.

Of course, I also wanted to show you the a photo of the back. There are many more photos you can see, as a member of Ravelry on her project page. Thank you so much Kristin for knitting Aki and for the wonderful photos. You can find the pattern with sizes XS to 2XL in both English and Norwegian on Ravelry and in English on Loveknitting.

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New Design: Ardra

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Linda Marveng

Why not start the new year with a new design, I thought. So here it is: Ardra. Yes, it is another design for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk to be launched at the Oslo Design Fair in late January, knitted in the lovely Sølje Pelsull with the same cables as my Donia: Round knot cables run along the body of this a-line pullover with a slightly longer back. Only one cable adorns each sleeve. The body is worked in the round and ends in a round neck with an I-cord bind-off. A false seam on the sides make the fit better. Ardra is Celtic and means noble.

The body is knitted in the round with short rows for a longer curved hem at the back up to the armhole. Then it is worked back and forth in Back and Front. The sleeves are knitted in the round up to the armhole. The colour is called Cognac and Sølje Pelsull is made of 100% pelt wool with 350 meters/383 yards on each 100 gram skein. The pullover is beautiful knitted, using 3 mm/US 2.5 and a 24 stitches and 32 rows gauge, by Kristin Nygård, aka Quiltefeen on Ravelry and Instagram, since I was busy working on another new design.

The cables are from Norah Gaughan’s brilliant Knitted Cable Sourcebook, and appear smaller due to the thinner yarn than on the poncho Donia. The English pattern for Ardra will be test knitted in my Ravelry group beginning on 23rd of April before it is released in mid June. But before that I will show you how it looked on the gorgeous model Emma Ross with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling and captured by photographer Eivind Røhne.

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Linda Marveng

Knit wear designer and author

Monthly Archives: January 2018

Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Cahal

Oslo Design Fair – January 2018

Ena Buttons by Siri Berrefjord

Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Ena

Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Donia

Photoshoot at Bøler Church: Brewster Cardigan

New Design: Barra

Aki Knitted By Kirsten

New Design: Ardra