Monthly Archives: April 2019

Lofn Knitted by Tina

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I wanted to show you Tina’s gorgeous version of my Lofn design, knitted in Mirasol Sulka Nina. Tina is one of my eagle eyed test knitters and volunteered to make size Small. I was fortunate to meet the lovely Tina, who is from Slovenia at the Vienna Wool & Design Festival, back in May 2017.  On her project page on Ravelry, where she is tinkaslo, she writes: “Another wonderful Linda’s pullover. I love special designs and it was my big wish to test knit it. Here I am. Due to different gauge I’ll be busy all the time – some adjustments needed.” Tina has written down all the adjustments she did on her project page!

Tina found a scenic background to photograph Lofn, somehow it made the texture and cables pop even more. Tina used a 4 mm/US 6 needle, while my sample knitter Grete Jenssen used a 3 mm/US 2.5 and the Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Sølje pelt wool yarn. Thank you so much for test knitting for me and for making such a stunning version, Tina!

Here is my introduction to the pattern: Lofn is Norse for praise. This pullover is praising texture with its sideways voluptous cables and welt pattern that works like a rib. The upper part is picked up and knitted in Fisherman’s Rib and increased into top part of sleeve, while the bottom part of sleeve is knitted separately.

The Lofn pattern is available in English and in Norwegian in my Ravelry store and on Loveknitting. Yarn kits can be ordered directly from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

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Eira Pullover and White Mountain Ruana in Vårens Strikk

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Vårens Strikk/Spring Knits is a special knitting issue published by the bimonthly magazine Familien in Norway released yesterday. I am delighted to have two designs: Eira Pullover and White Mountain Ruana as well as a brief interview in this magazine. Eira Pullover was made for knit.wear Fall/Winter 2017 and knitted in the lovely The Fibre Co. Cumbria using 4 mm/US 6 needles, while the White Mountain Ruana was made for Interweave Knits Winter 2018, knitted in the divine Shibui Knits, Maai using 4 mm/US 6 needles. Both designs were photographed for the second time around worn by the gorgeous Emma Ross, with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, this time by Eivind Røhne at the Vigeland Museum in November 2018.

The heading is a play on the word “flette” meaning cable in Norwegian, joined with the word “fin” meaning beautiful. Feminine garments with exciting cables is the introduction to the two patterns. The picture text is a short version of my introduction to Eira Pullover: A visually striking center cable named Kanik which is Eskimo for snowflake, adorns the center front and back on this pullover with saddle shoulders.

Here is the White Mountain Ruana, with part of the pattern text in Norwegian. My pages cover a total of 6 page in this special magazine which has a total of 100 pages with patterns for mainly women but also a few for men, children and babies.

The handcraft editor Åse Myhrvold Egeland, sent me a number of questions about my life in stitches such as what is your favourite pattern. I replied: “It is a difficult question. Just now, it is cables designed by the Polish designer Dorota Kowalczyk, aka devorgilla on Ravelry. I have used one of those on Corra, designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and their Tinde Pelsull, which is currently being test knitted”. Åse also wanted a number of photos not only of Em but also of me, so I sent her a small selection she could choose from. Michael is pleased to have his name as a photographer in the magazine. I am wearing Ataraxia, the sample I made that had to be re-knitted since the colour did not fit in together with the other designs in Pom Pom Quarterly Winter 2018 magazine. On the next page you see me wearing the dress Sigyn designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

This special issue is for sale in newsagents and in selected super markets in Norway. If you live abroad you can order the Norwegian special magazine by e-mailing kari.bachke@egmont.com and then transfer payment into their bank account.

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Easter is Here

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Easter arrived with summer here in Ørje, we seem to have skipped spring this year. In one week from freezing temperatures and snowflakes to brilliant summer & shorts weather. You can see flake ice on the lake in the bottom photo, taken last week. Michael and I am are staying at home. I am working on designs for my next photoshoot as well as translations, while Michael is out in his newly acquired boat or yacht as our neighbours call it. It is after all a skiff (tiny boat for maximum two people), 8 foot and with no engine, so far that is.

