Monthly Archives: April 2020

Epona Knitted by Birgit Blumrich

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I am thrilled to show you the two stunning Epona pullovers that Birgit made, one for each of her daughters for Christmas last year. German knitter Birgit is a skilled test knitter who first made one version in Cascade 220 Sport in Olive Heather, then the second in Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal in Blue. Both pullovers are knitted in size XS, with a bust circumference of 84 cm/33″, using 3 mm/US 2.5 and a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows in stockinette stitch measuring 10 cm4″ square. I love these photos of them together wearing their sweaters, so beautifully knitted! Birgit, aka blumi1412, writes on her project page on Ravelry: “I really loved this project!”. That is fun to hear, thank you so much, Birgit!

Birgit and her husband have three alpacas on their property in Leutersdorf, Sachsen in Germany, which include a lot of meadow, as you can see and read more about on their website “Alpakawiese Blumrich“.

Here is my introduction to the Epona pattern: Graceful cables run along the center of this pullover with a high rib, creating a narrower waist. A sweater perfect for riding or worn together with a skirt, it is crowned by a high collar with interfacing to make it stand up. Epona is Celtic for the Goddess of horses and knitted in Sølje Pelsull from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk in a deep bottlegreen shade.

The English and Norwegian Epona pattern in sizes XS to 2XL, with bust circumference of 84 cm/33″ to 124 cm/49″, is available in my Ravelry store and on Love Crafts, while a yarn kit can be bought directly from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

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Gyro Yarn Kit

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I am thrilled to let you know that my design Gyro is now available as a yarn kit with Norwegian or English pattern directly from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. Above you see the cover that they made showing the gorgeous Olivia Lindtein, with hair & make-up by Erica Poppe and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, wearing the dress as a tunic captured by Eivind Røhne in Mortensrud Church last November.

Gyro is an oversized dress with bat sleeves knitted in two yarn thicknesses and colours. The center cable panel crowns the dress and ends in a wide neck with an I-cord bind off. Gyro is an old Norwegian female name, well suited to this dress or tunic made in pieces and sewn or crochet together with a garter stitch sleeve band. The dress is knitted in the divine pelt wool yarn from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk; The thicker Tinde for the cable panel and the thinner Sølje for the side parts.

The dress is available in sizes XS to 3XL with a wingspan of 119 to 137/46.75 to 54“,
divided into: Sleevepart/shoulder on each side: 47.5 to 56.5 cm/18.75  to 22.25” and neck: 24 cm/9.5”. The length is from 89 to 95 cm/35 to 37.5”. Olivia wears size S; 122 cm/48” wingspan and has an 83 cm/32.75” bust circumference and stands 167 cm/5’6” tall.

As for construction: The dress is worked in pieces from the bottom up and seamed. You can easily adjust the length of the dress if you prefer, for instance by shortening (or lengthening) it with one or half a cable pattern repeat 12 cm/4.75” or 6 cm/2.25” and work less rows in between the increases.

You can find the Gyro yarn kit available online on Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. The English and Norwegian Gyro pattern is also available from my Ravelry store.

 

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Easter 2020

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Easter 2020 is here and it will be one we will never forget with the Covid-19 virus raging all around the world leading to lockdowns and quarantines. I hope you are safe and well enough to make the best out of this Easter, as well as period of lockdown! Here in Norway, the kinder gardens will re-open after Easter and hopefully the number of infected people will continue to decline, so that the restrictions can be eased little by little. Above you see our tulips and eggs that Michael has decorated with the British Embassy (Ørje) logo he has made.

In the last week, here in Ørje, we have gone from freezing temperatures with flurries of snow to spring like temperatures. Above you see the sunrise from our living room, taken by Michael in the morning of the 26th of March. We will be spending Easter at home. I will be knitting to finish a design for the end of April, while Michael, the ambassador, will be out in his boat.

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! Stay safe and well!

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Ataraxia Knitted by Dylan Shea

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I love this two coloured Ataraxia that Dylan Shea knitted and the contrast to her bright pink hair! The colours seem to pop out of these photos. Dylan, aka dylfish on Ravelry and dylan.shea.knits on Instagram, worked the largest size since she knitted it with two different yarns – La Maison Tricotee Tina, sportweight, in Sacagawea and Manos del Uruguay Alegria, fingering weight, in Reindeer – in a 25 stitch gauge instead of Worsted yarns in a 21 stitch gauge as described in the pattern. Ataraxia was designed for Pom Pom Quarterly issue 27: Winter 2018 guest edited by Norah Gaughan.

Ataraxia is named after one of Caroline Norton’s poems, to give you a sense of calm, sheltering you from whatever storms you bravely weather. She was known for her drive to establish basic legal rights for women. The long jacket’s fitted shape is achieved through a careful arrangement of vertical texture panels and I-cord highlights. Finished with a tucked asymmetrical peoplum. Designed with a mythic shield maiden in mind, not unlike Caroline Norton.

Above is a photo of Dylan’s progress on the back, taken during a beer tasting event. The cardigan is available in 5 sizes with a finished bust measurement of 91 to 132.5 cm/35.75 to 52.25″. Ataraxia is knitted flat, in pieces from bottom up, and seamed. The asymmetric lower body has extra width in each side that will be bound off before the tuck is made. Waist shaping is worked at the sides and the shoulders are shaped using short-rows. The collar is picked up and completed using an i-cord cast-off. Thank you so much, Dylan!

