The next two new designs I have made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk are the skirt (or poncho) Kyi and the ballet top Rym. I am showing them together, as I designed them as a comfy set. The skirt idea came first, after I had seen an asymmetrical skirt with extra side width turned into pockets at the waist. I simplified the skirt due to the stretchy nature of the knitted fabric compared to a woven one. The top to go with, went from being a pullover into being a ballet top, as I wanted a fitted top to show off the large pockets on the skirt. Both are brilliantly knitted in the new yarn Vidde lambswool using a 4.5 mm/US 7 needle by my sample knitter Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry. Yarn kits are already available with either Norwegian or English pattern, while the individual patterns will be released after test knitting on Ravelry, later this spring.

Named Kyi, Norse for shelter, is this asymmetrical skirt with extra side width that are turned into pockets at the waist. The side seams make the pockets fold over. The waistband is knitted double in stockinette stitch at the end and has inserted boot laces for comfort. Wear it as a poncho instead if you prefer or together with the matching Rym ballet top. The Kyi skirt is knitted in the bouncy Vidde lambswool from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

Named Rym, Norse for roaring as well as the name of a troll-wife, is this ballet top that is tied together at the waist. An all over rhombus pattern gives the top texture. Rym is knitted in the lovely Vidde lambswool from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and made to be worn together with the skirt or poncho Kyi.

These photos of me wearing size Small are taken by my husband in our back garden back in November. I have graded both designs from sizes XS to 5XL. The skirt, Kyi, is worked back and forth in two pieces and seamed. The two horizontal top pockets are worked at the same as the front, with the lining attached horizontally at the bottom and closed at the top, by working it together with the back using 3-needles and end in an I-cord bind off for a pocket band, see video. The waist band is worked like a hem, with boot laces laid inside it before it is closed.

The top, Rym, is worked back and forth in separate pieces and seamed. The fronts have an attached I-cord and a purl stitch edging that is worked to the end for the front band. The ties are worked separately at the end and sewn in place at marked positions.

Here you see the Kyi skirt worn as a poncho. The gauge for both patterns is 18 sts and 24 rows in stockinette stitch using 4.5 mm/US 7 needle measures 10 cm/4” square after blocking.

Rym – ballet top – is first of the two design to be test knitted in my Ravelry group, beginning on June 7, then Kyi beginning on July 5, before each pattern is released. But you will already find yarn kits, with either English or Norwegian pattern, available from Hillesvag Ullvarefabrikk.

The style and colour look perfect on Model Olivia Lindtein, as you can see from the Yarn kit page. I look forward to showing you all the pictures of Rym and Kyi from our photoshoot.