Monthly Archives: July 2021

Cian Sweater Knitted by Valeria

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Valeria Patorra, aka nickknitterton, took part in the secret test knit of the Cian Sweater, first published in the Norwegian book “Norsk strikkedesign. Strikk din favoritt” – now available in English with the title “Knit Like A Norwegian” and as an individual pattern in my Ravelry Store and on LoveCrafts. Yes, you have actually seen this very sweater before, then modelled by Valeria’s youngest daughter (here), but I wanted to share these photos of Valeria herself taken on their holiday back in 2019 at Lønstrup in Denmark. Valeria knitted size Medium in the original yarn Tinde pelt wool in Light Denim Blue sponsored by Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.

On her project page from March 2019, Valeria writes: “I had been so happy about Linda’s invitation to a secret test knit of one her five designs in the upcoming book Norsk Strikkedesign. It contains the designs of six Norwegian designers and will be published in early October by Cappelen Damm. Thank you, dear Linda, for your trust and confidence! It was a great honour and pleasure for me!” I love how fabulous it looks, so thank you dear Valeria, for test knitting and all the fabulous photos! They seem so perfect to share in this summer holiday period.

Valeria continues: “And I’d like to say a big Thank You to the Norwegian yarn company Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk for its tremendous generosity to sponsor this test by gifting us a great amount of yarn. Tinde is a wonderful yarn, so lovely to knit with, light but warm at the same time.” She used the recommended needle size 3.5 mm/US 4 and obtained the pattern gauge of 21 stitches and 30 rows in stockinette stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square.

The Cian Sweater pattern, including the Cian Cowl, is available in sizes XS to XXL, with a bust circumference of 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″ in both English and Norwegian. Here is my introduction to the pattern:

Named Cian after the Irish God who rules over love magic, is this long A-line pullover. Three central Moss cables, framed by double seed stitch, adorn the center of the body which ends in a vent. Cian is crowned with an I-cord decoration around its crew neck. Wear the matching Cian Cowl as a loose collar. The sweater is knit in pieces from bottom up while the cowl sideways, both in the divine Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Tinde Pelsull.

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Postcard from the Lyngen Alps

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Michael and I have been on holiday in Northern Norway for a second time around! We had such a fantastic time last year, hence we decided to travel back to Tromsø. First we stayed two nights with my sample knitter Grete Jenssen & her husband Jan Sverre in Storsteinnes, and then another four nights at the Scandic Ishavshotel in Tromsø.

Unlike last year we had mainly rain and 8 to 12 degrees Celsius/46 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit, so it did not feel like summer at all. Still that did not stop us from travelling to Lyngen North at the Spåkenes peninsula, with a majestic view of the Lyngen Alps. All these wonderful photos are taken by my husband, except the one below.

I had brought thick tights but had to borrow a woollen hat from Grete – photographed above – to wear under my all-weather jacket hood. In Tromsø, I just gave in and bought a pair of leather gloves to keep me warm. A large number of the visiting Southerners could easily be spotted as they were wearing only shorts with t-shirts due to the heat wave in the South of Norway.

Jan Sverre was the designated driver that took us north on the E6 towards Alta, around the Kåfjord– see photo above and below for scale – to Spåkenes Coastal Fort. It was built by the Germans (or Soviet prisoners of war and German prisoners to be precise) in 1941.

The heavy enduring rain made the command bunker look even bleaker, giving us a shudder to the German occupation during WW2. I stood on top of the command bunker capturing both Grete and the view from it.

From the fort we trekked to the Bird Watching Tower, except that the signs stopped and in the end we gave up finding it, as the view was majestic anyway. Check out the ferry in the photo above for scale – click on the photo for a larger version. On the way there we crossed the bog and did however discover nearly ripe Cloudberries; that was a treat! We had a fabulous stay with Grete and Jan Sverre! Thank you so much! We will be back in the future, and you can see last year’s Postcard from Northern Norway here. If you have not been, do add it to your bucket list for the future, when it is safe to travel abroad again! Stay safe and healthy! Regards from Lyngen North in Northern Norway!

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New Design: Nipa

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The second new design made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk is Nipa, knitted in a dusty light lime colour. Nipa, Norse for peak, is a straight cabled pullover. A central intricate cable panel adorns the center of the body and the sleeves. Twisted stitches play in the cable and along the edge of the stockinette parts. Nipa is crowned with an I-cord decoration around its crew neck. The sweater is knit in pieces from the bottom up in the divine Tinde, a pelt wool from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. Airin Hansen, made this beautiful sample for me in dusty light lime, while I was working on another new design. Michael photographed me at the outdoor theatre seating at the lock in Ørje.

The pullover is worked back and forth in pieces and seamed. The neckband is worked in the round. Stitches are picked up and knitted from the first round of the neckband for the I-cord bind off decoration.

Nipa is knitted using a 3.5 mm/US 4 needle and with a gauge of 21 stitches and 30 rows in stockinette stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square.

I have graded the pullover in sizes XS to 5XL, with a bust circumference of 84 cm to 162 cm/33 to 63.75″. In these photos you see me wearing size Medium with 12 cm/4.75″ positive ease. The stunning Silver rings I am wearing are from the Eo Ipso series by Kaja Gjedebo Design.

