Monthly Archives: April 2021

Photoshoot at Mortensrud Church November 2020: Kaibara

Posted on by

Finally, the turn has come to the last design photographed at our photoshoot at Mortensrud Church in Oslo, in November. I chose to style the silk pullover Kaibara, knitted in Poppy Red in the luxurious Como Silk from The Handweavers Studio in London with cream coloured silk trousers. The gorgeous Olivia Lindtein, with make-up & hair by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, is captured by Eivind Røhne upstairs on the gantry. Kaibara is the next pattern to be test knitted in my Ravelry group starting on May 3.

Olivia is wearing size XS with a bust measurement of 82 cm/32.25″ with only 1 cm/0.5″ positive ease. But I have graded Kaibara in sizes XS to 5XL, with bust measurements up to 166 cm/65.25″ and a recommended positive ease of 5-10 cm/2-4″.

Named after Kaibara Ekken the father of botany in Japan is this flowery lace adorned A-line pullover with short sleeves. To allow the lace pattern to shine, the remaining pullover is worked in stockinette stitch. The pullover is knitted in pieces then seamed, for the ultimate fit, in the drapey and lustrous Como Silk from The Handweavers Studio. Kaibara is made to be worn on a perfect summer’s day or at a party.

The Handweavers Studio, Como Silk 4.5nm is made of 100% Silk on a 100 gram spools with 350 meters/382 yards. I ordered the silk by telephoning the shop, that I used to visit when I lived in London. The sample is knitted, by yours truly, in Poppy Red using a 3.25 mm/US 3 needle with a 23 stitches and 34 rows in stockinette stitch gauge measuring 10 cm/4″ square after blocking. That is a loose gauge, as the heavy silk had quite a drop after blocking.

The English and Norwegian Kaibara pattern will be released after test knitting – that begins on the 3rd of May – in the middle of June.

Share

Thia Pattern Released

Posted on by

The Thia pattern has been released, for quite a while now, in both English and Norwegian, it was first published in the Norwegian book “Norsk Strikkedesign. Strikk din favoritt”. The jacket is knitted in the divine Mikkel Rev/Michael the Fox (a nursery rhyme) hand dyed shade in red/orange/pink by Laila Henriksen of Værbitt on Tinde pelt wool yarn from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. All my five designs are made in this yarn, but only Thia is in the hand dyed yarn.

Above and at the bottom are some of the new photos that were taken of the gorgeous Emma Ross with hair & make up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, by Eivind Røhne at the Oslofjord Museum back in spring 2019. The pattern is available in English and Norwegian in my Ravelry Store and on LoveCrafts.

My designs; Cian Sweater, Cian Beret and Cian Cowl are on the cover of the English version book with the title “Knit Like a Norwegian”, that also contains Thia and the skirt/poncho Damara. The book was published earlier this month by Trafalgar Square Books. For more information see here: www.trafalgarbooks.com. You can also order it with a free world-wide delivery here: Book Depository.

Thia is a sweet fitted cardigan with a small extra rib above the waist, cables adorning the center framed by double seed stitch. The lower part is all in stockinette stitch to allow the beautiful hand-dyed Mikkel Rev on Tinde pelt wool by Værbitt shine with its colours and depth. Thia ends in a large collar that can be folded down.

Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)
Shown in size Medium
Skill level: Experienced

Finished Measurements
Bust (without frontbands 2 cm/0.75”): 84 (90, 96, 106, 116, 126) cm/33 (36, 39.5, 42, 47, 51.5)“
Waist: 76 (82, 88, 98, 108, 118) cm/31 (33.5, 36, 39.5, 44, 48)”
Bottom width: 88 (94, 100, 110, 120, 130) cm/34.75 (37, 39.25, 43.25, 47.25, 51.25)“
Length: 61 (62, 63, 64, 65, 66) cm/24 (24.5, 24.75, 25.25, 25.5, 26)”
Sleeve length: 48 (49, 50, 50, 50, 50) cm/19 (19.25, 19.75, 19.75, 19.75, 19.75)“

Yarn: Værbitt, Mikkel Rev hand-dyed on Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde Pelsull (100% pelt wool, 260 m/284 yds, 100 g);
4 (5, 5, 6, 7, 8) skeins; 988 (1118, 1248, 1469, 1690, 1911) m/1080 (1222, 1365, 1607, 1848, 2090) yds.
Order hand-dyed Mikkel Rev on Tinde yarn from laila@varbitt.no.
https://www.varbitt.no
https://www.ull.no/produktkategori/garn/ullgarn/norsk-pel…

Alternative Yarns: 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.