The English pattern is now also available as an individual pdf download on Ravelry and Love Crafts. The Norwegian pattern is recently printed in the special magazine Familien Vårstrikk 2020/Spring Knits.

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Gyro Pattern Released

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The test knit of Gyro has come to an end with beautiful versions made. I look forward to sharing some of those with you. Above is the pattern cover showing the gorgeous Olivia Lindtein, with make-up and hair by Erica Poppe and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, is wearing my Gyro dress – knitted in both Tinde and Sølje pelt wool yarn designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk – brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne, at Mortensrud Church in Oslo in November last year. The English pattern is available on Ravelry and will soon come to Love Crafts. Yarn kits, with Norwegian or English pattern, will soon be available from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

Gyro is an oversized dress with bat sleeves knitted in two yarn thicknesses and colours. The center cable panel crowns the dress and ends in a wide neck with an I-cord bind off. Gyro is an old Norwegian female name, well suited to this dress or tunic made in pieces and sewn or crochet together with a garter stitch sleeve band. The dress is knitted in the divine pelt wool yarn from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk; The thicker Tinde for the cable panel and the thinner Sølje for the side parts.

Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL)
To fit sizes:
UK 6 (8, 10, 12, 14, 16-18, 20-22)
US 2 (4, 6, 8, 10, 12-14, 16-18)
EU 34 (36, 38, 40, 42, 44-46, 48-50)
Shown in size Small
Skill level: Experienced

Finished measurements:
Wingspan: 119 (122, 125, 128, 131, 134, 137) cm/46.75 (48, 49.25, 50.5, 51.5, 52.75, 54)“
Divided into: Sleevepart/shoulder on each side: 47.5 (49, 50.5, 52, 53.5, 55, 56.5) cm/18.75 (19.25, 20, 20.5, 21, 21.75, 22.25)”.
Neck: 24 cm/9.5”.
Bottom circumference: 110 (114, 118, 124, 130, 134, 140) cm/43.25 (45, 46.5, 48.75, 51.25, 52.75, 55)“
Length: 89 (90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95) cm/35 (35.5, 35.75, 36.25, 36.5, 37, 37.5)”
Ease: Model wears second size; 122 cm/48” wingspan and has an 83 cm/32.75” bust circumference and stands 167 cm/5’6” tall.

Yarn: Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde Pelsull (100% pelt wool, 260 m/284 yds, 100 g).
COL 1: The sample is knitted in Mørk rosa 2114: 3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4) skeins; 715 (767, 819, 871, 923, 975, 1027) m/782 (839, 896, 953, 1009, 1066, 1123) yds.
Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Sølje Pelsull (100% pelt wool, 350 m/383 yds, 100 g)
COL 2: The sample is knitted in Burgunderlilla 2131: 3 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5) skeins; 1050 (1138, 1226, 1314, 1402, 1490, 1578) m/1148 (1245, 1341, 1437, 1533, 1629, 1726) yds.
https://www.ull.no/produktkategori/garn/ullgarn/norsk-pel…
https://www.ull.no/produktkategori/garn/solje-pelsullgarn/

Alternative Yarns for Tinde: Berroco, Ultra Alpaca Light (50% alpaca, 50% wool, 50 g, 133 m/144 yds). http://www.berroco.com/yarns/berroco-ultra-alpaca-light
Jamieson’s, Double Knitting (100% wool, 25 g, 75 m/82 yds).
http://www.jamiesonsofshetland.co.uk/spindrift-and-double…
Rowan, Tweed (100% wool, 50 g, 118 m/129 yds).
http://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/rowan-tweed
Malabrigo, Arroyo, (100% superwash merino, 100 g, 306 m/335 yds).
http://www.malabrigoyarn.com/subyarn.php?id=29
Or another DK/8 ply yarn.

Alternative Yarns for Sølje: Cascade 220 Sport (100% wool, 50 g, 150 m/164 yds).
http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-Cascade220Sport.htm
Tosh Sock (100% wool, 100 g, 361 m/394 yds).
http://madelinetosh.com/tosh-sock/
Berroco Cosma (60% alpaca, 30% wool, 10% silk, 50 g, 150 m/164 yds).
http://www.berroco.com/yarns/berroco-cosma
Or another Sport/5 ply or Fingering 4/ply yarn.

Needles: 3.5 mm/US 4 straight needle.
3 mm/US 2.5 circular needle or straight needle.
3 mm/US 2.5 circular needle (40 cm/16”) for neckband.
Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: Stitch markers (removable), cable needle, stitch holders, waste yarn for sleeveband marker and yarn needle.

Gauge: 21 sts and 30 rows in st st with Tinde (COL 1) and 3.5 mm/US 4 needle measures 10 cm/4” square.
24 sts and 32 rows in st st with Sølje (COL 2) using 3 mm/US 2.5 needle measures 10 cm/4” square.
16 sts in Cable with Tinde (COL 1) and 3.5 mm/US 4 needle measures about 7 cm/2.75” across.
36 rows in Cable with Tinde (COL 1) and 3.5 mm/US 4 needle measure about 12 cm/4.75” high.

Notes: The dress is worked in pieces from the bottom up and seamed. You can easily adjust the length of the dress if you prefer, for instance by shortening (or lengthening) it with one or half a cable pattern repeat 12 cm/4.75” or 6 cm/2.25” and work less rows in between the increases.

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