Yarn kits with English or Norwegian pattern will be available early in September from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, while the single pattern will be released after test knitting set to begin 3rd of January in my Ravelry group. Long before that I will show you how stunning it looked on model Aksa Mortensen, photographed by Eivind Røhne at Hvalstrand Bad at the end of May.

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New Design: Keila

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Keila is my new dress design made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk in their bouncy Sølje pelt wool yarn. My initial plan was an all over Honeycomb pattern with a wide skirt that could be turned into a balloon dress or a minidress/tunic with a Henley neck. The skirt and the band part are worked in the round in two different Honeycomb patterns, while the dress is divided into parts at the armhole. Skilled sample knitter Grete Jenssen, aka ma9 on Ravelry, knitted this for me in size Small in light turquoise. Michael photographed me at the outdoor theatre seating at the lock in Ørje.

Above you see the dress worn as a balloon dress after I have insert long boot laces into the hem and tied it together. The dress is knitted using a 3.5 mm/US 4 needle with a 24 stitches and 32 rounds gauge in stockinette stitch measuring 10 cm/4″ square.

The dress is worked in the round up to armhole, then back and forth to the end. The hem is worked with 2 sets of circular needles held parallel when casting on, so that the hem can be closed by knitting it together. The skirt is worked straight, then decreased into the ray of honey pattern for the band before you increase for the honeycomb pattern and the bust. The Henley neck divides the front into two parts after the armhole.

Keila is Norse for straight, just as the skirt part of this honeycomb dress is. Elongated honeycomb covers the skirt, while ray of honey makes the high waistband, both are worked in the round. The pattern flow continues with a body in honeycomb including armhole stitches in stockinette stitch. Keila is worked flat from the armhole and ends in a Henley neck. Only the center of the sleeve has a honeycomb panel.

I have graded the dress from size XS to 5XL with a bust circumference of 86 to 158 cm/33.75 to 62.25″, while the skirt width is 144 to 199 cm/56.75 to 78.25″. The dress length can be adjusted in length by removing or adding repeats of the Elongated Honeycomb pattern.

Here you see me tying the boot laces at the bottom of the dress. One of the behind the scenes photos that Michael took.

Yarn kits with English or Norwegian pattern will be available early in September from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, while the single pattern will be released after test knitting set to begin 15th of November in my Ravelry group. Long before that I will show you how stunning it looked on model Aksa Mortensen, photographed by Eivind Røhne at Hvalstrand Bad at the end of May.

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Eah Pattern Released

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Another pattern that has been released earlier this year is Eah, knitted in the divine hand dyed Walk Collection Merino Sport yarn held together with the Kid Mohair Lace. The fitted hoodie with a central cable was test knitted in my Ravelry group and the test knitters helped make a second version of the hood to fit closer around the head, see theDingBat’s photos. Hence you have an option to make a loose or tight fitting hood. Eah is worn by gorgeous Model Olivia Lindtein, with makeup & hair styling by Sissel Fylling and jewellery by Kaja Gjedebo Design, photographed by Eivind Røhne at Mortensrud Church back in November 2020. Both the English and the Norwegian pattern is available on Ravelry and on LoveCrafts.

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 Sport yarn held together with the Kid Mohair Lace, in pieces and seamed for the ultimate fit.

Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL)
Shown in size Small

Finished measurements:
Bust/hip: 84 (92, 100, 108, 116, 124, 136, 148, 160) cm/33 (36.25, 39.25, 42.5, 45.75, 48.75, 53.5, 58.25, 63)“
Waist: 78 (86, 94, 102, 110, 118, 130, 142, 154) cm/30.75 (33.75, 37, 40.25, 43.25, 46.5, 51.25, 56, 60.75)”
Length: 61 (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69) cm/24 (24.5, 24.75, 25.25, 25.5, 26, 26.5, 26.75, 27.25)“
Sleeve length: 48 (49, 50, 50, 50, 51, 51, 51, 51) cm/19 (19.25, 19.75, 19.75, 19.75, 20, 20, 20, 20)”
Intended ease: + 5-10 cm/2-4”. Sample pullover shown is 92 cm/36.25” and worn with 9 cm/3.5” positive ease on model.

Yarn: Walk Collection, Merino Sport (100% Superwash Merino, 100 g, 325 m/355 yds)
Sample is knitted in Camel: 4 (5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8) skeins; 1202 (1332, 1462, 1592, 1622, 1752, 1947, 2142, 2337, 2556) m/1315 (1457, 1599, 1741, 1774, 1916, 2129, 2342, 2556) yds.
KidMohair Lace (70% mohair, 30% silk, 50 g, 420 m/459 yds)
Sample is knitted in Mica: 3 (4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6) skeins: 1202 (1332, 1462, 1592, 1622, 1752, 1947, 2142, 2337) m/1315 (1457, 1599, 1741, 1774, 1916, 2129, 2342, 2556) yds.
Note: 1 strand of each yarn is held together throughout.
https://www.walkcollection.com

Needles: 4 mm/US 6 straight needle.
4 mm/US 6 circular needle (80 cm/32”) for hood.
Adjust needle size as needed to match gauge.

Notions: Stitch markers (removable), cable needle and yarn needle.

Gauge: 20 sts and 30 rows in st st using a 4 mm/US 6 with one strand of each yarn, after blocking measures 10 cm/4” square.
20-st Herringbone cable measures about 9 cm/3.5” across.

Notes: 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.

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