Needles: 3.5 mm/US 4 straight needle.
Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: 11 buttons (18 mm/28L, 11/16”), stitch markers (removable), cable needle and yarn needle.

Gauge: 21 sts and 30 rows in st st measures 10 cm/4” square.
21 sts and 30 rows in Seed rib measures 10 cm/4” square.
21 sts and 30 rows in Double seed st measures 10 cm/4” square.
12 sts Braid measures about 5 cm/2” across.

Notes
The cardigan is worked back and forth. Back and front are made in two parts that are knitted together. The Seed rib on the upper back is not sewn into the side seam.

Share

Photoshoot at Mortensrud Church November 2020: Beyla

Posted on by

Here is the last of the four new designs for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Beyla. The gorgeous Olivia Lindtein, with make up & hair by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, is modelling the set, captured by Eivind Røhne at Mortensrud Church in Oslo, back in November. Yarn kits with either an English or a Norwegian pattern are available from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

Olivia is wearing size S with a 92 cm/36.25″ finished bust measurement with 9 cm/3.5″ positive ease. Beyla is graded from size XS to 5XL, with measurements of 85 to 153 cm/33.5 to 60″.

Named Beyla, Norse for little bean, well suited for the shape of the cables on this pullover. All over cables play on the front and back, while only three cables play on the sleeve. The purl stitches in the background make the sweater hug you. Beyla is crowned by a standing collar and knitted in Varde a bouncy pelt wool yarn from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

The pullover is worked back and forth in separate pieces and seamed with a 18 stitches and 24 rows in stockinette stitch gauge using a 4.5 mm/US 7 needle. The cable pattern continues on the collar which is worked in the round with an interfacing part.

Yarn kits are available from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk with either an English or a Norwegian pattern, while the individual pattern will be released at the end of May, after the on-going test knit has been completed, in my Ravelry Store.

Share

Photoshoot at Mortensrud Church November 2020: Eah

Posted on by

The next set of photos that I am going to show you is of Eah worn by Olivia Lindtein, who inspired me to make a hoodie not unlike the one she was wearing on our previous photoshoot, with make-up & hair by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne upstairs on the gantry in Mortensrud Church. Eah looked stunning on Olivia in the hand dyed Walk Collection Merino Sport in Camel (100% Superwash Merino, 100 g, 325 m/355 yds) held together with the KidMohair Lace (70% mohair, 30% silk, 50 g, 420 m/459 yds).

I choose to style the hoodie with cream coloured silk trousers, due to the cream shade of the Walk Collection KidMohair Lace yarn.

Olivia is wearing size Small with a bust & hip measurement of 92 cm/36.25″ with a 9 cm/3.5″ positive ease. Eah has been graded into sizes XS to 5XL with bust measurements from 84 to 160 cm/33 to 63″.

An acronym for each way is this casually fitted cabled hoodie adorned by a herringbone cable on the front, the back and the sleeves. Eah ends in a hood with the cable at the back and an I-cord edge. The pullover is knitted in the divine hand dyed Walk Collection Merino Sportweight yarn held together with the Kid Mohair Lace, in pieces and seamed for the ultimate fit.

The pullover is worked back and forth in separate pieces and seamed. The back extends into the back of the hood, while the front hood is picked up and knitted at the end. 

The test knit has completed and a narrower hood version has been added to the pattern as an option. The individual Eah pattern in both English and Norwegian is available from my Ravelry Store and will be added to LoveCrafts shortly.

Share

Leylak Knitted by Anja Helen Storø Hansen

Posted on by

I am pleased to introduce another of my regular test knitters, Norwegian Anja Helen Storø Hansen, aka FlowerBirds on Ravelry, wearing her Leylak knitted in size 2XL in Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Huldra kamgarn held together with HK Lace. Anja first test knitted for me back in 2013 and has had a break due to her own pattern writing but also a year of strong chemotherapy and stem cell therapy. On her project page she continues “..I needed to put myself to the test. I would like an answer on whether I am able to test and knit a complicated pattern with a given deadline.”

“The answer is YES, my hands work, my head starts working again, the same with my eyes. AND I finished by the deadline”. I think the jacket looks stunning on her! Anja is a podcasts in Norwegian and one of her episodes is called: “Tilbake til livet“/Back to life. Her other episodes are about her knitting and sewing, see them here: YouTube.com.

Anja used a 2.5 mm/US 1.5 and a 3.25 mm/US 3 needle, instead of the recommended 4 mm/US 6 due to her yarns, to achieve the pattern gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows in stockinette stitch gauge.  Thank you so much, both for test knitting and for these gorgeous photos, Anja!