Yesterday we went abroad to Sweden, which is only 15 minutes away, and checked out the newly opened extension of our nearest shopping centre in Töcksfors. There were plenty of Norwegians there, since all shops in Norway are closed for the Easter holiday.

 Michael made the top image: God Påske means Happy Easter. Our house is known as the British Embassy since Michael is a British citizen as well as a Norwegian one (read: dual citizenship). This Easter the ambassador is out on his yacht.

I wish you all a Happy Easter and hope you will receive an Easter Egg, regardless whether you have to fill it yourself or not!

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Aibell Pattern Released

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The test knit of Aibell has come to an end, and the pattern has been corrected as well as improved. I am delighted to let you know that the pattern is now available in both Norwegian and English in my Ravelry Store and on Loveknitting. Aibell was made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and is knitted in their divine Tinde pelt wool yarn using 3 mm/US 2.5 needle and 3.5 mm/US 4 needle. The dress came alive to me when Emma Ross wore it at the Vigeland Museum last November. Sissel Fylling who did her hair and make up also suggested wearing the cowl as a belt for those who dare. The stunning jewellery is by Kaja Gjedebo Design, while the black Benedetta wedge boots are designed by Monica Stålvang. Eivind Røhne captured it all.

The idea began as a balloon dress, with a tight rib at the bottom and a voluminous stockinette stitch part. What if I used the stockinette stitches to make cables instead of decreasing and what if I made the introduction of the cables to look like a royal sash? Hence the front and back had to be opposite and not identical. I made a small swatch to see if the idea would work out. Yes, it did to my excitement. I choose to make the sample in a neutral colour and went for natural grey.

Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, knitted the sample for me in her usual turbo speed and grafted the ends of the cowl together. After I had finished crocheting the dress together and made the neckband, I tried it on and discovered that I could wear it with the rib pulled up a bit, or folded in to make a thick layered tunic or merely hanging down.

Named after the Celtic Goddess of Munster who had a magical harp in her possession is this balloon shaped dress where the shaping is done by the cables. The a-line created by the cables is mirrored on the body. The front has Right cables beginning at hip one at a time, while the back has Left cables. A cowl make a high cabled collar or a belt. Wear it loose hanging down, slightly pulled up or as a tunic with the rib turned.

The dress is available in sizes XS to 2XL and you can see the gorgeous projects from the test knit on the pattern page on Ravelry.

Happy Easter! Enjoy the holidays!

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

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Mohair Poncho in Japanese

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The Mohair Poncho was made for my Norwegian book “To rett, en vrang. Designstrikk” in 2012 and it has been the most popular pattern from my book. Above you see it photographed by Kim Müller, worn by dancer Cristiane Sa. 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.

70年代を懐かしむ訳ではなく、ただ暖かくお洒 落なポンチョを思い描きました。同じ長方形を3 枚編むので簡単。合わせ方を少しています。使 用した糸はTexere Yarnsのアルパカとモヘアに アクリルを混紡糸です。

A poncho – not too reminiscent of the ‘70s but fashionable in addition to being warm – was my aim. It is easy to knit in 3 identical rectangular pieces but an intermediate challenge to sew together. The yarn I have chosen is a mixture of alpaca and mohair with a little acrylic from Texere Yarns.

The poncho is available in one size 120 cm/47.25″ wide and 105 cm/41.5″ long, knitted in a lightweight mohair mix yarn using 5 mm/US 8 needles with a 14 stitches and 18 rows in pattern gauge. You can also make it into a stunning Poncho Jacket like Irene did. For more versions take a look at the Ravelry Pattern Page.

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Why Am I On Patreon?

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Why should you support me through this?  Because it is an incredible opportunity for me to take a step forward in my career, in my creative process. You will know more about what is happening behind the scenes, far away from the social media, and it is on Patreon that this curiosity can be satisfied. Patreon is a support system that gives me a recurring income that allows me to approach new ventures and take more risk by spending time on more innovative or long-term projects, as well as making me able to travel to those knitting festivals I want to attend with the opportunity to meet you all.