Named after the Turkish leylak, the lilac tree, is this flowery cabled a-line cardigan with sidewings. The delicate cables, by Norah Gaughan, reminiscent of the lilac blossoms adorn the fronts, the back and the sleeves. Leylak ends in reverse stockinette stitch in a deep round neckline with a double neck- and buttonband. The jacket is knitted in the divine hand dyed Walk Collection Merino DK yarn, in pieces and seamed for the ultimate fit. To crown Leylak, make the cowl to act as a collar in excess yarn held together with the stunning Kid Mohair Lace.

The Leylak pattern is available in sizes XS to 5XL with bust measurements from 82 to 158 cm/32.25 to 61.5″, from my Ravelry Store and from LoveCrafts.

Share

Photoshoot at Mortensrud Church November 2020: Rym & Kyi

Posted on by

The next set of photos I am going to show you from the photoshoot is from the ballet top Rym and the skirt/poncho Kyi, made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. The gorgeous Olivia Lindtein, with make up & hair by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, is modelling the set, captured by Eivind Røhne at Mortensrud Church in Oslo, back in November. Yarn kits for Rym and Kyi with either an English or a Norwegian pattern are available from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

The patterns will be released in both English and Norwegian after the test knits have been completed; The Rym test knit begins June 7 and the pattern will be released in the middle of July, while the Kyi test knit begins July 5 and the pattern will be relased in the middle of August.

The samples are in size S, but I have graded both patterns from sizes XS to 5XL. Rym has bust measurements from 84 to 158 cm/33 to 62.25″ with an intended positive ease of  5-7 cm/2-2.75”. Olivia is wearing size S with a 9 cm/3.5” positive ease. Kyi has a waistband width from 72 to 160 cm/28.25 to 63″ with an intended positive ease of 6-12 cm/2.25-4.75″. Olivia, who stands 167 cm/5’6″ tall is wearing size S with a 11 cm/4.25″ positive ease.

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.

The Rym top 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.

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.

The Kyi skirt 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.

My sample knitter Grete Jenssen made the parts for these for me, with a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows in stockinette stitch using 4.5 mm/US 7 needle measures 10 cm/4” square after blocking. The Vidde lamullgarn by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk is made of 100% wool (50% pelt wool and 50% lambswool) with 200 meters/220 yards on each 100 gram skein.

Yarn kits are available from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk with either an English or a Norwegian pattern, while the individual Rym pattern will be released in the middle of July and the Kyi pattern will be released the middle of August in my Ravelry Store.

Share

Sculpted Frost Jacket in Vårstrikk 2021

Posted on by

I am delighted to have my Sculpted Frost pattern in the special magazine called “Vårstrikk”/Spring Knits published by Familien and available in selected supermarkets and newsagents in Norway. On the cover of the magazine is the delicate “Sol jakke”/Sun Jacket designed by Trine Lise Høyseth. The magazine has a large number of patterns, mainly for women but also a few for men and children. We are seven individual Norwegian designers that have patterns in this issue.

My Sculpted Frost Jacket is on page 18 to 21. The design is old but the photos shown are the second set taken back in the spring of 2020, at Bøler Church. The gorgeous Olivia Lindtein, with hair & make-up by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, is brilliantly photographed by Eivind Røhne.

A beautiful frost flower lace pattern adorns this a-line jacket. The cuffed sleeves only have a central lattice panel, while the frost flowers reign on the body. The coat is framed by a shawl collar in garter stitch divided with a tuck and finished with an I-cord bind off. A vivid lilac color was made by combing the divine mélange lace weight Du Store Alpakka, Dreamline, Soul with the beautiful light fingering comb wool Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Huldra Kamgarn. Together they create a stunning stitch definition as well as a slight halo.

The 3 larger sizes have been given a garter st panel on either side of the Frost Flowers, feel free to change this to st st if you prefer. The body is worked flat in pieces, unlike the long sleeves which are worked in the round to the armhole. The hem and the tuck are worked with 2 sets of circular needles held together.

The jacket is knitted with a gauge of 20 stitches and 28 rows in stockinette stitch using both yarns held together measures 10 cm/4” square blocked. If you prefer to work the jacket with a solid strand choose a double knit or a worsted yarn with a good meterage/yardage.

The pattern is available in sizes XS to 2XL, with a bust measurement of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″ in English and Norwegian on both Ravelry and LoveCrafts.

If you live in Norway, you can also order the Vårstrikk magazine by sending a SMS with Vår21 to 2205.

Share