I have already had some encouragement from friends to make a page, and in March I was invited by the Fruity Knitting Podcast to take part in a live Web event for their top two level patrons. I accepted without fully understand the concept. It was a 50 minute online video event where their patrons could ask questions in advance, with the last 10 minutes set aside for spontaneous questions/chat amongst the group. The patrons were from all over the world from Europe to the US. I was so grateful for this opportunity and enjoyed talking to their patrons about my creative life. Yet another reason for me to be on Patreon.

How does it work? If you want to support me, simply register on Patreon and subscribe to one of three levels of commitment with your credit card or your Paypal account. Please note that if you are an EU citizen the EU Digital Tax (VAT) will be added to your monthly bill. Then you will have access to the content I create for your tier of commitment. I plan to develop this Patreon page with you as we go, so I will often invite you to let me know what you will be pleased to know. You can choose to end your subscription whenever you want.

So if you are interested, take a look at my Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/lindamarveng

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Presentation at Marker Library

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I was so happy to be asked to hold a presentation at my local library in Ørje; Marker bibliotek. To make sure that at least one person would be there, I asked our neighbour Reidun to come along. She obliged and was not alone in the audience, despite the fact that there was a seminar on Mental Health held by an acknowledged professor at the same time upstairs in the town hall in Ørje. Michael was my Technical Manager and made sure that the large screen television was connected to my laptop.  I had brought a large number of garments, swatches, magazines, large pictures (last used at the Strikke 2017 Exhibition at Hadeland Glassverk) and promotional materials. So we arrived early to set it all up.

I wore my Bowery Tunic, made for knit.wear Spring/Summer 2017, knitted in Madeline Tosh DK. Above you see me, in the crime corner, talking about the collaboration I have with the Norwegian shoe designer Monica Stålvang.

After my presentation, the short version which takes about an hour, I encouraged them all to come up and take a closer look at the garments, swatches and magazines. The library also provided cake and coffee for us all! I met women I knew from my local gym, the knitting café which takes place in the library, as well as the former owner of our house. I answered questions on yarn qualities, which magazines I design for, where I am going next and other jobs I do. All in all, I had a lovely evening. Thank you to Marker bibliotek and to everyone who came!

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Prescott Pullover Knitted by Marianne Skatten

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 For the second time around, I am showing one of my designs that Marianne Skatten has knitted, the first one was Halli, which she wore to the  Strikkefestivalen/Knitting Festival in Fredrikstad. Instead of making the Prescott Pullover, Marianne decided to modify it into a dress, by adding more ribbing in the sides and purl stitches in the ribbing for waist shaping. Marianne told us about her plans in the Prescott Pullover Knit-A-Long thread, I set up in my Ravelry group last autumn, just after the pattern was published in Interweave Knits Fall 2018. Marianne made size medium but used a different yarn, Holst Supersoft Wool held together with the discontinued Holst Samarkand Uld/silke, that resulted in a different gauge, hence she had to re-calculate the pattern as well. I have seen Marianne wearing the dress, at Wenche Roald’s book launch at Cappelen Damm, and it looks stunning on her. Marianne has inspired others to make a similar dress too.

Marianne has written a detailed description of her modifications on her project page: Here is one of her points: “I like to knit in the round, so that I don’t have to sew together the sleeves and front and back pieces. I have therefore reworked the pattern for both the sleeves and the body, to be made in the round. I did not knit the sleeves together with the body, which is what I would normally do, but made set in sleeves as the pattern calls for.”

Marianne also wanted a close fitting turtle neck. She explains: “To accomplish this I moved the front neck line 5 cm upwards, compared to the front neck line in the pattern. I did not make any adaptions when placing the back neck line”. Thank you so much, Marianne!

The gorgeous cable is designed by Dorota Kowalczyk, aka devorgilla on Ravelry. The English pattern to the Prescott Pullover is included in the Interweave Knits Fall 2018 magazine and available in a digital edition as well as a print edition.

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